[Drosamadaris]

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst door eno2

Tomm minimaliseert graag het belang van de vrijheidsdrang bij de mens, vanuit zijn materialistische opvatting heeft vrijheid zo goed niets te betekenen tegenover de gegarandeerde bevrediging van de primaire behoeften. It's an absolutely easy and necessary trade off.

Daarmee ook dat hij andere getuigenissen met graagte links laat liggen...

Second, the ‘horrible’ part was not related to material levels - as was mentioned, state provided shelter, food, education and health services for free or small fees. The problem was the way the services were provided. You got the apartment, but it was state discretion if it gave you apartment in Bronx or half a villa in Martha’s Vineyard. The same hold for the job - you could get job of a CEO, or job of night janitor on city outskirts. (It was a criminal offense to be an unemployed, so one could not simply refuse the job.)

What was ‘horrible’ was not a level of material standards, but, rather, fact that your living standards were, to a great extend, outside of your control. This led to system where people traded favors and bribes to get some control over their lives and tried to not stand out of the crowd. Or, of course, you could become part of establishment (party) and become the one who decide who lives where and what job he gets.