Thread: RT coverage on gay rights in Russia

Originally Posted by Hanna

I think the fact that you were there (as an American, during the Cold War) shows they were more open minded than I thought!
I doubt ANY American TV channel invited people from the USSR to work for them, unless the person was a defector being interviewed. I would imagine this was during glasnost etc, but still!
It's really interesting to hear that you did this! What was your job there? What did people in the USA think about you going there? They must have thought it very radical!

Well, I've been writing about the whole thing right here at MR, in the blog section LOL

It was a very unusual experience, really one of a kind. I was employed by the Soviet government and I worked in Television there. I was a consultant and I helped develop some programs and advertisements. My primary project was a dating game show called Найди Меня.

When I returned to the US, most people were uninterested in the experience. Others called me a "communist" and some resented me for going there to help "the Russians," insisting I should only help "my own people." I had a letter of recommendation from the President of the Lenteleradiokomitet, who was a personal friend of Yeltsin, but it meant nothing in the US. Less than nothing, really. I ended up having to start my career all over again from scratch, and I worked my way through the ranks of local TV news as a field reporter, covering crime and other beats in the US. I finally left the business when I became too disgusted with the state of newsmedia in America.

For a long time, I stopped even talking about Russia because I got so many negative comments whenever I tried to bring it up. Mostly people laughed at me or called me a communist, although I never was a member of the communist party, nor was I affiliated with any political party in Russia. I lost touch with my friends in Russia. It is a long and complicated story. But a couple years back we all reconnected, thanks to Facebook, and I decided to go back to studying Russian with the hopes of potentially teaching English in Russia one day.

The current propaganda laws there have me concerned, however. I am not gay, but I have many friends who are and I support their rights in the US. I am worried that if I returned to Russia, I would be arrested for simply speaking my mind. I find the ambiguity of the "propaganda" laws very concerning, really. Not that I want to launch into this subject. There is a lot which I love about Russia, but I think since I lived there as long as I did, I also came to hate some things about it, just as there are things I hate about my native country, the US.

I did teach some English classes when I was in the USSR, although it has been so long ago that I need a refresher on how to teach again. I am currently studying for my TEFL cert, just in case.

I consider myself a global citizen, and I am very open minded about all cultures and all people. The only thing I have no tolerance for, really, is hatred, oppression, cruelty, and greed.

Originally Posted by Deborski

Well, I've been writing about the whole thing right here at MR, in the blog section LOL

It was a very unusual experience, really one of a kind. I was employed by the Soviet government and I worked in Television there. I was a consultant and I helped develop some programs and advertisements. My primary project was a dating game show called Найди Меня.

When I returned to the US, most people were uninterested in the experience. Others called me a "communist" and some resented me for going there to help "the Russians," insisting I should only help "my own people." I had a letter of recommendation from the President of the Lenteleradiokomitet, who was a personal friend of Yeltsin, but it meant nothing in the US. Less than nothing, really. I ended up having to start my career all over again from scratch, and I worked my way through the ranks of local TV news as a field reporter, covering crime and other beats in the US. I finally left the business when I became too disgusted with the state of newsmedia in America.

For a long time, I stopped even talking about Russia because I got so many negative comments whenever I tried to bring it up. Mostly people laughed at me or called me a communist, although I never was a member of the communist party, nor was I affiliated with any political party in Russia. I lost touch with my friends in Russia. It is a long and complicated story. But a couple years back we all reconnected, thanks to Facebook, and I decided to go back to studying Russian with the hopes of potentially teaching English in Russia one day.

The current propaganda laws there have me concerned, however. I am not gay, but I have many friends who are and I support their rights in the US. I am worried that if I returned to Russia, I would be arrested for simply speaking my mind. I find the ambiguity of the "propaganda" laws very concerning, really. Not that I want to launch into this subject. There is a lot which I love about Russia, but I think since I lived there as long as I did, I also came to hate some things about it, just as there are things I hate about my native country, the US.

I did teach some English classes when I was in the USSR, although it has been so long ago that I need a refresher on how to teach again. I am currently studying for my TEFL cert, just in case.

I consider myself a global citizen, and I am very open minded about all cultures and all people. The only thing I have no tolerance for, really, is hatred, oppression, cruelty, and greed.

Sorry I hadn't read your blog entry I think! Lately I have been a really slippery fish here - not actively studying Russian right now, but I still like this forum so I pop in and comment... But sometimes I make comments too fast without knowing the full details of why people say what they say! Thanks for explaining!

Your story makes perfect sense though. How surprising that Soviet TV wanted a dating show! They must have really wanted to change.
Maybe we should find a clip on Youtube and see if anyone remembers it!
So they really weren't that high brow then... I mean, many of the state tv channels in Europe really looked down on "cheap" entertainment that was just intended to play to people's basic instincts. It was a kind of cultural elitism, really. I would have thought USSR TV was definitely onboard with that kind of outlook.

I guess the reaction of your friends in the USA shows that they were so indoctrinated about "evil Russians" that they couldn't really see beyond that. Sad!!! Particularly since the Russians didn't have that outlook on the USA and probably would have been intrigued in a reversed situation. It's also the general expat experience.... Once you return, people don't really understand how you have changed or what your life was life.

I remember having my fist serious anti-Soviet reaction as a kid when we learnt that USSR media essentially didn't cover Chernobyl initially, even though it was MASSIVE news in the rest of Europe and local people's lives were actually at risk. It really upset me because I was so into environmentalism and I thought the USSR was better than killing a major story just because it was embarrassing. Of course, later it emerged that some horrendous stories had been covered up. But then, nobody knew. Then suddenly, they changed their minds about Chernobyl I think, and invited foreign media -- maybe it ended up being a bit of an eye-opener to the bosses of the TV in the USSR, as they realised their politics had denied people knowledge and proper coverage of such a monumental event.

Originally Posted by Hanna

Sorry I hadn't read your blog entry I think! Lately I have been a really slippery fish here - not actively studying Russian right now, but I still like this forum so I pop in and comment... But sometimes I make comments too fast without knowing the full details of why people say what they say! Thanks for explaining!

Your story makes perfect sense though. How surprising that Soviet TV wanted a dating show! They must have really wanted to change.
Maybe we should find a clip on Youtube and see if anyone remembers it!
So they really weren't that high brow then... I mean, many of the state tv channels in Europe really looked down on "cheap" entertainment that was just intended to play to people's basic instincts. It was a kind of cultural elitism, really. I would have thought USSR TV was definitely onboard with that kind of outlook.

I guess the reaction of your friends in the USA shows that they were so indoctrinated about "evil Russians" that they couldn't really see beyond that. Sad!!! Particularly since the Russians didn't have that outlook on the USA and probably would have been intrigued in a reversed situation. It's also the general expat experience.... Once you return, people don't really understand how you have changed or what your life was life.

I remember having my fist serious anti-Soviet reaction as a kid when we learnt that USSR media essentially didn't cover Chernobyl initially, even though it was MASSIVE news in the rest of Europe and local people's lives were actually at risk. It really upset me because I was so into environmentalism and I thought the USSR was better than killing a major story just because it was embarrassing. Of course, later it emerged that some horrendous stories had been covered up. But then, nobody knew. Then suddenly, they changed their minds about Chernobyl I think, and invited foreign media -- maybe it ended up being a bit of an eye-opener to the bosses of the TV in the USSR, as they realised their politics had denied people knowledge and proper coverage of such a monumental event.

It's fine - my blog is long! Nearly 40 chapters so far, so if you ever are bored on a cold winter's night maybe it can entertain you

The dating game show, Найди Меня, was actually in production long before I arrived in the USSR. However, it was really nothing like American dating game shows at all. It was more of a serious sort of matchmaking service to help young Soviet citizens find the loves of their lives. I describe it in a lot more detail in my blog.

I was very disappointed with the reaction of my fellow Americans. They just are not as open-minded as I am, and if anything they seem more closed minded today. provincial, self-absorbed. Few of them are interested in other countries. I blame our media for that mindset, really. And I agree, it is a common expat experience. Russia changed me forever, in ways I am still ascertaining. But I am grateful for that experience, even if some people "punished" me psychologically for it.

By the way, I have posted a few clips from Найди Меня on youtube. This is just one of them: