Quote Originally Posted by Hanna View Post
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: