In America, Communist Fears Live On

This interchange led me to wonder: Do first generation Jewish Russian immigrants in America still live with communist/totalitarian fears?  

The man’s approach had been quite indirect, almost as if he were casually sneaking the greeting my way for fear of being suspected, the way one might imagine interactions between Russian Jews under a communist regime.

 “The fear of ‘return to mass oppression’ has very interesting dynamics… The immigrants…express this fear in significantly higher level than Russians in Russia (39 percent) [possibly a result of] the old, ‘inert’ fear inherited in immigrants’ consciousness from all-Soviet fears of totalitarian regime” (Shlapentokh and Shiraev, 113).

To pursue this investigation, I would interview, casually converse with or interact with other first generation Russian Jewish immigrants. I would also seek the opinion of an authority on this matter, if possible through an interview with Vladimir Shlapentokh or Eric Shiraev, authors of Fears in Post-Communist Societies: a Comparative Perspective

(http://books.google.com/books?id=A-sDPgSq_6cC&dq=Shlapentokh+and+Shiraev&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=QTWtHh-pWj&sig=2ceRprbdmXwmb-h-mBtPztWbsS8&hl=en&ei=gsrKSvEsisiUB8S6qZID&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false).

communist symbol in place of stars on American flag, http://www.strangecultureblog.com/2008_09_01_archive.html

(http://www.strangecultureblog.com/2008_09_01_archive.html. This is a link to the source for the image of the American flag embelished with the communist symbol.  Above is a link to the book referred to and quoted, by Vladimir Shlapentokh and Eric Shiraev.)

After some investigation:

Brighton Beach boasts a strong Russian community.  Most of the residents have moved from the former USSR to the US in the last twenty years.  They tend to express strong sentiments of Russian community, a certain nationalistic pride, even though they will admit that the situation is better in America. 

Even as they live in America, they interact on a “Russian” level.  Dmitri, a salesman at T-Mobile in Brighton Beach, said that “the customers seem to believe they still live in Russia.”

Part of this Russian identification motivates a persisting fear of communism. 

Sunday is the day that vendors set up shop in Brighton Beach.  One Sunday, I engaged Valentina in conversation, and she disclosed to me her opinion regarding communism and America.   Valentina, a street vendor, sells wares ranging from costume jewelry to hats and scarves.  She told me, “alot of communists in america in big scale, more than was in russia.”

This sentiment was reiterated by many others who had lived in the USSR, experienced communism first hand, and could recall it.  The next generation, those who immigrated to the US at a younger age, and had no, or at least few, vivid recollections of communism, seemed to have more liberal, tolerant and confident attitudes.  They live with family members with communist fears, but they themselves seem not to be bothered by it.