The New Soviet Person

[Non-Aligned]

One of my favorite things to read about is anything Soviet related. Whilst traipsing through the labyrinth-esque cyverscape of Wikipedia, I came across this: (just type in New Soviet Man into Wikipedia, I'm not allowed to post links yet)

The New Soviet Man
The Soviet man was to be selfless, learned, healthy and enthusiastic in spreading the socialist Revolution. Adherence to Marxism-Leninism, and individual behavior consistent with that philosophy's prescriptions, were among the crucial traits expected of the New Soviet man. This required intellectualism and hard discipline.[6] He was not driven by crude impulses of nature but by conscious self-mastery – a belief that required the rejection of both innate personality and the unconscious, which Soviet psychologists did therefore reject.[7]

There's also some bits about the New Soviet Woman later on in the entry.

Any way, what are peoples thoughts on such an idea that the result of a socialist society creates a "new person" based on those ideals? Is this tyrannical or simply the natural tendency of human beings under a new society? What would you expect from people in a truly socialist society?

[tuwix]

The one's pattern of behavior depends on environment in which he lives. There will be other behavior in environment focused on profit and other in environment focused on equality.

But creation of "soviet man" was just propaganda. The real "soviet man" could be described in sentence "you pretend to pay, then we pretend to work" which is a description of typical attitude of worker in state capitalism.

[Brandon's Impotent Rage]

I've never really cottoned to the whole concept of the 'new soviet man' (or el Che's variance on the idea), as it sounds far too eugenics-y for my taste.

[consuming negativity]

One of my favorite things to read about is anything Soviet related. Whilst traipsing through the labyrinth-esque cyverscape of Wikipedia, I came across this: (just type in New Soviet Man into Wikipedia, I'm not allowed to post links yet)

The New Soviet Man
The Soviet man was to be selfless, learned, healthy and enthusiastic in spreading the socialist Revolution. Adherence to Marxism-Leninism, and individual behavior consistent with that philosophy's prescriptions, were among the crucial traits expected of the New Soviet man. This required intellectualism and hard discipline.[6] He was not driven by crude impulses of nature but by conscious self-mastery – a belief that required the rejection of both innate personality and the unconscious, which Soviet psychologists did therefore reject.[7]

There's also some bits about the New Soviet Woman later on in the entry.

Any way, what are peoples thoughts on such an idea that the result of a socialist society creates a "new person" based on those ideals? Is this tyrannical or simply the natural tendency of human beings under a new society? What would you expect from people in a truly socialist society?
How can we talk about the new Soviet person when you didn't bother posting the woman's version because "oh it's there too if you want to look"? I feel like I'm being a bit of a jackass for saying this but that genuinely bothered the shit out of me.

[Prometeo liberado]

How can we talk about the new Soviet person when you didn't bother posting the woman's version because "oh it's there too if you want to look"? I feel like I'm being a bit of a jackass for saying this but that genuinely bothered the shit out of me.

Maybe the OP only felt like bringing up the "Soviet Man" aspect. You may be reading a wee bit much into this. Just saying. Or better yet, instead of complaining start a post on the "New Soviet Women".
Whatever, this entire thread is nothing but sentimental-tankie twaddle.

[o well this is ok I guess]

How can we talk about the new Soviet person when you didn't bother posting the woman's version because "oh it's there too if you want to look"? I feel like I'm being a bit of a jackass for saying this but that genuinely bothered the shit out of me. According to the wiki, the new soviet woman was mostly just a housewife. Maybe better than the old housewife, but not exactly a new person.

[Tjis]

ideas similar to 'new soviet man' have been around in the left for quite a while. The framing of the socialist project in the second international was all about the proletariat liberating mankind. Part of that sentiment is the idea that a liberated mankind is a different mankind. Think here for example about the abolition of the family. Rather than perpetuating the same social structures that we know under capitalism, a liberated humanity would develop its own, leading to a different kind of human, a free human.

After the failure of the second international and after the October revolution, the Soviet Union found itself in the ideological paradoxical position of being at the vanguard of this liberation project, without actually having emancipated workers. It led to the latching of this ideology, or at least its rhetorical devices, to the actual needs the Soviet Union had for its working class. And so we see them for example advocating a family form very much like those in the west at the time, necessary to create a proletariat much like those in the west at the time, but justified in the name of this new soviet human.

The problem here isn't the idea that different social structures lead to a different kind of people. There is nothing tyrannical about that. In fact I expect many people on this forum to hold such ideas (I sure do). But as part of the propaganda package that posed the Soviet Union as liberator and the proletarian condition there as the pinnacle of humanity, such views are very problematic.

[Luís Henrique]

The real "soviet man" could be described in sentence "you pretend to pay, then we pretend to work" which is a description of typical attitude of worker in state capitalism.

Fixed for you.

Luís Henrique

[BolshevikBabe]

Funny type of "capitalism" then.

[Non-Aligned]

How can we talk about the new Soviet person when you didn't bother posting the woman's version because "oh it's there too if you want to look"? I feel like I'm being a bit of a jackass for saying this but that genuinely bothered the shit out of me.
A) Due to the fact that this is probably a highly uninteresting topic to begin with I was simply being courteous of other peoples time. If someone is genuinely interested they can look more into themselves.

B) I assume people tend to check out what exactly someone like myself is babbling on about instead of accepting what they're posting at face value.