Why I Left Utopia

PragerU: Five-Minute Videos

PragerU

Non-profit, Self-improvement, Education, Business, History

4.7 • 6.8K Ratings

🗓️ 19 August 2024

⏱️ 5 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Konstantin Kisin grew up in a progressive paradise. Childcare, health services, and college were free. No one fought over race, religion, or class. Where was this utopia? And why was he so eager to leave it?

Transcript

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0:00.0	I grew up in a progressive paradise.
0:04.0	The gap between the halves and the have-nots was practically non-existent.
0:08.0	The literacy rate was almost 100%.
0:11.0	Healthcare was universal and free.
0:14.0	No one fought over race, religion or class.
0:16.0	maternity leave was generous.
0:18.0	Child care was free.
0:20.0	There were no limits on abortion.
0:22.0	So where was this paradise?
0:23.8	No, it wasn't Norway, Sweden, of Finland.
0:26.5	It was the Soviet Union.
0:28.6	Everything I just described was true, and yet life in the USSR,
0:32.3	the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a living hell.
0:35.6	Yes, income inequality barely existed, but that was because everyone was equally poor.
0:41.6	Appliances, consumer products and fresh food were scarce.
0:45.0	If you wanted a car, good luck.
0:48.0	You'd be on a waiting list for 10 years.
0:50.0	Yes, women were emancipated, but they spent most of their time waiting in line for hours for food to feed their children.
0:57.0	Disposable diapers were unheard of, as were vacuum cleaners.
1:00.0	A dishwasher? Are you kidding? Health care was free in theory, but you could only get decent
1:06.4	and timely treatment if you had influence, connections and cash to pay the bribes. Everyone
1:11.2	was educated, but there were strings attached.
	...

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