Now, my answer to Andrew:
> From: Andrew Wayne Austin <aaustin@utkux.utcc.utk.edu>
> On Tue, 30 Sep 1997, Andrey Korotayev quoted me:
>
> > > The fall of the Soviet Union and fragmenting of the socialist world system
> > > has meant a marked decline in freedom for over
> > > one-third of world's population.
>
> This is a mangled quote and left to appear as pristine reproduction. I
> actually wrote this:
>
> "The fall of the Soviet Union and fragmenting of the socialist world
> system has meant a marked decline in freedom and the standards of living
> for over one-third of world's population."
The deleting of "and the standards of living" was entirely contious,
as I belive that the problems of freedom and the standards of living
should be treated separately.
> Genosse ["Tambovskiy volk tebe Genosse, dorogoy Andrew! - {a Russian
saying being said when someone inappropriately calls you
"tovarishch"}] Korotayev wants me to ask anybody who lived under Communist Party
> rule and I will find that they think they are much better off now. I will
> find that they all think like Korotayev. Well, I have talked to a lot of
> people from these countries, and I do hear some of them sounding very much
> like Korotayev.
Dear Andrew [let's stop using this "Genosse, Parteigenosse, comrade,
tovarishch" - at least {PARTEI}GENOSSE seems to sound a bit dirty for you as
well], thank you for your open-mindedness.
I would just add that
even most Russian communists (of course in private talk, not in
public) do concede that they are much more free now than before 1985
- eg than can openly criticize both the Russian president and the
General Secretary of their own party (they would just usually
add that the freedom is not really important [the actual wording
would rather be something like: "And what should I do now with all
this goddem freedom?!" NU I CHTO MNE OT ETOY SVOBODY!?).
Love,
Andrey