Soviet Party: Diversity vs. prejudice

Opinion piece
Alexander Pirlya
October 12, 2009

 

Soviet Party 2009 poster

Poster for the 2009 Soviet Party by Alexander Pirlya and Kseniya Linnikova

Nobody knows for sure how the idea of the Soviet Party originated. Seniors and juniors from the ex-Soviet community cannot remember for how many consecutive years the Soviet Party has been celebrated or the exact year when it was held for the first time. Today, it is a traditional event at AUBG, along with the SG Party and the Drunken Eagle. Every member of the AUBG community perceives the party from a different angle. Some of us see it as an excellent opportunity to have fun, while others attend it because of the nostalgia they feel for their childhood years when their country was still in the Soviet Union.

 

Essentially, the Soviet Party is an event organized by the students who represent most of the fifteen republics of the former Soviet Union. It is an annual event that was held in Sound Bar this year. All AUBG and ELI students are welcome at the party. There is free alcohol and soft drinks sponsored by the Soviet community. The DJ plays new and old songs from the times of the USSR and the now independent ex-Soviet countries. This year's novelty was the "Nu, Pogodi!" cartoon, which was one of the most popular series of the Soviet times. Most students said this year's Soviet Party was organized much better than the previous ones. There were more free drinks, the music was fairly balanced between commercial electronic, hip-hop, and Soviet-style songs. The atmosphere was that of diversity, and many students came to the party wearing some national insignia, either real flags or painted ones on their cheeks and arms.

However, not all of us seem to understand what the Soviet Party is about. The spirit of the gathering was somewhat tainted by the national grudges between the members of the AUBG community, which turned into violence. A couple of students got the idea that the Soviet Party is about celebrating the regime of the USSR itself and that it is also an attempt to resurrect it. Some of them asked why the students came to the event, even though the Soviet Union had done horrible things to its member states. Some of them said that there is no place for such an event in Bulgaria because of its nationalistic character, some simply hurled beer bottles on the floor of the club in disapproval.

In the university, we have a unique diverse community. Tolerance should be one of the main priorities for students. If you have a problem with somebody's ethnic origins - so be it. We do not live in a utopia where everybody is equal. Just do not deliver distasteful speeches, provoke and push people around because they are not like you. There are other, more subtle, ways to resolve a conflict without engaging in violence and hatred.

In my opinion, the Soviet Party is about the unity of the students who come from the post-USSR countries. People reminisce over their childhood years, celebrate the diversity of the ex-Soviet community and simply have fun. It is not about the Communist ideology or restating the soviet doctrines; it is about people originating from different countries and backgrounds who get together and promote tolerance among all the nations represented at AUBG. At the end of the day, it is just a party - not a place for nationalistic proclamations or violence.

Comments

The History of the Soviet Party

Funny, most of today's students at AUBG were barely alive when the whole USSR thing fell apart, much less suffered at the hands of the politburo. Boston used to have a Pravda bar with Soviet insignia all over it, and Cambridge has People's Republic with the portrait of the founder of KBG (NKVD) on its wall -- they must be nostalgic about the regime, too.

Here's some history, though. The first real batch of Soviets of more than, like, five people, arrived in 1996, an occasion that was properly celebrated in the smoke-filled bar in Waterworks -- and I still remember the hangover. The following year, the already sophomores invited newly arrived Soviet freshmen for an "orientation" party through RUBL, an email distribution list. In 1998, the party, still a small affair restricted mostly to Soviets and a few close friends, happened in Hilltop. One of the guests was Zabello, who is the father of the Soviet extravaganza the way it is today. The rest hasn't changed a whole lot since then.

A historical document, here's an invite from 2004: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rubl/message/1769
-- ivv960
Submitted by Anonymous on October 23, 2009 - 02:18.

Clear definition needed!

For all of you that do not remember when it all started, I remember it was three years ago. I am talking about the big event that it is, and not about a basement party attended by 50-60 people.

I agree with the author that people should take it easy. It is in this cases that we realize how narrow-minded AUBG aka diversity haven can be.

What I disagree with is the vagueness about the meaning of Sovietness (if that is even a word). Even the author makes the mistake of implying that it has to do with ethnic origins. It so does not! There has been a soviet trend in the past years at AUBG, which to me is completely nonsense. Check this out: http://www.defactobg.com/index.php?act=2&id=858 Why would you have a Soviet table at the taste fest? It is the same as having a Yugoslav table...or even a Yugoslav party at AUBG.

Maybe it is high time that all AUBGers from ex-Soviet countries decide once for all to define what they are celebrating with this party. I am sure that there will be less discontentment after that.

- Tornitori

Submitted by Anonymous on October 13, 2009 - 09:38.

IMHO

i think that at Soviet parties these young men and women celebrate their common-ness which is being attacked by oh so many politicians and haters in all of the ex-Soviet countries. OK, freshmen this year are no longer Soviet kids, but the cultural similarities (and there IS a distinct Soviet culture, apart from whatever national layers these peoples managed to preserve) persisted well beyond Aug '91. what's wrong with that? maybe, a change of name (like, a CIS party or whatever) is in order, but anything else doesn't mean as much to us as our Soviet childhood does. it's as if we had known each other from elementary or middle school, and now reunite in college years. too bad ppl suffered in the school's dungeons -- but we had nothing to do with that. can't other ppl just chill and keep their bigoted opinions (and actions) to themselves?
Submitted by Anonymous on October 19, 2009 - 12:32.