A Soviet Visitor in 1930s United States

/ Kimberly

I have something a little different for you today.

I came across this fascinating travelogue style video, from the writings of a Russian visitor touring the United States.

It’s fascinating to hear their take on the United States and the American people. Their experiences in California and especially San Francisco fascinated me!

Strangely enough, some of the things that stood out to the Soviet visitors then are constantly discussed today in America (the huge disparities in wealth, for instance). At the time the visitors were here though, Americans weren’t preoccupied with these topics.

What do you think? if we take the narrator’s word for everything he said in the video, are the things he noticed about Americans then still true today? What has changed and what is consistent in our national character?

Is California filled with beautiful girls with spiteful eyes?

Do Americans laugh all the time?

Does Hollywood still smell like fried ham sandwiches?

I’m interested to hear your thoughts!

2 thoughts on “A Soviet Visitor in 1930s United States”

  1. An individual’s perspective is based on life experiences, as a filter on a camera lens impacts the photograph it captures.

    The observations of a Russian tourist in 1930s America, only 13 years after the Revolution that gave birth to Russian Communism, had different “filters” than an American of that era . . . raised in a Democratic Republic based on Capitalism.

    The observations were likely viewed a insulting by 1930s Americans. That would not be the case in 2023 America.

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