Summary
Texas Republican Valentina Gomez sparked outrage after releasing a video proposing public executions of undocumented immigrants who commit violent crimes, claiming it would act as a deterrent.
The video, shared on X, simulated Gomez shooting a hooded dummy representing an undocumented migrant.
Her comments followed the arrest of a Guatemalan immigrant for a subway murder in New York.
Known for far-right provocations, Gomez’s remarks drew sharp criticism from political figures and activists, with some praising her stance while others condemned it as hateful and extreme.
There’s that infamous quote from Putin- “Whoever does not miss the Soviet Union has no heart. Whoever wants it back has no brain”
People who actually grew up during the Soviet Union and went through the process of collapse and liberalization as an adult experienced quite a chaotic period of time. Your way of life was violently changed, the ideology you were taught disposed of, and you went through economic troubles. It’s no wonder some look back fondly
I’ve seen similar statements from both Cubans and ex-Soviets. One of the main themes is how under liberal societies you are “addicted to money”, so to speak. For example in Cuba, you could not get what you wanted. For example you go to the store one day, there’s no shoes. Tomorrow, there’s no batteries. You could not eat beef, you could not just leave. There were many restrictions.
But you were sort of guaranteed a certain minimum quality of life. You would have a place to live, you would have food. You would have a steady job without worrying about losing it.
Whereas in the US, you have an exponentially higher purchasing power- even the lowest segments of the population. But there’s a catch. You have to be working all week to sustain that lifestyle. And the employer can more easily fire you- it’s not as stable.
So they look back with nostalgia at what to them seems likes simpler and calmer times. Less stressful
anyhow, to back up my anecdotal experience with data: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/06/29/in-russia-nostalgia-for-soviet-union-and-positive-feelings-about-stalin/
78% of older Russians think collapse of Soviet Union was a bad thing. Majority of Russians view Stalin favorably.
It depends on the country you’re from, but it’s safe to say many older people have nostalgia and look back at the Soviet Union fondly. I’ve seen the same thing with Cubans
here’s a thread on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/esy6i5/russians_of_reddit_what_is_the_older_generations/
where people share their experiences. Few of the top comments basically mirror what I referenced above