Honesty and the state

The blog A Soviet Poster a Day offers a different poster from the Soviet Union on an almost daily basis, with a little history and explanation for each one (note: the politics of the blog are not libertarian). My favorite is How to raise a child like Lenin: Don’t you lie - ever! The stern yet beautiful teacher instructs her remorseful student in the virtues of the state: the politicians and their apparatus. The blogger, Alexander Zakharov, writes, “The message was quite clear — Soviet leaders are the most honest and sincere people of the world and every Soviet child should do his best to be like them.” Hey, wait a second! Drop Soviet for American and you have the very same thing being taught everyday in public schools. Some strands of indoctrination never seem to go out of style.