How would OTMA react to the modern world

[1130 WNEW]

How would they react if they could be brought back to life now?

How would they react to girls wearing trousers? Would they wear them or would they want their dresses back?

[edubs31]

The first truly "fun" what if topic in a while it seems.

I'm not into women's fashion, not being female myself for starters, but I think the dilemma between whether to dress as they did in their time or to adapt to the world of 2012 would be the least of their concerns.

I have wondered what they would think about their home country today if they were able to witness it. Certain things would be startling and confusing of course whereas other changes would probably be taken in stride. Socially and politically though, how would they feel about their native land nearly a century after the fact. Surely every child has at some point dreamed what it would be like to live a hundred years in the future.

Considering the history of Russia through the 20th century I'd think they'd be shocked by the subsequent Soviet reign of terror and thankful that things have "settled down peacefully" comparatively speaking. At the same time the current pseudo-Democratic Republic of the Federation would confuse and possibly dismay them. What would Nicholas think about politics in Russia today? Would he be horrified that the Soviet Union lived on for another seven-plus decades and then greatly disappointed that there was no restoration of the monarchy after it fell? Or would he look at things today, and the relative peace (albeit questionable stability) as an adequate compromise between his former Russian autocratic Empire and communist Soviet Union? And what would he think of Putin?

I'm sure OTMAA would get a kick out of the new fashion "trends" and the modern customs. These were afterall the same people who smiled in front of cameras with heads shaved and were able to adapt to and even charm many of their captors who used significantly different language & customs. They'd take it all in stride and probably take some comfort in the fact that so little has changed in certain circles.

Technological advances would throw them for a loop certainly. Autombiles everywhere and jet planes way up in the sky would be easy enough to adapt to, but television, computers, cell phones? Would take some time...for future reading you might want to check out TiMM's "Bid Time Return" and "Days of OTMA Lives" stories posted on here.

[Ortipo]

I'm thinking along the lines of isolation and slow acclimation over several months - videos of Charlie Chaplin,Felix The Cat, jazz recordings moving onto big band recordings, Gone With The Wind, The Wizard Of Oz etc. etc.  To thrust upon them Jerry Springer, Slayer, Saving Private Ryan and a trip to the beaches of Rio would be a bit much.

[edubs31]

I'm thinking along the lines of isolation and slow acclimation over several months - videos of Charlie Chaplin,Felix The Cat, jazz recordings moving onto big band recordings, Gone With The Wind, The Wizard Of Oz etc. etc.  To thrust upon them Jerry Springer, Slayer, Saving Private Ryan and a trip to the beaches of Rio would be a bit much.

Absolutely! This has been discussed before in another thread. In the event that they were time warped to the 21st century under my care I had recommended selling some of their jewels to help by a large estate in the countryside. Something far removed from the hustle and bustle of everyday modern life.

I would do my best to move them along the years of history over the course of several months. Let them first get familiarized with the late-teens and 20s culture and technology first and progress from there. Only with regards to medicine and a couple of modern amenities for my private use (to start off with at least) would I thrust the modern world upon them. Before bothering to teach them anything I think it might be wise to get something done about Alexei's hemophilia, Alexandra's chronic pains, Nicholas's bad teeth, and various immunity shots for the family. They'd also be the beneficiaries of modern healthy cooking and cuisine.

[Kalafrana]

Getting Nicholas to the dentist would defeinitely be a good idea, and how about persuading him to give up smoking.

Ann

[JamesAPrattIII]

I think NAOTMAA would all be shocked and saddend on what Lenin and Stalin did to their country. They probably would not believe it at first. I also think Alexandra would have been both shocked and amazed that a "Austrian Corperal" Adolf Hitler ever got into power in Germany and was a Genocidial madman. Nicholas would have been shocked to have found out that Stalin killed 20 million of his own people and no one did anything to stop him ect. At least the german generals ect tried to kill Hitler! Nicholas probably would of understood why Putin was able to get into power and stay there. the country was a mess and he restored order to a degree. They all probably would have been happy that the Allies won WW I and II but would have amazed at the spineless appeasers of the 1930s and would have been sort of mixed on a Russian army capturing Berlin. They would have liked their old Russian imperial army had done so not the Red army.

[edubs31]

No doubt James, amen!

I can only hope that if not somewhere up above looking down at the madness of the 20th century that NAOTMAA would have found enough to admire in the world that unfolded, and particularly the Russia, to make up for the horrors of what actually occurred. Many personal triumphs and innovations to focus upon. A good teacher of history might have to inform them that for all of the brutality great progress was made. A good teacher might also have to convince them that human progress best exists outside of both their system of governing and the communists and dictators that came to replace them...

[Jen_94]

I love threads like this! James, you couldn't have put it better, totally agree.

[TimM]

and how about persuading him to give up smoking

Yeah, they really didn't know how bad it was back then.

[TimM]

Alexei would profit from the modern world in that his hemophilia could be treated and he could live a normal life.  They wouldn't have to worry everytime he fell down or bumped into something.

Anastasia would be on Facebook all the time, making new friends.

Maria might sign up for eHarmony, knowing how much she liked to meet guys.

Tatiana might enter the medical field and would be able to advance further because the field is open to more women now than it was a century ago, becoming a full fledged doctor.

Olga I could see getting into fashion.

Alexandra, like Alexei would profit from modern medicine being able to treat her various aliments.

Nicholas, well, I could see him settling down on a farm somewhere.  The man seemed relieved when the burnden of leadership was off him.  He liked to chop wood, I wonder how he'd like a modern chainsaw.

They would be amazed by modern technology, but I think they would adjust to it.   In fact, I think they would be much better off in  2013 than in 1913.

[Kalafrana]

Nicholas as an organic farmer, that's a definite possibility. Of course, he would be on excellent terms with Prince Charles.

Ann

[edubs31]

I guess the question needs to be asked in two parts.

1) How would they react to the modern world if they were time warped here - Like your one story Tim about about them being whisked away moments before death in the Ipatiev basement.
2) How would they react to the modern world if they had grown into it some - Like imagining they'd all been exiled instead of killed, and then imagining that Alexei could have somehow survived long enough to be treated with the first major hemophilia treatment innovations that appeared decades later. I guess you sort of touched on this in your "Bid Time" story as well Tim, showing OTMA in their 30s and N&A as grandparents, yes?

Obviously none of them would still be alive today. But I could have imagined the daughters, at least, living into their 90s and perhaps even their younger brother dying only a couple of decades earlier. But I'll keep the focus on option #1.

Something tells me that unless desperate for income they'd never accept being parted from each other. We could sell their priceless jewels for huge sums of money that they could surely live off of, for a while at least. Perpetuating the lie to the world would be tricky. What with social security registries, insurance and government regulations and all.

Nicholas could work his remaining years on a farm registered under my name. I don't feel like Alexandra would have a hard time either adapting to the peace and quiet of the countryside...hopefully she'd be able to make a few friends. The girls would surely want their independence at some point, but if captivity over the course of sixteenth months taught us anything about their personalities it's that they seemed perfectly happy around each other, and seemed to have little problem living in a half decent home and removed from the outside world. They could do with less. I imagine them living similar to how a Mennonite Family does now (Amish might be a bit extreme for their tastes). Perhaps they could eventually be brought into that little community, marry, and start families of their own. My wife's childhood home that her mother still occupies (and lives next her brother and sister in law) has an Amish family living across the street and two Mennonite families on either side. It wouldn't seem so far fetched...

[TimM]

They could do with less. I imagine them living similar to how a Mennonite Family does now (Amish might be a bit extreme for their tastes). Perhaps they could eventually be brought into that little community, marry, and start families of their own. My wife's childhood home that her mother still occupies (and lives next her brother and sister in law) has an Amish family living across the street and two Mennonite families on either side. It wouldn't seem so far fetched...

That could work.  They could stay together, yet go out and explore the modern world if they wished to.

[Jen_94]

Alexei would profit from the modern world in that his hemophilia could be treated and he could live a normal life.  They wouldn't have to worry everytime he fell down or bumped into something.

Anastasia would be on Facebook all the time, making new friends.

Maria might sign up for eHarmony, knowing how much she liked to meet guys.

Tatiana might enter the medical field and would be able to advance further because the field is open to more women now than it was a century ago, becoming a full fledged doctor.

Olga I could see getting into fashion.

Alexandra, like Alexei would profit from modern medicine being able to treat her various aliments.

Nicholas, well, I could see him settling down on a farm somewhere.  The man seemed relieved when the burnden of leadership was off him.  He liked to chop wood, I wonder how he'd like a modern chainsaw.

They would be amazed by modern technology, but I think they would adjust to it.   In fact, I think they would be much better off in  2013 than in 1913.

The ones in bold I agree with! Can definitely see Anastasia doing something along the lines of that if she lived in the modern world!

Nicholas one is spot on, I agree.