TIME

Magazine Overview

Title: TIME
Issue Date: October 23, 1989
Volume: 134
Cover Headline: Elvis Spotted in Estonia!
Sub-headline: Glasnost goes bonkers as extraterrestrials, video healers and Abominable Snowmen distract comrades from everyday woes.

This issue of TIME magazine, dated October 23, 1989, delves into the peculiar cultural shifts occurring in the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of glasnost. The cover story, "Elvis Spotted in Estonia!", is a playful exaggeration that sets the tone for a feature exploring how Soviet media, freed from previous constraints, was embracing sensationalism, including reports of extraterrestrial encounters, psychic phenomena, and folklore figures like the Abominable Snowman.

Extraterrestrial Encounters and Folklore

The article details several unusual reports that captured public attention. One account describes a Soviet reporter's encounter with a 9-ft.-tall, three-eyed alien who arrived in a pink space ball. The alien expressed interest in Earthly cures for arthritis and diets for weight loss, highlighting the blend of the extraordinary with the mundane.

More sensational reports include a TASS story about a three-eyed space creature landing in Voronezh, which temporarily made a 16-year-old boy disappear with a special gun. Despite skepticism, TASS defended the report, emphasizing that it was not an April Fools' prank. Another incident involved a milkmaid in Perm reporting an encounter with a tall, short-legged cosmic creature. The newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda also published a story about an Abominable Snowman stealing apples in the Saratov region, alongside claims of 'energetic influences' at a site, suggesting a UFO landing field. A journalist from Riga, Pavel Mukhortov, even claimed to have a telepathic conversation with an extraterrestrial from the 'Red Star of the Constellation of Libra'.

The Rise of Psychic Healers

Parallel to the fascination with extraterrestrials, the issue highlights the surge in popularity of psychic healers. Anatoli Kashpirovsky, a hypnotist, gained a significant following by claiming to heal broken limbs, scars, and blindness without anesthesia, and to help people lose weight. He even held a briefing at the Foreign Ministry Press Center, asserting his ability to treat AIDS by healing hundreds of patients simultaneously.

Another prominent figure is Alan Chumak, known for transmitting healing powers through live television and videotapes. Viewers would place glasses of water or jars of cold cream near their sets to absorb his 'telepathic healing charges'. Chumak also promised to solve food shortages by energizing seeds to produce larger crops. Despite facing skepticism from superiors, public outcry led to his return to the airwaves.

Media and Societal Reflections

The article suggests that this embrace of the sensational and the supernatural by Soviet media is a consequence of glasnost, allowing journalists to pursue stories that push the boundaries of conventional reporting. However, this trend is viewed with concern by some. Dr. Yakov Rudakov, a leading psychotherapist, likened it to the final years of the Russian empire, with its susceptibility to demagoguery. He argued that the state-run media's contribution to this 'hysteria' was deplorable and that the obsession with UFOs might be a pseudoscientific distraction from pressing economic and political issues.

One disillusioned party member viewed the state's sponsorship of psychic and UFO studies as a new form of 'opiate' for a population that had been fed lies about Communism. The article concludes that these phenomena offer a new 'dream' for a populace disillusioned with past ideologies, suggesting that Moscow, in its current state, needs such dreams more than ever.

Editorial Stance and Themes

The magazine presents these developments as a fascinating, albeit concerning, aspect of the changing Soviet landscape. While acknowledging the journalistic freedom brought by glasnost, it also conveys the anxieties of some professionals who see these trends as a sign of societal instability or a regression. The overarching theme is the dramatic shift in Soviet society, where traditional beliefs and political narratives are being challenged by a newfound openness to the extraordinary, the mystical, and the sensational, as reflected in its media and public discourse.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue consistently explores the intersection of glasnost, media sensationalism, and public fascination with the paranormal and unexplained. It highlights how the relaxation of censorship has led to the proliferation of stories about UFOs, psychic phenomena, and folklore, often blurring the lines between fact and fantasy. The editorial stance appears to be one of observation and mild concern, noting the cultural and psychological implications of these trends for Soviet society. It suggests that while glasnost has opened doors to new forms of reporting, it has also exposed underlying societal anxieties and a search for new beliefs in a post-ideological era. The magazine frames these events within a broader context of societal change and the human need for hope and wonder, even if manifested in unconventional ways.