Yuri Gagarin (1934 – 1968), the first person to travel into outer orbital space, has been immortalised in the form of Cosmonaut’s Day. April 12 is celebrated in Russia, and some post-Soviet states, as a national holiday. Commemorating the 1961 flight by then-27 year old Gagarin into space aboard the Vostok 1, the United Nations declared April 12 to be the International Day of Human Spaceflight in 2011.

The Vostok’s triumphant spaceflight, and Gagarin personally, were hailed around the world. Gagarin’s visit to Manchester, England in 1961, is still remembered today. He toured Egypt in 1962, and met with then Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser.

In June 1963, Valentina Tereshkova, aboard the Vostok 6 capsule, became the first woman to fly into outer space.

Gagarin tragically died in 1968, in an air accident. While on a training flight with another cosmonaut, a Sukhoi fighter jet flew perilously close to Gagarin’s MiG, pushing the MiG into a ferocious tailspin. Gagarin’s plane crashed.

His status as a hero, rather than diminish, only increased. The black-and-white pictures of Gagarin, his constant smile whether mixing with crowds or standing atop the podium with Soviet presidium leaders, are forever etched in my memory.

Gagarin, and Soviet cosmonauts generally, represented what ordinary working class people could accomplish. Courage, intelligence, integrity, dedication to the homeland – these qualities were those to be emulated by succeeding generations.

Growing up in a socialist household, Gagarin became a hero of mine. However, I was in a tiny minority in that respect, growing up in Sydney.

Manliness

The 1980s were the days of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood – role models of hyper-masculine types. Barely articulate, speaking with their fists (and their guns), Schwarzenegger and Rambo were the heroes for a generation of boys. Relying on violence to solve problems, they epitomised the fixation with masculinity that saturates Hollywood American culture.

Following on from the stoic, quiet types of Gary Cooper, John Wayne and cowboy types, to be a manly hero was to remain reserved, yet express yourself through violence. It was no coincidence that these Hollywood heroes were closely associated with the American military – Rambo being a prime example. Finding supreme self-expression through gunfights and warfare was the ultimate purpose of masculine identity.

Not for us was reading, mathematics, dreaming of spaceflight, history, and music. We were not going to become longhaired, wimpy hippies who cry and talk about their feelings. Real men protect hearth and home, support the military, and leave all that gooey-softie emotional stuff for sissies.

Today we can witness the hypermasculine MAGA cult, deifying its leader portrayed as a modern-day Rambo, in swollen memes. If anything, Trump behaves like a spoilt brat, maturing into the malignant narcissist that he is today.

It can be difficult to step outside of the culture in which you are raised, to examine it objectively. We all know that culture, like gravity is there. It exerts an influence on every aspect of our social interactions. Coming up with alternative masculine heroes requires we extricate ourselves from the Americanised, hyper-individualistic, consumerist culture in which we find ourselves.

Mentioning the name of Yuri Gagarin usually elicited blank stares, followed by questions along the lines of ‘who?’, and ‘what’s so special about him?’ It is sad to see that Gagarin has become a marginalised figure in contemporary Anglophone societies. This is part of a wider trend – ignoring the sacrifices of the Soviet people for the betterment of humanity.

The Cold War was primarily about politics and economics, but the cultural sphere was undoubtedly an arena of competing ideas.

Earlier this year, January in fact, was the 80th anniversary of the breaking of the Siege of Leningrad. Make no mistake; the genocidal intent of the Nazi forces was made clear from the start. Leningrad and its inhabitants were to be exterminated, its cultural achievements destroyed, and the remnants cast into slavery.

The superhuman collective sacrifices of the city’s inhabitants – who survived famine, disease, and aerial terror bombings – were historic in their impact. Inflicting a heavy defeat on the Nazi invaders, the siege marked the end of the previously invincible German army.

This particular anniversary was completely ignored in the West. Leningrad was the city that stubbornly fought to live.

The malignant fame of the Kardashians

It is fair to say that the Kardashians are the main way most Anglo background people have become familiar with Armenians. So-called ‘reality tv’, a cultural form pioneered by the Kardashian family, has promoted obsessive celebrity culture around the world. A societal poison, celebrity culture into devotees of individualistic consumerism. The cult of the entrepreneur has blinded us to collective achievements.

Toxic idol worship is scooping up ever-greater portions of our waking lives. We are ignored the issues that matter. What is wrong with enjoying the Kardashians? Is not celebrity culture just a bit of harmless fun?

Celebrity culture is selling us a fantasy – the celebrities are spokespersons for corporations. Whether they are engaged in business themselves, or a paid promoter, they are constructing a synthetic friendship with consumers to make us open our wallets. Once our wallets are empty, celebrity culture stops caring about mental health.

In Taguspark, Portugal, among all the urban artworks and statues spread throughout the location, there stands a monument to Yuri Gagarin and Vostok. His accomplishments will be remembered throughout the ages.