LAIKU ATŠALKAS: ŽURNĀLISTIKA, KINO, POLITIKA - Academia

LAIKU ATŠALKAS: ŽURNĀLISTIKA, KINO, POLITIKAKlinta LočmeleDoctoral student, University of Latvia, Department of Communications StudiesWORK AS A RULE FOR OCTOBRISTS AND HUMAN VALUESIN THE MAGAZINE ZĪLĪTE (AUGUST 1958 – AUGUST 1963)Keywords: Zīlīte, Octobrists, schoolchildren, work, learning, order, behaviourThe popularity of the Soviet-era children’s magazine Zīlīte was seen in its earning power andits circulation. The magazine was meant for children aged five to 10, helping them to establishunderstandings of values and models of behaviour in addition to that which was taught to them bytheir parents. The children who were known as Octobrists were in the same age group. Childrenin the first three grades at school were taught about the lifestyles and values of Octobrists so asto prepare to join the Pioneers.The author has analysed the way in which Zīlīte discussed the issue of work during its firstfive years of publication (1958-1963). The theory of social learning that was proposed by psychologistAlbert Bandura states that people, including children, learn behaviours on the basisof their own experience and of observations of what others do. That can also happen indirectlyvia the media. Zīlīte presented various life situations in which readers could recognise positiveand negative characteristics and determine which character was behaving properly. Most of thestories and poems in the magazine, indeed, spoke to what children did and what the consequenceswere, whether in a positive or a negative sense.Working hard was one characteristic which Octobrists, as future Pioneers, were supposed tohave. One of the rules for the Octobrists was that “Octobrists are diligent and good students.” 1In Zīlīte, the concept of work included good grades at school, physical work in helping parentsand serving the common good, and also making sure that the child and his or her surroundingswere clean and orderly.At the same time, however, the magazine’s understanding of work was not unilateral. Althoughthe content did encourage children to work hard so that they would satisfy the rules ofthe Octobrists, the magazine also described work and diligence as overarching values that hadto be imbued into children irrespective of the era and the governing regime.1Panova, N. Oktobrēni (Octobrists). Rīga: Latvian State Publishing House (1961), p. 109.217