Jack Barsky

Where was the ideological shift?

Because now you're an American and you seem to like America a lot.

Yeah, well, it was a what I call a slow decontamination.

The first thing that I realized was that capitalism isn't really as oppressive anymore.

to the workers, as I thought, because when I started working for MetLife as a programmer, it was a nice place and they treated us well.

We got free lunch.

Other than like, you know, bad bosses and, and, and,

not very nice coworkers, I couldn't find, institutional evil wasn't there.

But when I resigned from the KGB, I put in my letter explicitly, I will not betray the cause, I will not betray my motherland, East Germany, and I meant that.

And, you know, and then I had a career.

I developed my version of the American dream.

It wasn't ideological, but it was like, you know, I liked it here, you know.

And I became what they wanted me to become, a real American.

You know, I led a normal life.

At one point, I became a professional.

I worked as a computer programmer.

And, you know, if you're a young man, you have some... You know, your hormones are still there, right?

Sure.

Your job is inherently lonely as hell.

Yes.