Confused about Russian people, can anyone clarify...

[clowny]

I always had the impression that russian people were extremely hardcore. I'm not exactly sure why I had this idea, maybe it's because they have one of the largest and most powerful militaries in the world, and seem to constantly be involved in wars. I suppose that movies I watched as a child are largely responsible for my misconceptions about Russians too. Movies like Rocky 4, Red Scorpion, and Goldeneye, in which Russians seem to be portrayed as unstoppable killing machines. So for a long time I had this idea permanently etched into my brain that russians are soul-less, emotionless people. I also heard that russians never smile, and are all vodka drinking thugs who like to fight.

But then I actually met some russians. They were pretty much the total opposite of what I had been lead to believe. They are some of the nicest, friendliest people I have ever come across. From my limited interaction with russian women I did notice a difference in their demeanour and attitude compared with western women. They just seem a lot more open towards you. Can winston or anyone whose been to russia tell me what the average russian person is like? Is russia a terrible place to live? Do most of the people want to escape? Are the people on the street a lot more hardcore than people in the united states/canada/australia, or is it just the soldiers who are this way?

[marklambo]

This is exactly how and why media can be so damaging. People start to see things on tv and believe that it's always that way. Also many times in various American movies, you'll sometimes see a woman named "Olga" show up and she's always some big butch type woman who's ugly as sin ready to kick someone's ass. But in reality, there are so many gorgeous women named Olga and they are not what they appear to be as on tv. Media can sometimes really be a disease and brainwash people to believe something far from the truth.

[skeptic]

I don't think most people in Russia would go out of their way to move to America, but, based on my understanding, they still do believe that America is superior to Russia by standard of living and, if an opportunity for green card comes up, many young people wouldn't mind following up to it. From what I know about Russia, it's important to differentiate between the affluent Moscow (perhaps also St.Petersburg) and the rest of the country. Moscow today can be afforded either by those who have a lot of money, or by those who inherited their real estate from the Soviet era (getting Moscow residence was a matter of high status even in those years) . The rest of Russia, of course, is much less affluent and has more reasons to complain.
But U realize that my understanding is overly simplified .

[C.J.]

I think that Russians can be unstoppable killing machines. I saw a Russian in Moscow get hit by a car at 35 miles an hour. And just got up and walked away as if a basketball hit him. Now, whether or not they wanna take over the world as per every media potraying Russians, I'm not sure of.

[marklambo]

I don't think most people in Russia would go out of their way to move to America, but, based on my understanding, they still do believe that America is superior to Russia by standard of living and, if an opportunity for green card comes up, many young people wouldn't mind following up to it. From what I know about Russia, it's important to differentiate between the affluent Moscow (perhaps also St.Petersburg) and the rest of the country. Moscow today can be afforded either by those who have a lot of money, or by those who inherited their real estate from the Soviet era (getting Moscow residence was a matter of high status even in those years) . The rest of Russia, of course, is much less affluent and has more reasons to complain.
But U realize that my understanding is overly simplified .

I speak to a lot of Russian girls online on a daily basis and every single one of them never mention anything about wanting to come to America, with the exception of maybe one girl but after I told her how it really is here, she changed her mind quickly lol. I've noticed that most would rather go to other parts of Western Europe. Everyone thinks that all Eastern Europeans want to come to America and that's so far from the truth, especially Russian people. People of Eastern Europe have easy access to many other countries that are very close to them. They clearly know that America isn't the only option for them.

[have2fly]

But then I actually met some russians. They were pretty much the total opposite of what I had been lead to believe. They are some of the nicest, friendliest people I have ever come across. From my limited interaction with russian women I did notice a difference in their demeanour and attitude compared with western women. They just seem a lot more open towards you. Can winston or anyone whose been to russia tell me what the average russian person is like? Is russia a terrible place to live? Do most of the people want to escape? Are the people on the street a lot more hardcore than people in the united states/canada/australia, or is it just the soldiers who are this way?

1. Best advise - throw out your TV right now! I don't own TV for over 8 years and I am very happy.

2. Watch Russia Today, RT.com. for free online. You will see reports from Russia, they show some landscape, take interviews etc. It's all in English, so much easier for you. Yes, there is Kremlin political propaganda involved in there, but it's no worse than Fox news.

3. What is the largest city next to you in the U.S.? Chicago, NYC, LA, San Francisco, San Diego, Miami - all have very sizable Russian communities. However it becomes complicated - those that live in the U.S. for over 5 years may be as American as it gets. Also, don't mix Russian with Russian-speaking Jews, although they share a lot in terms of culture and childhood, actual behavior may be different. Many Russian Jews now live in the U.S., so you have a big chance of running into them.

4. The culture is the total opposite of the U.S. People are cold on the outside, but say a few words and they will light up in wonderful smile. Of course there are all kinds of people, jerks, idiots, douchebags, simple dumb-f***s, aggressive macho "I will beat your ass" type, intelligent engineer-geek, "normal" guy - just well dressed modern dude who is middle class - I tend to associate myself with those guys.

Also Russian culture could be used as an example for all CIS and could not It's very hard to explain since you sound like you have no clue, so it's too early for you to dig deeper. But 22 years ago all CIS/FSU was Soviet Union and most older folks consider all FSU countries very brother-like. Also most people in FSU still speak Russian.

5. So what are Russians like? It depends. Moscow people tend to be "Westernized" in a bad way without having "have a nice day" attitude. They could be rude, ignorant, stand-offish and cliquish. Personally, I find Moscow taking on all rotten parts of the U.S.A. lifestyle. St.Petersburg gets better. And then you go into deeper Russia and there you see the true country. People will be much friendlier in general, especially in small villages and towns. Especially when you go to drink with them, oh you will have a blast. Russians (as well as FSU countries) DO NOT DRINK by standing in groups, they put food on the table, sit down, share a good laugh, toast to whatever things, someone turns on the music and people just go dance. Yep, just like that - without any fear of being bad-mouthed by someone around. They just don't care, they are buzzed and have a good time.

6. Living in Russia is a whole different story. There are many issues with the government corruption, low wages, high taxes on imports (cars, electronics, clothes), low quality service. However, if you have money, living in Russia could be even MORE comfortable than living in the West. Poor roads could be fixed - just buy a Hummer or Land Cruiser Poor service? Just pick expensive places, service quality will be better than 5-star hotels in the U.S. Also keep in mind, when you go to expensive places in Russia/FSU you automatically get into a "club" of successful people. So everyone around will know that. What does that mean? Girls working at that fancy restaurant you go may want your phone number, get it? In general, you feel like a King (Tsar?) having money in FSU. All doors open, it's a feeling that cannot be described. You NEVER feel that in the U.S.! Even with millions of dollars driving a Porsche in the U.S. - who are you? Just another rich dude on the block. Not like that in FSU, you get automatic rise in social structure by being "successful" as they call it.

So go check it out. Get a Russian visa, (around $200 USD), buy a ticket and fly in for a week. Also watch some Youtube videos. Look at this one, some Israeli dude was video taping random Russian girls. Yeah, it happens a lot. Foreigners (mostly Western) just can't believe their eyes! Cities that look grim and dark in Hollywood movies actually have bright cafes, beautiful girls in short skirts everywhere, great food and very energetic up-beat atmosphere in general. Nightlife is out of this world since many people actually go to a nightclub to have fun and meet people, unlike U.S. where people come in one group and socialize in that group all night. Why do Americans even bother going to clubs if they don't really meet any new people??? And people they meet are almost always treated with mistrust. Moscow may be like that, but other cities are better.

Girls in the video are pretty average actually. There are much better ones.

[skeptic]

However it becomes complicated - those that live in the U.S. for over 5 years may be as American as it gets.

If you moved in as a grownup, five years is not enough to become "as American as it gets". Teenagers are more at risk but it depends on personality. For little kids it's probably true.

Also, don't mix Russian with Russian-speaking Jews, although they share a lot in terms of culture and childhood, actual behavior may be different.

How is it different? Please explain.

Also Russian culture could be used as an example for all CIS and could not It's very hard to explain since you sound like you have no clue, so it's too early for you to dig deeper. But 22 years ago all CIS/FSU was Soviet Union and most older folks consider all FSU countries very brother-like. Also most people in FSU still speak Russian.

It's yes and no. If you look at Belarus, they've virtually always been considering Russia as their "older brother". While there are handful of patriots who use (or, at very least, try to use) the national language for everyday conversations, the vast majority of Belarusians, especially in cities, converse in Russian, which has a status as one of the national languages (along with Belarusian) since 1995. Ironically, these cultural ties between Belarus and Russia don't reflect the difference in government systems of the two countries. If you look at Ukraine, it is more culturally independent. Although Russian is spoken in all parts of the country, the Ukrainian language has gained somewhat more popularity (at least in comparison with Belarusian), both at home and abroad (there are many ethnic Ukrainians in the U.S.). There are much more people conversing in Ukrainian in Urkaine than those conversing in Belarusian in Belarus. In spite of all that, cultural ties between Russia and Ukraine are still being maintained, and some of the popular modern Russian pop stars actually hail from Ukraine.

Georgia has its own story in its relations with Russia, which, to be honest, I don't have enough knowledge to analyze. There are also Muslim ex-Soviet republics that have always been less tied to Russia than Ukraine and Belarus are. The last but not the least, so-called Baltic states - Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia - have historically been very nationalistic, even in the Soviet era. Latvians have recently gone so far as to change history by glorifying the German Nazis as liberators of Latvia from the Soviet regime.

Moscow people tend to be "Westernized" in a bad way without having "have a nice day" attitude. They could be rude, ignorant, stand-offish and cliquish. Personally, I find Moscow taking on all rotten parts of the U.S.A. lifestyle.

I suspect that, too. Both in a good and a bad way, Moscow is not Russia, just like NYC is not America.

Even with millions of dollars driving a Porsche in the U.S. - who are you? Just another rich dude on the block. Not like that in FSU, you get automatic rise in social structure by being "successful" as they call it.

By now there are probably enough oligarchs in Russia to make yet another oligarch not feel so unique. In other FSU countries you may still have a chance.

[Winston]

Check out my interactions with groups of young Russians here. It will show you what they are like.

http://www.happierabroad.com/film.php#OpenRussians

[ladislav]

To give you a US culture-based reference, think about a Latino but who is less anal about Catholicism ( there is no Catholicism there) and less smiley to strangers. Otherwise, the soul is Latin ( to American eyes)- French, Italian etc. Maudlin, sentimental, poetic. Actually, the real fact is that the soul is Greek- because of the religion. Russians are also big philosophizers and act like Greek philosophers in daily life. If it means anything to you.

The US propaganda simply took the Nazi German image and transferred it unto Russians since the Cold War started immediately after WWII- cold, killing machines etc.

Anti- US propaganda in Russia always made a disctinction between the friendly and open American people ( yeah, right) and a bad gov't. The same is in Arab countries- American people are good but the gov't is bad. I have always thought the opposite- the US gov't is great; the people suck ( present company excluded).

US propaganda, otoh, practices pure racial slander and hatred. Also, when people slander, they basically project themselves upon someone else. A silent cold and unfriendly person who avoids eye contact and is indifferent to other people's suffering is what an average Anglo is like in any Anglo country including the US.

As political correctness gets out of control and the US media can no longer slander Asians, Blacks, Mexicans etc., you will see even more hatred unleashed in the media against Russians, Arabs, Serbians, etc.

No good to be one.

As far as Jews from Russia- many are not from Russia but from Ukraine, Lithuania, etc. They simply grew up speaking the Russian language. However, their behavior is Middle Eastern and Yiddish- complaining all the time and always dissatisfied, guilt and all that.
They would be as different from Russians as say British Indians and Pakistanis ( there are many in London) would be different from your average 'real' Englishman.

To an American, any person who speaks Russian is a Russian ( but not any person who speaks English is an Englishman, right?).

If you moved in as a grownup, five years is not enough to become "as American as it gets". Teenagers are more at risk but it depends on personality. For little kids it's probably true.

Actually, it is enough to become very xenophobic ( fearful of strangers which is probably numero uno Anglo trait), become very cautious and protective of one'self, and it is enough to develop and inferiority complex the size of Lousiana Superball, as well as get to be an exaggerated caricature of an American in order to fit in. So, while they still do not become as American as it gets from your perspective, they may often become something far worse. In all respects, they usually become the opposite of what they were back home while not adopting any good traits of America.

The same can be said about Filipinos who move to the USA. A caricaturesque creature.

[have2fly]

Ladislav nailed it, I have nothing to add. Especially true about 5 years change in immigrants - that's exactly what I wanted to say. Another fine message from Lad.

By now there are probably enough oligarchs in Russia to make yet another oligarch not feel so unique. In other FSU countries you may still have a chance.

Not at all. And oligarch's are not interested in women anymore, some of them just rent a sauna with lots of girls, party up and go home. So snatching one of those guys for marriage is very hard. Now Moscow does have many rich people, but definitely not so many. If you drive a Porsche, you will still stand out, even in Moscow. Look at this guy driving a Ferrari and regular girls just jumping on him, even though he says he is married to all of them. And it's not trailer trash-hood rats, those are regular girls just trying to snatch a rich guy. I wanna see that happen in the U.S. No freaking way! So when you are rich in Russia/FSU it really is amazing. You feel that huge power in your hands.

[clowny]

Not at all. And oligarch's are not interested in women anymore, some of them just rent a sauna with lots of girls, party up and go home. So snatching one of those guys for marriage is very hard. Now Moscow does have many rich people, but definitely not so many. If you drive a Porsche, you will still stand out, even in Moscow. Look at this guy driving a Ferrari and regular girls just jumping on him, even though he says he is married to all of them. And it's not trailer trash-hood rats, those are regular girls just trying to snatch a rich guy. I wanna see that happen in the U.S. No freaking way! So when you are rich in Russia/FSU it really is amazing. You feel that huge power in your hands.

I wish I could understand what these women were saying. f***ing useless whores trying to snag a man because he's rich.

[ladislav]

Basically, they are all saying- oh what a nice car! take us for a ride, etc. Are you married? Yes, I am. Well, the wife will never find out.

They may just be hookers the same as you see on Sunset Blvd in LA and he may have just ridden through a hooker infested area.

As far as Hollywood demonizing people, do a youtube search on "Reel Bad Arabs" to see what is done to vilify people to gain public opinion to support wars. There has not been a movie like this about Russians but there should be.

When I first went to Saudi Arabia to work I was scared shitless because I thought they were gonna cut my head off. This is how powerful Hollywood propaganda is.

I was shocked at how nice and peaceful the place was and how sweet and polite the people were. I had never enjoyed my job and even life as much as I enjoyed it there.

None of those anti-Russian or anti-Arab movies have Russians or Arabs in them and most are filmed/written by people who have never been to Arabia or Russia, do not know the culture or do not speak those languages. They are pure propaganda films ala Goebbels anti Jewish reels. But this time the reach is way beyond Germany.

But at least Goebbels had met Jews, dealt with them and knew something about them. Hollywood Russia- and Arabia- vilifiers had never even met an Arab or a Russian. They take Pakistanis to play Arabs and take an Egyptian to play a Russian ( Omar Sharif). If they took a Sephardic Jew to play a Kazakh in Borat ( Kazakhs are Mongolian race), can you imagine how dumb the public is?

[ladislav]

I lived in the Russian republic from 1964 to 1974. I must say that I had a very happy childhood there. By the way to show you what my classmates looked like have a look at this:



We had many concerts at school similar to this.

Do these people look like killer machines?

[xiongmao]

Quite a few Russians in Southern China. The men are fun to go drinking with. The women are hot in their 20's, but they don't age well.

Also the Russian women here are very pushy and aggressive, but I guess they need balls of steel to deal with Cantonese businessmen.

My lecturer went to Moscow and said the women on the street all looked like models. I guess he was in awe of such tall women.

Personally I'd recommend you go to Poland or the Czech Republic instead - the women are much nicer.

[clowny]

Quite a few Russians in Southern China. The men are fun to go drinking with. The women are hot in their 20's, but they don't age well.

Also the Russian women here are very pushy and aggressive, but I guess they need balls of steel to deal with Cantonese businessmen.

My lecturer went to Moscow and said the women on the street all looked like models. I guess he was in awe of such tall women.

Personally I'd recommend you go to Poland or the Czech Republic instead - the women are much nicer.

Yeah, I think i'll pass up that last suggestion. I've stated it in numerous threads, but I'll say it again for your benefit: Polish women are the worst women on the planet. They are big fat bully bitches. They are very stubborn and argumentative, they have no concept of morality, and they are the very antithesis of femininity. EXPERIENCE IS MY BASIS FOR THIS STATEMENT. POLISH MEN HAVE ALSO TOLD ME THIS THEMSELVES.