Russia - Great or not?

Show all answers

slishou

As a visitor to Russia, I can say that the bad stories you read about are what make it to the news, but just like in this country, those things are part of life but not the whole story.

There's a mix of things going on right now. In general, Russians are much better educated than we are, and interested in the higher things of life. They like to talk about philosophy, and enjoy music and nature. They aren't materialistic.

At the same time, some people have become very wealthy and enjoy spending and flaunting their money.

Things have been changing rapidly for Russians for the last 10 years. People are able to live life more like the way we live in the U.S.: more entertainment, shopping, going out to dinner. (My husband had never been to a restaurant in the Soviet Union; that was only for rich people. Now there are coffee bars and plenty of restaurants.)

I'll just tell a little story: I was on a tour boat going to a beach for a day of picnicking. On the way back from a great day out in nature, people began singing together and dancing. It made me tear up. No one in the U.S. would ever sing in public or dance with joy like that.

KATÐ¯

Things that you are used to hear about Russia - violent, crude, rude country, where people drink vodka all day and white bears run around are just stupid Cold War stereotypes.

Yes, there is a lot of corruption, but there is no country in the world that does not have that problem.

Russian people on the average are a lot better educated then people here in the US.

The level of alcohol consumption (and vodka in particular) in Russia is lower then in other European countries, like Germany and Finland.

Not only Russia produces great hockey and tennis players, it also produces great writers, scientists and ballet dancers.

for more info on what's going on in Russia, check out www.russiatoday.ru

Misanthropist

Violent? Obviously, no country is as peaceful as the U.S. (*cough* Vietnam *cough* Afghanistan *cough* Iraq *cough*. I'm sorry, I seem to be getting a cold...)
Crude? Of course Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov,
Pasternak are such crude writers. How can people even read them?
Rude? To truly define the term "rude" you have to see the U.S. Immigration service first...

Anyway, the answer is obvious: Russia has been, is, and will be great. And no obsolete Cold War stereotypes will stop it from being so.

thornbackr2007

Well I will say flat out that I know nothing about Russian hockey players but what I do know is this. Russia has come a very long way from the common stereotypes depicted in the papers and TV. For a country that has had its feet for about 15 years it has come a huge way. Many of my friends are Russians of all ages. I find them to be blunt, generous beyond belief, open minded and all around wonderful people. How often are the good things shown on the news? I know that there are people who like trouble and pain but I can honestly say that I have never experienced a friendship in such a way as they have shown me. These are people who care about what is important in life. They take care of there families as best they can, they spend time doing things this busy world has lost track of. They are very romantic at heart and I have even met a few that speak like poets and sit in deep thought for hours. So much hate was flamed during the cold war, and when it comes down to it, it is the Americans holing that flame high. These people have moved on. These people have overcome, and they will continue forward and better the world.

Erik G

I'd say that Russia is a great country, the greatest country of all of Eurasia. Russians are friendly, open-minded, and, just like what you stated, very helpful. Their culture is rich and colorful, which includes their cuisine, arts, humor, literature, music, and sports. Let's exhibit my examples in the Russian culture.

1.) Russian cuisine offers a great variety, which includes borscht (beet soup), caviar, smetana (sour cream), and rye flour, which have had influenced on the worldwide cuisine. Meat, vegetables, fruit, mushrooms, berries, and herbs play an important part in the Russian diet.

2.) Russian arts include paintings in Byzantine churches, avant-garde paintings, and Soviet realism to glorify communism. Architecture designed by Russian architects includes the St. Basil's Cathedral, Lenin's Mausoleum, and the Kremlin- all in Moscow.

3.) Russian humor ranges from lewd jokes to silly wordplay to political satire.

4.) Notable Russian writers in literature include Alexander Pushkin, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Boris Pasternak, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

5.) Russian music genres range from folk to classical to pop/rock. Notable Russian musicians include Igor Stravinsky, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and Dmitri Shostakovich.

6.) Oh yes....Russians are very good in sports, which is why they have good hockey players and Olympic athletes.

You see, my friend, Russia is a great country, and the world is proud of it. I have a good fascination of the Russian culture even though I'm an American, and I want to learn more of it so I would visit the country someday.

Rainbow Tigger?

Russia is a great country!

mamulechka

Of course Russia is great.
Best place on earth for me.
And that's how it should be for all Russian people.

chrisvoulg1

I am not Russian but Ican tell you that Russia also produced great writers like Tolstoy or Dostoyesky,and musicians like Tsaikosfky etc. and in generaly she has nothing to be envious of the West concewrnig cultural matters

Matt P

Since for the most part responses are saying how great Russia is, let me offer another, non-Russian view. I studied Russian in college and went to Nizhny Novgorod in Russia to study in 2005. While there I was harassed by police several times, lied to by my university (one of the top colleges in the city, I might add), had people try to steal from me, and was attacked by skinheads who came at us with whips and chains. Besides all that, it's really, REALLY cold.

Drunkenness is a big problem in Russia. We encountered it all the time. People like to defend Russia by saying "It's worse in other countries", but that doesn't deny it's still a huge problem in Russia. You constantly have to deal with drunks, and many of them are 'rough'. My friends and I hardly went out at night because whenever we did, we'd spend half our time trying to avoid nasty drunks. Russians are not very good at taking "no" for an answer anyway, but this just becomes worse when they're drunk.

Ever country I've been to (China, Norway, Kazakhstan, India, to name a few), people are always very helpful and happy if you try to speak their language. While no means fluent, I can hold a nice conversation in Russian. The Russians were never helpful or happy, though. If anything, they would criticize my pronunciation of this or that word (nevermind they couldn't say more than 5 words in English). So, in that way, they can seem very rude.

Skinheads are a big problem in some places. They kill many foreign students every year, especially in the Moscow/St. Pete area. A few were killed in my city, as well. I'm a white guy, but was attacked simply because I was walking with a Japanese kid. In general, I thought it dangerous to go out at night most anywhere in Russia.

Yet (and here's the weird thing), I've also met some really smart, friendly people in Russia. Other students wanted to know all about America, practice their English, and (as others have mentioned), discuss all sorts of high-brow ideas. We even had some very good group talks on democracy and if/how it can work in Russia.

Riding on trains has led me to have some amazing nights with Russians. Everyone in a compartment shares their food with each other without a thought. I even had one lady offer a whole chicken to me once! They drink, toast, and talk, and have a great time. Some of my best memories from all of college come from Russia.

So, is Russia a violent, rude country? From my experience, I'd say yes. And is Russia a friendly country that is opening up? Again, yes. It's not a easy place to live, by no means. The country is also changing a lot, sometimes painfully so. But the Russians are resilient, if anything. They survive by having a very tough exterior, but if you get to know them they can be some of the friendliest, most interesting people there are. Either way, it's quite the experience.

(Sorry for such a long answer)

Russian girl

I live in Russia, and I dont want to live in other countries, because I like it's people... They very kind, helpful.

anna

First of all, I would like to say that all of the good things people had to say about Russia, and the Russian culture made me tear up. I am originally from Russia, and my extended family continue to live there.

What I have to say about Russia is basically a repeat of what everyone else has said.

1) Generally, Russians are very friendly, kind, obliging people. Their very open to tourists, and to people looking to discover their culture.

2) There are alot of rumors about how Russia is corrupt, violent, crude, rude, filled up with arrogant people just waiting to out-do America in everything. This is a false assumption, a "cold-war, communism catchphrase" of sorts. Russia is the birthplace of eye-opening talent, world renowed writers, actors, musicians and philosophers. Sure, Russia has had her share of bad history. But what country hasn't? And can we honestly say that America isn't violent, crude, or rude too? We're fighting battles in Iraq and Afghanistan right this second, and America is the foundation for crimes of all sorts. Statistics show that our children are among the rudest most mannerless little ones in the world (providing us with shows like Super Nanny), and our slang, language, and gestures are so filthy that its dangerous to take our kids to the supermarket without exposing them to cussing, fighting, and sex. In Russia, parents train their children to have perfect, prim, proper manners from the moment that they can walk. Russians are among the smartest, most fit and healthy humans to walk on this planet. Why? Because from the moment that you can walk and talk, you're trained to be proper, polite, smart, and considerate. Children are encouraged to excersice and stay healthy, and parents frown upon the the "big mac diet" of America, instead, filling up their children with traditional, healthy and delicious home cooking, teaching them culture at the same time.
Now who is to say that Russians are violent, cure, and rude as compared to Americans?

3) Russians are DISCIPLINED, which is why their main export is talented athletes. As a child, my parents encouraged me to try everything. Dancing, Singing, Acting, Gymnastics, Horseback Riding, Ice Skating, Tennis, Basketball, Soccer. You name it, I've tried it. This is because they understand that constant vigilance and discpline is the way to sucess. They push their children to the limits, stretch them, and grind their noses into the books so hard that they have the math equation for performing the perfect cartwheel pouring out of their ears. They don't spoil their children with silly games, toys or designer hand bags and clothing, but they encourage them. They encourage them to excel in education, arts, and athletics, because they know that you can achieve anything if you try hard enough. What do Americans do? Tell their kids to order pizza and watch MTV, and then they can't acknowledge that Obiesity is the biggest epedemic on the planet, branching out from America.

In a nutshell, I love Russia, I'll fight to make people understand Russia for the rest of my life, if I have to.
Its a beautiful place to live, to visit, and to study.

Cossak

so Russian army strong as USA,but president is much educated in 10 times or 30 then Bush,its the main factor of talk is Russia or USA GREAT?.......USA economy where?....its falling down,russuian fly to up,where are world recurces?..in USA?....richest kitchen of world situate in Russia,Russian gold bank is at third world position,so which nation is more educated in the world?..is it USA?cos no,just type in Yutube americans and look for aussie TV news,so Russia have a soul,when country have a soul it make her most powerfull in the world,Russia have it,because no one from ancient cant conquer,Germany tried twice,France once,UK at sea,POland,Prussia,Asia..no one cant get it,with Russia christian God...

Nick G

Russia is great, despite its downsides, which country doesn't have a downside. i believe Russia is underestimated and overlooked, from personal experience.

â™« â™« Karina â™« â™«

it was good for me when i lived there... but then of course, i was still little :)
it is full of violence, but at the same time, the people there can be friendly and polite in every way.

ludoedka86

Russia is awesome:-) i was born and raised there. but i live here now. it doesn't mean that i don't love it there, it's just that i love it here more.

Sasha A

Russia is really good. I love Moscow!

Vera C

I work with someone originally from Russia. He first moved to Canada about 10 years ago, and to the US about 5 years ago.

He left Russia because of violence, lack of basic needs, corrupt government, and a lot of other undesirable reasons.

He still has family in Russia now and fortunately, things have drastically changed for the better since he left.

Simply Me

I heard its not too great for African Americans but at the same timeive never been there myself so I can only say what ive been told

gustooch

there is a lot of organized crime.

acujocat

Russia sucks

America #1

RobertPattinsonfan

Russia is a very rude country America number one... :))

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: