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Moving somewhere would be an experience in itself and would teach you to see the world a bit differently. The main thing is people around the world are not tha

Moving somewhere would be an experience in itself and would teach you to see the world a bit differently. The main thing is people around the world are not that different. You know how the majority around you seems to think Russia is fighting for a just cause because television said so? That same majority is just as unthinking the world over. Television gets them to do what they are told by telling them they are on the right side of history, the most moral people in the world, most cultured and advanced, and they lap it up.

bdjsiqoocwk 3y ago
> The main thing is people around the world are not that different. Well yes and no. There are aspects which are the same everywhere, you pointed to one, that most people think what TV tells them to think. At the same time, some aspects are different. For example, as someone who's travelled in Russia I can assure that never anywhere else have I seen such deep indifference to politics. The attitude is "why are you asking questions, do you think you know better than them? (The people in power)" this is the complete opposite of how it is in the western world, and it allows these criminals to keep power with little effort. So if someone is looking for something different elsewhere you shouldn't immediately try and convince them that everything is the same everywhere. Some aspects of people are the same, some are different.
- riehwvfbk 3y ago
  I think your Russian travels were a long time ago. The vibe is very different now.
  - p1esk 3y ago
    What’s different now?
    - bdjsiqoocwk 3y ago
      I'm dying to hear as well. My travels were first in 2016 then 2019. I'm skeptical that anything has changed since.
    - riehwvfbk 3y ago
      However terrible this may sound, and however misplaced, there is a newfound sense of national pride. In the 90s and 00s Russians felt like they were behind the West and wanted to emulate western culture. A common sentiment was "sadly it'll take ages for this country to become civilized like Europe". Another symptomatic figure of speech: "evroremont" - "Euro remodeling". The implication was there's backwards Soviet style and modern amazing European style. Now the most popular fancy restaurants offer "ethnic Russian" cuisine. Product packaging uses fonts that ape old Church Slavonic. Everything good is described as "traditionally Russian". Some of these trends were already underway in the late 2010s, but have now kicked into overdrive. The masses feel like the West has lied to Russia and would like to destroy Russia rather than accept it as a partner. This sense of impending doom has motivated everyone to work harder. I can't offer proof of this other than: you feel this vibe when you are there.
      - p1esk 3y ago
        I’m sure you’re right about this, but this does not really contradict what bdjsiqoocwk wrote, does it? Are people in Russia today more politically active than they were 10 or 20 years ago? Do they think they can influence things more?
        smsm42 3y ago
        What you mean by "politically" though? Politics as it is understood on the West - like people arguing in public about the best ways for society to solve their problems and to figure out the how the society should be managed - does not exist in Russia. It used to, but not anymore. This is something you can get in jail for. There's only one "correct" opinion about things - the one that the TV tells you - and if you deviate from it in any way, you are a traitor (and if you get popular, you go to jail). So you can't be "politically active" in Russia in Western sense, at least not for long. With that, Russia has different kind of "politics", commonly known in those who witnesses the USSR or any other totalitarian dictatorship - in the form of constantly inundating the subject's mind in state propaganda and things the state propaganda feels important, and constantly requiring the subjects to participate in rituals and declarations that emphasize agreement and alignment with this propaganda. If you do not participate, you are suspect - nothing serious would likely happen to you, unless you start doing Western-style politics, but you're not one of the good people anymore. And your co-worker may write a donos on you to get a promotion ahead of you, or something like that. But most people would participate in it, many - gladly, because that's what all good people do and who doesn't want to be among good people doing good things together? That's the kind of "politics" that you'd find everywhere. Oh and about influencing - I don't think anybody seriously thinks they can influence Putin's circle in any way, at least not among common people. It's just a lot of people there like it this way - the Tsar knows what to do and he does it, and our part is to support him whatever happens.
olegious 3y ago
You hit the nail on the head.
- joshestroud 3y ago
  I think you should move to California :)

bdjsiqoocwk 3y ago

> The main thing is people around the world are not that different. Well yes and no. There are aspects which are the same everywhere, you pointed to one, that most people think what TV tells them to think. At the same time, some aspects are different. For example, as someone who's travelled in Russia I can assure that never anywhere else have I seen such deep indifference to politics. The attitude is "why are you asking questions, do you think you know better than them? (The people in power)" this is the complete opposite of how it is in the western world, and it allows these criminals to keep power with little effort. So if someone is looking for something different elsewhere you shouldn't immediately try and convince them that everything is the same everywhere. Some aspects of people are the same, some are different.

riehwvfbk 3y ago
I think your Russian travels were a long time ago. The vibe is very different now.
- p1esk 3y ago
  What’s different now?
  - bdjsiqoocwk 3y ago
    I'm dying to hear as well. My travels were first in 2016 then 2019. I'm skeptical that anything has changed since.
  - riehwvfbk 3y ago
    However terrible this may sound, and however misplaced, there is a newfound sense of national pride. In the 90s and 00s Russians felt like they were behind the West and wanted to emulate western culture. A common sentiment was "sadly it'll take ages for this country to become civilized like Europe". Another symptomatic figure of speech: "evroremont" - "Euro remodeling". The implication was there's backwards Soviet style and modern amazing European style. Now the most popular fancy restaurants offer "ethnic Russian" cuisine. Product packaging uses fonts that ape old Church Slavonic. Everything good is described as "traditionally Russian". Some of these trends were already underway in the late 2010s, but have now kicked into overdrive. The masses feel like the West has lied to Russia and would like to destroy Russia rather than accept it as a partner. This sense of impending doom has motivated everyone to work harder. I can't offer proof of this other than: you feel this vibe when you are there.
    - p1esk 3y ago
      I’m sure you’re right about this, but this does not really contradict what bdjsiqoocwk wrote, does it? Are people in Russia today more politically active than they were 10 or 20 years ago? Do they think they can influence things more?
      - smsm42 3y ago
        What you mean by "politically" though? Politics as it is understood on the West - like people arguing in public about the best ways for society to solve their problems and to figure out the how the society should be managed - does not exist in Russia. It used to, but not anymore. This is something you can get in jail for. There's only one "correct" opinion about things - the one that the TV tells you - and if you deviate from it in any way, you are a traitor (and if you get popular, you go to jail). So you can't be "politically active" in Russia in Western sense, at least not for long. With that, Russia has different kind of "politics", commonly known in those who witnesses the USSR or any other totalitarian dictatorship - in the form of constantly inundating the subject's mind in state propaganda and things the state propaganda feels important, and constantly requiring the subjects to participate in rituals and declarations that emphasize agreement and alignment with this propaganda. If you do not participate, you are suspect - nothing serious would likely happen to you, unless you start doing Western-style politics, but you're not one of the good people anymore. And your co-worker may write a donos on you to get a promotion ahead of you, or something like that. But most people would participate in it, many - gladly, because that's what all good people do and who doesn't want to be among good people doing good things together? That's the kind of "politics" that you'd find everywhere. Oh and about influencing - I don't think anybody seriously thinks they can influence Putin's circle in any way, at least not among common people. It's just a lot of people there like it this way - the Tsar knows what to do and he does it, and our part is to support him whatever happens.

olegious 3y ago

You hit the nail on the head.

joshestroud 3y ago
I think you should move to California :)