To understand the Russian psyche:
Many of those foreigners who
come to Russia think of the country as an aggressive, backward and
dirty place. Because of the strong influence of anti-Russian propaganda in the
West, it is very hard for a Russian person, while on a trip abroad, to explain
to foreigners how Russia and her people live in reality. An attempt like this would return
distrustful looks at least. it is about time we should make a list of what
Russian people need to explain to foreigners.
1. Russia is a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country. We
are not a cosmopolitan nation. "Russian" is derived from
"Rus" and it stands for the peoples that used to inhabit the country
in the ancient part of its history - present-day Russians, Belarusians,
Ukrainians, Rusyns. In the Russian Federation, there are also Tatars, Bashkirs, Jews, etc. - They
are not Russians, but rather citizens of the Russian Federation. Our passports have no nationality graphs. Everyone
has the right to choose their nationality, as well as religion, according to
their feelings.
2. The Russians do not smile at
you in the street or in the subway, because in Russia, a smile is not a sign of respect - this is a sign of
being close to someone. We, in turn, do not understand your tradition to
imitate kisses on the cheek as a form of greeting. It seems feigned,
hypocritical and even unpleasant for us. A friend of mine in Brazil admired Moscow men just because they do not stare at her.
3. We do not hate g ays and les bians, nor do we want to hurt or humiliate them.
We just wish they did not make bedroom preferences public in a maniacal desire
to recognize a minority as a majority. In addition, gay parades is an activity
that deliberately destroys the Christian religion
that forbids sodomy. We want our children to give us grandchildren and our
grandchildren - great grandchildren.
4. Our aggressiveness exists only in your imagination. The reunification of the
Russian people with the Crimea passed without one single shot, because Russia is more than just a country. Russia is a territory, which shares a common language,
history and culture. We see any attempt to "reprogram" Russians in Ukraine as a hybrid warfare against us. One can welcome the
Scottish Premier and discuss the likelihood for the UK to fall apart, but one can not support the population
of southern lands of the former Russian Empire in their aspiration to withdraw
from Ukraine? Is this not a double standard?
5. Vodka is not a
thing that makes us who we are, even though a Russian person considers this
drink a national treasure. Russia is ranked 13th in terms of alcohol consumption. France, for example, is ranked third.
6. Our economy is not in tatters, and we do not die of hunger either. Every
Russian city pensioner has an apartment and a dacha - a small summer vacation
home with a garden. A Russian pensioner can get a free annual trip to a
sanatorium, though not in high season. Emergency calls are free. Russian
pensioners do not need paid insurance for hospitalization. We are patient, we
know what it is like to live in bad times. Sanctions can not break Russia. We lost 26 million lives in World War II that we
commonly refer to as the Great Patriotic War. On the contrary, external
pressure makes us stronger.
7. Democracy is not the power of the people. Democracy is when leaders run the
country in the interests of the people. We are "Putinists." Putin has
saved the country before and he is saving the country now. We despise all the
fifth column "dissent" that is based on your taxpayer money. Russia will never behave like Soros, who maintains
institutions to overthrow governments, because our leaders are Orthodox
Christians. Capitalism is not our religion. You are addicted to a beautiful
body, and we are addicted to a beautiful soul.
8. As the saying goes, there are two problems in Russia: fools and roads. We come
together not just around Putin, we come together to restore communication
between officials and people to save the country.
9. Another saying goes: Russia has two most reliable allies - its own army and navy.
This is a conclusion that we make from our history. Therefore, if you do not
feed your own army, you have to feed the army of someone else.
10. We love you, but we do not like your determination to make us be like you.
We change. Moscow has become one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe.
We do not live up to Western lifestyles, and we do not "give a damn"
if you do not like our way.
Lyuba Lulko