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What’s Russia like? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages | ( Topic Closed) |  |
| Alvinho Triglot Senior Member Brazil Joined 6234 days ago 828 posts - 832 votes  Speaks: Portuguese*, English, Spanish | Message 25 of 110 29 August 2008 at 9:35am | IP Logged | ||||||||||||||
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Now I understand why the football team which won this year's UEFA Cup, from St.Petersburg, doesn't accept black footballers.....the club's rules must have been established this way to prevent those footballers from being beaten up on the streets by those sick guys....as far as I know there's an Argentine footballer who plays for that team and he's alledgely considered "mestizo" .....
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| Russianbear Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 6775 days ago 358 posts - 422 votes 1 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, Ukrainian Studies: Spanish | Message 26 of 110 18 September 2008 at 4:11pm | IP Logged | ||||||||||||||
I think there are places in American cities (such as New York) where white people may be less safe compared to non-white people in Russia. If one follows certain rules and stays away from trouble I imagine Moscow can be quite safe even for non-whites. That is not to say the racism is not there at all, of course. Also, I think (East) Asian-looking people are less likely to encounter problems than blacks or people who are Middle-Eastern-looking, simply because many Russians are Asian-looking themselves. Blacks are probably treated the worst, followed by people who happen to have darker skin - be them from India or Middle east or the Caucasus region or people who look like they could be from those places.
Anyway, I am sorry to hear about your bad experiences in Russia. USSR used to be ahead of countries like the US in terms of political correctness and fighting racism and it is quite sad that Russia has degenerated into a place that is such a hotbed of bigotry and racial hatred.
Edited by Russianbear on 18 September 2008 at 4:49pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||||||||
| ymapazagain Senior Member Australia myspace.com/amywiles Joined 6959 days ago 504 posts - 538 votes Speaks: English* Studies: SpanishB2 | Message 27 of 110 24 September 2008 at 3:34am | IP Logged | ||||||||||||||
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Is anyone able to give their opinion on Samara? I will be moving there next August/September (which I hear is a beautiful time of year there!) to teach English for 9 months.
Is it a safe/pleasant city? Are there areas to be avoided? Does the city get many non-russian tourists? Does this region have it's own unique traditions or foods to look forward to? I'm so excited about going! From what I can see in photos and a few short travel blogs it seems like a lovely city. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||||||||
| paparaciii Diglot Senior Member Latvia Joined 6336 days ago 204 posts - 223 votes Speaks: Latvian*, Russian Studies: English | Message 28 of 110 24 September 2008 at 8:46am | IP Logged | ||||||||||||||
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[QUOTE=Russianbear] [QUOTE=NJMaverick]USSR used to be ahead of countries like the US in terms of political correctness and fighting racism and it is quite sad that Russia has degenerated into a place that is such a hotbed of bigotry and racial hatred.[quote]
Actually Russia has NEVER been ahead in terms of racism and political correctness... Although USSR was mostly white, non-Russians were discriminated by all means. Russians tried to Russify our country, all the privileges had been given to Russians. All the rebels were imprisoned or jailed. Even my mother who could'n care less about politics was arrested just because she put down flowers on our monument of Freedom(it was in 80's). So don't talk about things that you simply just can't understand. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||||||||
| Chamberlain Triglot Newbie BelarusRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6030 days ago 13 posts - 13 votes Speaks: Belarusian, Russian*, English | Message 29 of 110 25 September 2008 at 7:17am | IP Logged | ||||||||||||||
I doubt it. Although the 80s was a troublesome time it is very unlikely that she was arrested like that, may be she has not told you everything ;)? And even if it is true it did not happen because of Russians or racism issues but rather because of USSR policy. You consider the role of USSR in your history as utterly negative as many of us do but I am uncertain whether your country would have been happier if they had been under the same US influence. Being Belarussian I also have some points against Russia as a political system (not against Russian people) but I deny the charge of racism. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||||||||
| Russianbear Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 6775 days ago 358 posts - 422 votes 1 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, Ukrainian Studies: Spanish | Message 30 of 110 25 September 2008 at 9:30am | IP Logged | ||||||||||||||
Leaving aside the absurd notion that we are talking about thing I just can't understand - we shouldn't equate USSR with Russia, for one thing. USSR wasn't limited to experiences of your mom (How is your mom relevant to a discussion about racism, anyway? Is she Black or Asian?) and it hasn't been founded at the time of incorporation of your country, either. Also, while the story of big bad Russia sovietizing Latvia is probably one that is quite popular with Latvian establishment now, the history is rarely that simplistic. Anyway, Latvia nationalists' beef with Russia is irrelevant to the point I made about USSR. Perhaps you should do research on what the racial situation was like in the US in say, 1920s, before you accuse me of not knowing what I am talking about. Edited by Russianbear on 25 September 2008 at 9:37am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||||||||
| armatura Triglot Newbie Armenia Joined 5992 days ago 17 posts - 21 votes Speaks: Russian, Armenian*, EnglishC1 Studies: German Studies: Spanish | Message 31 of 110 26 September 2008 at 3:20am | IP Logged | ||||||||||||||
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One more practical point for all tourists who visit Moscow (and other big Russian cities), be VERY careful with your wallets and purses (especially at railway stations), keep them only in the safest/deepest internal pockets so you can always feel them at your chest, otherwise you risk to lose your money and documents. Two weeks ago I was robbed in the center of Kasansky railway station, the zipped pocket of my jacket was cut off with some sharp tool, most likely by one of the Gypsy kids who importuned me with "give some money for daily bread please" boards :(
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| bela_lugosi Hexaglot Senior Member Finland Joined 6454 days ago 272 posts - 376 votes Speaks: English, Finnish*, Italian, Spanish, German, Swedish Studies: Russian, Estonian, Sámi, Latin | Message 32 of 110 17 October 2008 at 5:39pm | IP Logged | ||||||||||||||
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I've been to Russia many times, visited many places (Vyborg, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Irkutsk...), and as a white, Russian-looking European I've never encountered any problems at all. No one has even tried to rob me.
I think that for a black person the situation might be VERY different. The key to not being harassed in Russia is to fit in the crowd, so to speak, and preferably to know the language. Anyone who is notably different (Chinese, African..) will eventually run into problems, as in any other European country. But remember that you are not to be blamed - the root of all evil is ignorance (Neo-nazis and such folks..). Just be careful and you'll be fine. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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