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What’s Russia like? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages | ( Topic Closed) |  |
| jbbar Senior Member Belgium Joined 5800 days ago 192 posts - 210 votes  Speaks: English | Message 73 of 110 12 March 2009 at 9:03pm | IP Logged | |||||||||||
Well, I can't comment too much on China. I don't sympathize with the Chinese government but I'm not going to declare the Tibetans saints as some people do either. I know some Chinese and Korean truly hate the Japanese and some (though I think they're few) Japanese truly resent non-Japanese. Is that racism? You're not even of a different race so it can't be racism. You are of different ethnic groups but even so it's still not racism? I would say it is simply hatred - race has nothing to do with it. It's an ideological, political, historical, maybe even an ethnical issue but it's not about race. What many Western European governments claim about their own population is bogus. Sure there are racists around but you'll always have such people. The real threat is usually not even from these marginal groups of white 'racists' (if they are racist at all - people use the word very liberally these days) but really from those who actually attack people and preach a message of sheer hatred and violence. The reality is that in Western Europe very few natives are racists or would beat up a foreign tourist. And simply because someone is anti-immigration doesn't make him a racist either. The truth of the matter is that certain non-native groups here are truly racist people and are hateful of the majorities of the countries they live in because they think they have a right to impose their culture and religion on others. It's just that it's considered politically incorrect to state this fact and when you do the government labels you a racist even if you're not. But let's get a bit more on topic. From what I've read from people going to Russia there do appear to be some serious problems with certain groups of ethnic Russians who target non-whites or non-ethnic Russians and who hold to a nazi-inspired, ultranationalist ideology resembling fascism or communist-like ideologies. The National Bolshevists are an example of that. But then again I seriously doubt that the majority of ethnic Russians are downright racists. Maybe they have 'old-fashioned' views on ethnicity, but I'm reluctant to use the word 'racist' to describe that because this term is constantly being misused. Also, there are non-ethnic Russian citizens who are in a way racist and violent as well, e.g. certain Chechen jihadist separists. In what way are they any better or worse than these white neonazi groups? Personally I just hope that the Russian government will tackle those violent racist groups but without resorting to the political corectness of most Western countries. Violence against fellow citizens inspired by an ideology of racial hatred is immoral and it is to be dealt with as a threat to national security and integrity. Anyway, that's how I look at it. jbbar Edited by jbbar on 12 March 2009 at 9:08pm 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 74 of 110 21 March 2009 at 2:09am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| QiuJP Triglot Senior Member Singapore Joined 5855 days ago 428 posts - 597 votes Speaks: Mandarin*, EnglishC2, French Studies: Czech, GermanB1, Russian, Japanese | Message 75 of 110 22 March 2009 at 2:27am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
You sound unfriendly here. I am not going to answer you. 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 76 of 110 24 March 2009 at 11:08am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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| dragonfly Triglot Senior Member Russian Federation Joined 6479 days ago 204 posts - 233 votes Speaks: Russian*, EnglishC2, Spanish Studies: German, Italian, Mandarin | Message 77 of 110 28 March 2009 at 3:34pm | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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pookiebear
Everything is very simple. Since the Iron Curtain fell, Russia was inundated with religious missioners of different kinds. Some Russians joined those non-Orthodox churches (not very many, I suppose). They somehow make it possible for their followers to immigrate to the US. (Personally I know only two types of immigrants 1. programmers; 2. believers). You are confronted with the second group, I guess. The thing is the memebers of such non-orthodox groups here behave in the similar way. Most Russians are Orthodox, but not to the extreme. Their belief consists in going to church twice a year and having an icon at home. It will never occur to them to walk the streets preaching their religion and trying to get followers. And the members of such non-Orthodox churches are of different kind. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| QiuJP Triglot Senior Member Singapore Joined 5855 days ago 428 posts - 597 votes Speaks: Mandarin*, EnglishC2, French Studies: Czech, GermanB1, Russian, Japanese | Message 78 of 110 29 March 2009 at 3:57am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
No matter in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong or even among overseas Chinese, the Chinese have some of this prejudice against Japan. If you question the way you have asked me in the streets of China, I don't know what will happen to you. It is as good as saying that the Nazis are right and when is American going to pay for the deeds. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| SII Senior Member Russian FederationRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5792 days ago 184 posts - 194 votes Speaks: Russian* Studies: English | Message 80 of 110 29 March 2009 at 4:24pm | IP Logged | |||||||||||
Poland didn't apologize too. For example, for capture Moscow, Smolensk and other Russian towns in begin of XVII century and for attempt to capture of Moscow throne; for persecution Ortodox people in areas occupied by Poland (including Belarus and West Ukraine); for division of Czechoslovakia in october 1938 joint with Hitler (Nazi German got Sudeten, Poland got area of Teshin)... 1 person has voted this message useful |
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