Not to make a bad impression but is my behaviour unique to Russian because I don't think it is ?

Not a communist but think russia would be better off
as the USSR

Interesting.
Why do you say that?

Say what, well I know a lot of people including family that there buisnesses fell apart after the collapse of USSR. Russia is not in the best shape all the progress of the USSR was lost. On a side note one of the peole in our russian community spied for the US and was arrested in Russia and imprisoned for 10 years he did an interview for the history channel.

I get the feeling Russians are really sensitive about stereotypes. Every time I've met one and all the time on the internet I'm told that "Russians don't really drink vodka all the time", but I never thought they did and don't know anyone who does! It's pretty hard to think of a stereotype for Russians because it has got to be one of the most diverse countries in the world

By the way it has always interested me to know more about Russia. I'm not from the US and have only visited once, yet I know all the different sub-areas of the US and what sort of place they all are, I could name you most of the states etc, and the same goes for much of Europe, but with Russia I have no idea. I'd be interested to know what groups Russians divide themselves into

I'm curious, Russians:

I'm half- Russo-Polish by descent (other half's Austrian-German, so talk about conflict!) and I've always wondered something...

You know I love Star Trek so much... and my favorite character is Pavel Chekov, the "Russian" on the ship that was supposed to show the Cold War would die down and Russians and Americans could get along in the future.

But he's pretty stereotypical- his accent, loves vodka, attributes so much to Russia, even some out-there claims like the Garden of Eden was just outside Moscow (it isn't, is it?) ;)


So- do you guys like or hate him? Because I'm proud of my heritage, but I like the character, my favorite, don't want to be liking an offensive stereotype... I don't think he's meant to be offensive (it's Star Trek, they're all about global peace and all that) but still...

Also- 100% Jewish, so how is Russia with it's Jews? I know my forefathers left arround the Ellis Island era, 1880's to turn of the century, around then, and there were porgroms then, and then the World Wars...?

Thanks, and I hope to visit someday! :D

Here's the deal with Chekov: He's a funny guy. I think the one thing that throws Russians off is the name, the name of a popular Russian classical writer was used and some found this offensive.

Jews are perfectly acccepted today. Most people in Russia are Orthodox Christian, and in Ukraine there is a thorough mix of Orthodox Christianity and Catholosism. Russia is open to all kinds of people (I think personaly). I feel there is a little more tension in Ukraine, back in the day Jews where diskiked.

I hope you do visit someday!

Also, don't fight steriotypes: embrace them.

I always wanted to visit russia. I hear the population is declining severely there, too.

Could well be, far as I understand half the youth wants to live somewhere else.

Because all Russians want to dye their hair red and move to the U.K.!
Heh, just another steriotype my friends and I joke about.

The stereotype of communism can't be far out- despite the supposed complete rejection of Soviet communism, the current Communist Party of the Russian Federation is the second largest party in the country- in 1999, a quarter of Russians voted for them in the parliamentary elections.

Note that my own position here is a British communist opposed to the CPSU and KPRF pseudo-'Communism' that has more grounding in nationalism than leftism.

Yeah I think that likely has more to do with nostalgia than anything.

While we're asking Russians things what do you think about the Georgian conflict? What do you think about Ukraine leaning towards Europe? Did you think the proposed US Polish missile bases were aimed at Russia or were they actually aimed at Iran?
Has the financial crisis had any real affect on your life? apparently it affected Russia worse than most

I'm half Lithuanian by descent and Lithuania only got its independence when I was a child, these days in the West we get slightly nervous about Russia trying to influence its neighbours. When I spoke to a Russian visiting Australia a while ago I was surprised to hear he thought Lithuania would soon want to rejoin Russia, and only left during a temporary downturn. Is that a common view?

Oh and what about Stalin, apparently Russian government gets pretty touchy about Russian WW2 history, recently silencing a professor who was studying Stalin's deportation of ethnic Germans among other things. Is Stalin taught as a good guy or a bad guy, or given fair treatment?

Im guessing in Putin's russia Stalin is moving from "bad dictator" (which is true) to be bit more like MAO in china, conflicted, kind of yes he saved us from the nazi threat but he made "some mistakes".( complete BS but countries that feel under threat often build up/make up national "heroes" )

I love Putin! I love federalist Russia! I love the USSR from 1942-April 1945. As long as Putin just keeps it in Russia and surrounding countries, I could care less about what he does.

I think Sean is correct people tend to say oh he was a great leader who saved our nation but it also seams that Russians in general hate him for the gulags deaths and other atrocities as like him for saving Russia in WW2.
If anyone goes to Russia you will see it's not really a rejection of communism I one example
Why are the stars on top of the Kremlin? Souveneir vendors fill there shops with soviet memorabelia.
And yes the communist have the second largest party in in Russia they out wiegh the liberal democrats or LDPR

One of the main reasons I would object to the reinstitution of the USSR is the same reason the citizens of these countries would object:

Belarus
Ukraine
Moldova
Georgia
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Kazkhstan
Uzbekistan
Turkmenistan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Estonia
Lithuania
Latvia

Not to mention places like Mongolia.

I'm all for Russia itself improving and becoming economically and politically stronger, as well as becoming a stronger democracy and having freer markets, but whenever I hear someone lamenting the demise of the USSR, it just sort of bothers me. Those nations don't deserve sovereignty, then?

However, on another note, I would like to know what the ethnic difference between far eastern Russians and far western Russians is? And what is the west Russian perception of all that land out east?

Huh, I've never thought about that really, never gone out of the boundaries of Western Russia.

Also think Bellarusians are really happy and Ukrainians are generaly... grouchy.

lol. hm that's weird. what are the boundaries of western russia anyway? doesn't any news ever come out of the east coast, or no?

Err, mainly everything is western Russia I guess. Left of the Ural mountains.

Then there's Siberia.

hm yeah i guess i knew that basically all russians live in the west but i feel sometimes that eastern russia is one of the most ignored regions on the planet just behind antarctica and north canada, so i'm just curious about anything you happen to know.

that's where the cossacks settled, isn't it?

Where do the bears live, anyway?

Well Siberia is inhabited by "eskimo's" and in the steps kazakhs or people of kazakh decent occupy the regions. "eskimos" and Kazakhs look close to asians and othere than that theres a lot of snow, tundra, and taiga. the most notable city east of the urals is Vladivostok since its a major port and burtsted in growth during and after the Ruso-Japanese War.
As far as bears I believe you go go to most of northern russia and find a bear in the forest Onar.

why the scare quotes

Well eskimo is quite a broad term and there are various cultures of people in siberia

It's the correct term, though, so

Well Great, but in my opinion its to broad because eskimos can be in Yukon territory Canada or Kamchatka