Russia: What is Going on Right Now? (Part 1)

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The situation is very clear to everyone who has some initial critical thinking skills. Russian society is split over Putin's rule. The split is quite dramatic, but it is not even. More than 50% of Russians want to live under Putin, while the other, a much smaller yet quite vocal part of the population, is not happy with where the country is going under Putin's rule.

More after the jump...

What Russians Think about America (Part 2): the U.S. Envy

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In our last post, we discussed the overwhelming ignorance that penetrates Russian society on the whole when it comes to its skewed knowledge of the U.S. This time, we will briefly describe "the U.S. envy."

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What Russians Think about America (Part 1): Willful Ignorance

The simplest and the most straightforward way to describe how Russians view the U.S. can be summed up in just two words: ignorance and envy.

The majority of Russian people know very little about the States, despite being exposed to a huge amount of American-made TV programs and movies, using American products from jeans to software and smartphones. They learn bits and pieces from (mostly) Russian TV programs about the U.S.A. that provide insufficient and somewhat skewed information. In their daily lives, Russians are inundated by all those negative reports they watch on TV. Russian audience is "conveniently" exposed to gruesome images of frequent shootings, police brutality, mass protests, American atrocities and acts of aggression in other countries. All in all, Russian TV portrays America as a big powerful bully that is out to get 'em. Remembering the fact that Russia suffered tremendous devastation during the World War 2, it is only logical for the Russian people to expect their president fulfills his one and only duty: to protect Russia from foreign invaders.

So, what are some of the myths about America and Americans that the majority of Russian people share and how did they come about?

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Alcoholism, Vitamin D Deficiency, Depression, Life Satisfaction Index, and Suicide Rates

The rate of suicide has been steadily declining in Russia. Nevertheless, Russia remains on top of the list when it comes to countries with highest suicide rates in the world. Right now the country stands at #14 in the world according to Wikipedia.  Source

It is even more disturbing that teenage suicide rates are three times higher in Russia than the world average.

One of the points to keep in mind is that more males commit suicides than females in every age group, and it is especially noticeable after the age of fifteen, when males commit suicides almost twice as often as females. Source

So, what are some of the reasons that make Russia a suicidal nation?

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The Real Russia Today: A Storm is Brewing in the Distance

September 1st, 2014.

Conversations on the street.

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Conversation #1: 

A group of young soldiers from an elite unit is passing by. A woman makes a comment to her friend, "I bet he (she mentions some government official) is not going to send these guys to Ukraine". 

Her friend, "Why not these ones?"

The first woman, "Because they are from his department. He wouldn't want them to be killed".

Conversation #2:

Two people are talking while waiting in line. 

- I've heard that the dollar is going to be around 45 (rubles) soon. It is already 37 now, and it is going to get only worse. What in the world are they thinking? The prices have gone up so quickly, it is unbelievable. They say that the economy is going to collapse.

More after the jump...