Who Is Mr. Putin?

Vladimir Putin is still a mystery man for the rest of the world. You either love him or hate him. The great majority of Russians certainly support him: they like his tough macho image, his flat unsophisticated jokes and the fact that he alone "stands up to the West" and "protects Mother Russia". Whether those statements reflect the truth or not is subject to debate.

In this article, we will examine who is Mr. Putin and why Russians love him so much (hint: for the same reason they love Stalin and hate Gorbachev).

More after the jump.

The Truth About the War

http://www.kasparov.ru/material.php?id=55551616BA794

If there is one thing that gets over-exploited by the Kremlin propaganda, it is the victory in the WWII. Russians do not know much about the WWII, only about the part that happened after Germany attacked Russia. It is called "The Great Patriotic War." Sadly, they know about the war only what is printed in their propaganda-laced history textbooks.

Every May, year after year, Russians are bombarded by the same messages, "We won!" If you ever get to argue with a Russian person about the WWII results, eventually it will get to the point, "We, Russians, won the Second World War!"This is the final statement, after which no valid arguments or any amount of proof can change your opponent's view. For most Russians, living 75 years later, winning that war is almost a religious experience, and most definitely, somewhat sacral. And you have the Soviet (and now Putin's) propaganda to thank for it.

Russians are too brainwashed to actually examine what exactly happened during 1936-1945, why did the war start and at what cost Russians won. Let's examine the facts and answer the following question, "Why did the Soviets win the war?" 

The answer is horrifying, but not surprising. 

More after the jump.

Corruption: The Head of a Rotten Fish

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There was not a moment in Russian history when Russia was free of corruption. Corruption, bribes, and buying favors are three major pillars of Russian state that keep its economy, politics, and social pyramid stable. Without corruption, Russia will no longer exist. Or it is just going to be a different country altogether - a free, unabashed place where people don't have to feel like second or even third-class citizens. Something like Canada, perhaps.

In this article, we will examine the effect of corruption on Russian society and the reason why corruption is so widespread in Russia. 

More after the jump.

Rainbows Are Not Welcome

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It is a common knowledge, that Russian society is less than tolerant when it comes to homosexuals. Homosexual tourists in Russia have to be vigilant about not showing their affection in public, otherwise, they will be most likely attacked, physically threatened or even killed.This is when the rest of the world celebrates the equal rights movement or gay marriage laws.

How many years will it take before Russian society develops any kind of tolerance towards LGBT community? We do not know. Nobody knows. But the question that we want to address in this post is: why are Russians so homophobic? 

More after the jump.

The Real Reason Why Russians Don't Smile

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You might hear all kinds of explanations why Russians don't smile. Some of them point out that Russians need a sufficient reason to smile, like a joke. Or that a smile should be a sincere indication of someone's good mood.

These explanations would be fine and dandy if they addressed the root of the problem, however, they do not. They only label the behavior or right it off as a "custom". The real reason why Russians do not smile is much more disturbing.

More after the jump.

Is Russophobia Real?

What is Russophobia?

The most obvious answer is: Russophobia is the fear of Russia and Russians.

Unfortunately, in reality, the answer is way more complicated than that.

In this post we will examine whether Russophobia is real and, if it is, should people be afraid of Russia and Russians. 

More after the jump. 

When Did It All Go Wrong? (Part 2)

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In Part 1 we learned that Russia is lagging behind other civilized nations when it comes to economic, social, and political development. 

The stagnation was apparent during the Soviet times, and even way before that, during the rule of Nicolas I. 

So, when did Russia start falling behind?

In this post, we will take a look at some historical and geographical aspects that kept Russia behind while other Western nations were making progress.

More after the jump....

When Did It All Go Wrong? (Part 1)

Barge Haulers on the Volga by Ilya Repin (Source)

In our last post, we explained the features that define slave mentality. Among them are Stockholm syndrome, learned helplessness, and low productivity / efficiency. 

In this post, we will try to look at Russian history and the specific conditions that made Russian character somewhat unique.

Russia is mostly a European nation. Even though geographically it is stretched across both Europe and Asia and the significant portion of its landmass is in Asia, the majority of the population resides in Europe. The capital and the cultural centers can be found in European part as well. Basically, Russia as a nation evolved in Europe and then spread to the neighboring territories. So, how does Russia measure up to other European countries? 

Unfortunately, all the data clearly indicates that Russia as a nation is behind other developed European countries when it comes to the economy, political situation and social progress. At some point of its development, Russia started falling behind. 

Basically, we will try to figure out when and how the development of Russia as a country started to lag behind from its European rivals. When and how did it all go so wrong? 

Why Do Russian Women Marry Russian Men?

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What do we know so far about Russian men?

Most of them are male chauvinists that smell, drink, and smoke. At the same time, they are not incredibly bright and somewhat ugly. They are also prone to cheating and domestic violence. 

But this is only the tip of the iceberg. We also know that they exhibit learned helplessness, Stockholm syndrome and other signs of slave mentality.

All their lives they were forced to endure an oppressive regime, and never got to experience any freedom. They are victims of Russia's historical and geographical situation, a country with a turmoil past and unpredictable future.

If Russian men are SO BAD,
why do Russian women still marry Russian man?

Is There Anything Good About Russian Men?

So, after writing all those posts dedicated to Russian men, the only question remains: is there anything good about Russian men? The obvious answer is "no". The actual answer is more complicated than that. 

To answer this question we need to examine, what exactly happened to Russian men and is there any hope for them in the future. 

As a hint, we would like to say this: while there's life, there is hope. Or, as they say in Russia, "hope dies last".

More after the break.                                                                      

  

Russian Men and Why You Need to Avoid Them at All Cost (Part 4)

If you want to know more about Russian men, you have to understand their background, the cultural landscape that actively contributes to their development. And there is only one place that makes them the way they are: the social environment. In Russia, there is a saying "the apple never falls far from the tree". Russian men are like apples, they are products of Russian society, with all its faults and evils.

In this post we are going to present some data on Russia as a nation, closely examining the conditions that shape its citizens' beliefs, views, and customs. 

In the global race for political and economic power, where does Russia stand, compared to the rest of the world? 

The answer is obvious, see for yourself. 

More after the jump.

Russian Men and Why You Need to Avoid Them at All Cost (Part 3)

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See this beautiful family? The Los Angeles King's defenceman Slava Voynov looks smug with his wife Marta and their child, next to the Stanley Cup. However, it is not all rosy in his family's life as it might seem from the picture. 

Unfortunately, Voynov's family situation reflects the sad state of many Russian families. Today we are going to air out some very dirty laundry and trust us, it is going to get ugly. Whether you knew it all along or it comes as a complete surprise to you, the secret about Russian men is out....

More after the jump.

Russian Men and Why You Need to Avoid Them at All Cost (Part 2)

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So, this is what we know so far: Russian men are not the most faithful people in the world; they also have problems with hygiene and are not aesthetically pleasing. 

Are there more negative things about Russian men?  Of course, there are. We barely scratched the surface.

Today we will examine one more.


More after the jump...

How Racist are Russians?

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Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the racist of them all? The answer is unknown. Very few countries actually keep track of hate crimes, and the research on this topic is, to put it mildly, insufficient. 

Maybe Russia is not the most racist country in the world, although it is hard to determine exactly which country can claim the title. However, considering the overall level of corruption, especially when it comes to the police force and the judicial system, the problems Russians experience with racism are insurmountable.

So, how racist are Russians?

More after the jump....

Russia: What is Going on Right Now? (Part 2)

"Fifth Column Among Us". This banner was displayed on
one of the largest bookstores in Moscow.
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In our last post, we discussed what groups of people openly support the Putin's regime. In this post, we will examine the groups that oppose his rule.

It is important to point out that, according to many leading economists, the Russian society, on the whole, would benefit from changing the current leadership model. However, very few understand it and even fewer are willing to declare this openly.

According to the IMF, the Russian economy was in a stall mode after Crimea, especially with Putin keeping a nose-up attitude. When the war with Ukraine broke out, with oil prices falling, the Russian economy entered a nosedive. Now, as sanctions are taking their toll on the Russian economy, it is basically in a tailspin. The prices continue to grow, and they are growing faster than the paychecks. Actually, the paychecks are getting smaller. The trickle-down effect is working against Russians because there is not much to trickle down these days. Source

So who are all those brave souls who are willing to admit that something is just not right up there, in the higher echelons of power?

More after the jump...

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."

More after the jump...

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?

More after the jump...

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?

More after the jump...

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...