What are the biggest misconceptions about Russia ?

[steve2470]

http://www.quora.com/Russia/What-are-the-biggest-misconceptions-about-Russia?__pmsg__=+V0ZCTjZGdVRjN2c3ZFoxcEFjUEQ6YS5hcHAudmlldy5wbXNnLmFsbC5Mb2dnZWRJbkZyb21MaW5rOltbMjA1NzcwNzldLCB7fV0*

I found this interesting, hopefully you will also.

Marco North, living in Moscow full-time for over 6 years, visiting the country for over 10 years.
Votes by Aaron Ellis, Edwin Khoo, Evgeny Fadeev, Tim Bushell, and 109 more.

There are countless misconceptions about Russia and its people. The way Russians are depicted in film and tv cultivates some disgusting stereotypes. The advent of amateur videos, and social media in general allows the lowest common denominator to become the prime example. I think I need to point out that physicists and artists in Russia may not feel the urge to share their accomplishments on youtube and translate them into English/other languages for foreigners to appreciate their accomplishments. If we take stock of a culture by all of the people posting kitten pictures, and nipple slips on social media, we are all fools.

1. The aggressive, prevalent voices you hear (on Quora for example) represent a minuscule amount of the common person's opinion and experience. In short, 95% of Russia does not really communicate with "the outside world" and the part that does communicate are extremists of some kind, very Pro-Putin or very anti-Putin. So, whatever you think you know is based on a tiny, tiny group that cannot be speaking for more than themselves and those close to them. As Russia is such a diverse, profoundly disparate country it is quite difficult to find any single point or issue that everyone shares. There are churches and communities of Russian Orthodox, Muslims, Jews and even pagans here. Some of their values and perceptions are indeed in agreement within these groups, but even in Moscow there are Jewish organizations that are often in disagreement with other Jewish organizations. So in a mammoth country where everyone tends to have their own opinion (if they are brave enough to share it or not is another question), what is the biggest misconception? That anyone can make a sweeping generalization that is true across these disparate groups. As the saying goes, there is an "ass" in "assumptions".

So, misconception #1 - If you think you "know something" about Russia you are most probably mistaken or are at best are basing your conclusion on a splinter of "fact" that does not represent more than a tiny group.

One of the things I have come to learn in Russia after living here for six years now, is that there always stories, rumors, local news reports, International news reports, other news reports that conflict with previous ones - leading me to one truth. No one every really knows what happened, why it happened, who did or did not do something or if it will happen again (see this answer). The recent pile of scandals at the Bolshoi are a great example of this. Some say no acid was ever thrown on anyone's face. Some say the wrong guy was charged. Maybe the whole thing was a plot. Maybe, maybe, maybe...is all anyone can say. Base your own conclusions on locals who cannot say more than maybe...see what that gets you... it gets you a lot of angry, defensive Russians (on places like Quora) saying you are an idiot.

[TlalocW]

1. Probably the most prevalent one is

That instead of "object/person 1" performing an action on "object/person 2," "object/person 2" performs that action on, "object/person 1."

TlalocW

[steve2470]

2. a joke ?

In the vein of "In Russia, vodka drinks YOU !" kinda thing ?

[TlalocW]

6. Yep

Just saw this one earlier today.

https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/7979350272/hE18244A4/

TlalocW

[snooper2]

15. In Soviet Russia Car Drives You!

[Capt. Obvious]

3. They eat tomato soup served ice cold

[Drew Richards]

5. So do I...add celery, Tabasco, vodka stirred not shaken...

[JI7]

4. i would say that can probably apply to just about anywhere in the world

[Demo_Chris]

7. My impressions of Russia, almost certainly correct...

1. In Russia, The Walking Dead isn't a TV show, it's the kind of think Russian children do on their way to school. These are people who fucking LAUGH when the see meteors exploding around them. HA-HA! The building exploded HA-HA!

2. Russia is hit by more meteors than everywhere else on the planet combined. This makes them stronger.

3. Much of Russia is a post apocalyptic toxic hell wasteland, probably with mutants.

4. Vlad Putin bench presses cars, bears, and bags of dead orphans.

5. Russian Woman are the most beautiful on ANY planet, until the radiation and hard labor turns them into powerlifters.

6. Russians probably could drive, but they prefer smashing into each other while laughing.

7. They drink anti-freeze and call it vodka.

[Populist_Prole]

8. Why can't I read the link without signing in to Google?

Or Facebook ( which I don't have )

[steve2470]

10. hm...no clue...let me try to find a better link nt

[steve2470]

11. ok I think I found the answer....you have to create an account to read there

https://www.quora.com/

I forgot that I'm always logged in there.

[Populist_Prole]

12. Thanks for trying anyway n/t

[Comrade Grumpy]

9. When I was a kid, I thought it was always gray in Russia.

Like Mordor or something.

[Igel]

13. It was.

Gorbachev had a colorization campaign to improve the country's image.

[Cirque du So-What]

14. In my youth

Russian women were always portrayed as scarf-wearing matrons, built like fire hydrants, with a strong facial resemblance to Ernest Borgnine.

[steve2470]

16. I remember that too

I think the James Bond movies changed that stereotype, to the alluring Sasha stereotype.

[kwassa]

17. I visited Moscow in 2002 for five days.

Impressions

1) Many Russians are very attractive people, and fit, too, unlike cliched portrayals.

2) Moscow is a very busy city that is full of dust and dirt

3) The subway system is amazing and huge, and uses tickets almost identical to the DC Metro, cardboard with a magnetic stripe. Probably the same vendor.

4) signs of Western capitalism everywhere. An IKEA right next to the airport, 60 McDonalds in the city, TGIFridays, Sbarro pizza, KFC, all signs in Cyrillic.

5) we were on a bit of a junket, went to the best restaurant, also attended by men who looked like gangsters with their much-younger girlfriends. We also got lost with a free-lance cabbie.

6) heard a very candid discussion of middle-aged Russian versus 20-something Russian about Russia's prospects. They both talked about how there were villages a few miles outside of Moscow that were un-electrified and basically lived in the 19th century. This was at an economic development meeting. The older Russian was cynical, the younger starry-eyed. At that time, all Internet servers were outside the country in Finland.

7) there were homeless alcoholics in the streets

8) despite Communist rule, there are an amazing series of Orthodox cathedrals in the Kremlin that are preserved and restored. It is a very interesting town.

9) heard an amazing Russian men's choir in a huge re-built cathedral that had been blown up by the Communists in the 1930s. It was rebuilt exactly in the mid-1990s.