Cool video of one family's trip to real Russia from You Tube....

[go west young man]

Not the one being portrayed in the press or here at DU. It features beautiful shopping malls, nice cars, great restaurants and even a cool bar called Barack O'Mama's. Open your eyes DU. Russia is not as bad as our media portrays it to be.

It actually looks like a very down to earth and cool place to visit.

[go west young man]

1. The video also features...

some things America doesn't have such as beautiful malls with children's day care centers inside. $15 a day to leave your child for all day.
Grave yards with peoples faces on the graves. African musicians playing David Bowie in the French restaurant. Public soccer cages. The Barack O'mama bar packed with hundreds of college students in Voronezh, Russia. Stylized coffee shops with exotic hot drinks from all over the world. Amazing sushi bars with Eastern Russian waitresses and waiters. So many cultural differences yet very westernized as well.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

41. I know malls here in the US that have had day care play centers since the early 90's

[geomon666]

2. I'm sure it's a very nice country.

If you're straight.

[Adrahil]

3. Like any place, it'll have its good and bad.

But I have a friend (a journalist) in Souchi right now. He said its as bad or worse than what you're seeing on the net. Of course, he's not gay, so no fear of being arrested for being an undesirable.

[newfie11]

4. Thanks for posting this

I'm tired of the propaganda fed by our media.

[go west young man]

7. It is pure propaganda...

I've been over 7 times now. It's nothing like whats being portrayed and believed stateside. It's actually a lot like going to Prague, Hamburg or Budapest. Voronezh is a college town and 5th largest city in Russia. I've met many people there or different sexual persuasions. No one is chasing them down and all the students I met are very friendly to gay culture and not happy about the new law. You'll notice also the African musician at the restaurant. There are many black students at Voronezh State University. The Uni is leading the way on cross culturalization for Russia.

[newfie11]

27. +1

[Bluenorthwest]

5. I note that family, One Man, One Woman Sanctified.

Uh huh. So all the bashings and beatings and arrests of LGBT people don't matter, they have malls and lovely white straight couples have a good time there. Got it.
It's the fact that the Torch lighting woman is an anti Obama racist, the fact that the laws are anti gay and highly oppressive, that bothers people. We know they have malls and cafes, I mean, get real. I have not been since USSR fell, but half the people I know have. It's not Mars, not unknown territory. It's just a place that is very open about hating gay people, and I'm a gay person. I'll criticize their laws against my people precisely because others, such as yourself, will attempt to excuse, defend and mitigate those anti human laws.

[Le Taz Hot]

8. Shhh!

You're interrupting the commercial.

[Bluenorthwest]

11. The brand new last year anti gay laws are an expression of love!!!!!

What this sort of poster fails to take into account with his 'I spent a year there' is that many Americans travel the world, I'd been to 20 countries before I could vote, my work is seen and enjoyed in virtually every nation on Earth, including Russia. But you see, it's all propaganda. Only wise Straights can see the truth!

[go west young man]

13. Not that it's any of your business...

but my sexual orientation would probably be bisexual.

[William769]

33. If you're bisexual, then I'm the fucking queen of England!

Last edited Mon Feb 10, 2014, 04:49 AM - Edit history (1)

[go west young man]

34. Your being pretty silly....

plenty of people are bisexual, Personally I feel that all people have a strong penchant for bisexuality. You never know what your gonna get during the great cosmic splattering that arrives with a sexual discharge. For you to think other posters can't be of vague sexual orientations speaks more loudly of your naivete' than perceived deception on my part by you. Things are not always as defined as you may like them to be and many of us don't necessarily want to fit in a box that people like yourself construct for us.

[William769]

40. Well you got one thing right about you.

vague. And that term is being used as loosely as possible.

Have a nice day.

[go west young man]

45. You've proved my point. And with an insult to boot.

You like boxes. To each their own.

[go west young man]

15. Your reminding me of the old babooshka's

that went along with the Soviet propaganda. Simply in denial when reality stares you in the face. Buy a ticket and get a first hand view then you can expand your world view instead of just cheerleading the DU ignorance fest.

[joeglow3]

28. Why don't you go there with your same sex partner?

Tell us how that works out for you.

[go west young man]

29. Read on and find out how it worked out for these gay men this past week.

It seems to not exactly fit the propagated myth your believing in. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/09/sochi-olympics-anti-gay-laws-mayak-bar-sochi

[joeglow3]

35. Since you like anecdotes

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/23/russia-gay-laws-davos-_n_4654745.html

[William769]

32. Yes feel free to read the posts in this thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014723250

[go west young man]

36. Curious if you put this much effort into the US allies of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.....

and other ME countries where their laws allow for imprisonment and stoning of homosexuals ? Or does your xenophobia only extend to Russia? Are you still driving your car and buying their gas or does your boycott only go so far?

[William769]

39. All you have to do is search my name.

I'll get you started http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024457256

I go where the bigots are. Funny thing, I keep running into you.

[go west young man]

46. Your loud and not much more.

And you keep calling people names. Curious if your the person that has attempted to alert on me roughly ten times this week? No matter how much you insult me, one thing you can count on, I will never alert on you or complain, as I don't believe in censorship of any kind. I believe in free speech, so fire away and have your fun. Cheers.

And a big thank you to those DU'ers that were on those juries and decided I shouldn't be silenced.

[William769]

48. I have never alerted on one of your posts thats not my style.

I am saying so publicly so if you would like to link this thread in a PM to Skinner (I give him my approval for what I have alerted on) for confirmation, I have no problem with that.

So giving the impression I am alert stalking you has been a major fail, but then again one only has to consider the source.

If someone is alerting on many of your posts that right there should tell you something (whether they are hidden or not does not matter).

It's been fun playing with you. When ever you need to be put in your place for what you post, please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to do it.

[go west young man]

9. Your post is wrong.

It's as simple as that. Your a victim of the propaganda on this side of the Atlantic. I've spent over a year there and never seen anybody beating anybody. Not once. Whether gay or straight. The US media is picking isolated incidents. I'm sure the Russian media does it to the US as well. But it doesn't make it right. Here's another video from Russia's Next Top Model. You'll notice two openly gay participants. They have not been beaten up lately and actually are doing quite well and have celebrity status.

Sure some people are picked on, but personally I feel it's not much different than the US or UK in that regard. Plenty of homophobia exists here in the US. The Matthew Shepherd case comes to mind. No one deserves discrimination and all people deserved equal rights, but what is being sensationalized right now in regards to Russia is simply that....sensationalism. And ironically not much different than the old propaganda the Soviet Union propagated. People who watch these videos can see for themselves what is really happening there.

[Bluenorthwest]

10. You are just silly, tons of people I know travel there, we know what it is like.

If Russia wants to be seen as not homophobic, they need to shit can the laws they passed. Your claim that those laws are of no consequence begs the question, then why keep them? If Russia is a LGBT paradise as you claim, why did they pass and retain those laws?
When a nation discriminates openly against me, I don't care if they have nice cafes. I don't care if the conversations about their bigoted laws are fair to those who made and who enforce the bigoted laws.
And one of the most homophobic things in the US are Straight Folks who lecture Gay Folks about how to advocate equality around the world. Your lecture is one example. There are fresher examples of US homophobia than the Shepherd murder which was 16 years ago. But you'd not know about those. Because you are so informed and caring about us.

[go west young man]

14. I assume your not driving a car...

as those Saudi and Bahrain oil allies of ours actually have laws allowing for stoning and imprisonment of gay people that far surpass Russia's new silly law.

[go west young man]

17. A couple of other things....

after 6 years living in Athens, Georgia and 3 years living on St. Denis in Montreal, Canada I'm pretty sure myself and all my gay friends know a lot more than your naive post implies. Plenty of gay people who are against the new law have been supporting the Olympics and understand Russia aside from what your choosing to believe. http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/feb/08/gay-sports-fans-torn-between-love-for-olympics-and-call-to-boycott-russia

[go west young man]

21. Let me help you out...

as you assume so much and seem to be lacking in ability to accept the obvious. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_violence_against_LGBT_people_in_the_United_States
I'm fully aware of where the US is regards to violence and discrimination against people who dig people of the same gender. By the way I don't like to label people as homosexuals or gay....I prefer to use the term human beings.

[former9thward]

22. Gay relations were legalized in the mid-90s.

Before the Supreme Court decision in the U.S. Why the silence about the Arab countries where homosexuality is illegal and can result in death? Interesting the countries you choose to throw rocks at and the ones you are silent about.

[riderinthestorm]

19. Totally OT but those two male models are mesmerizing!

Way too thin of course, but you can't take your eyes off them...

Wow.

[go west young man]

20. Agreed.

And nothings off topic as far as I'm concerned. All discussion is good discussion. Believe it or not a similar thread I posted last night on this same subject went to DU jury and was banned. With 2 people saying it's ridiculous this has gone to jury. One calling me a homophobe. And 3 voting to hide it. Some Democratic Underground we have lately. I've been here since 2004 and it's never been more ridiculous than it is now.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Got loads of friends who've been over there from the UK

just for a week or so or even long weekends - £51 / $80 return. They all like it there.

[Fred Sanders]

12. One Media to Find them and in the Darkness Bind Them! Corporate Propagandist American Media

Putin, most of the political leaders and the government owned media are anti-gay racists, but the Russian people are not. Sound familiar?

[treestar]

16. How does that top lack of First Amendment rights and gay rights?

People there need to not be satisfied with a nice mall. they lack some basic rights.

[go west young man]

18. You take the award....

for most indiscernable and confusing post so far.

[treestar]

24. try post 23

it may be clearer

[go west young man]

25. I misinterpreted the way you used "Top".

[GoneOffShore]

23. Oh just stop -

http://www.npr.org/2014/01/08/260746432/the-pussy-riot-arrests-and-the-crackdown-that-followed

Masha Gessen, a gay journalist, has been threatened and harassed. The Russian authorities were prepared to take her children.

Lots of lovely people in Russia, but that doesn't make it a great place to live. Same as here.

[KoKo]

26. Recommend!

[Pretzel_Warrior]

30. Cool propaganda, bro

[go west young man]

38. Where's the rest of your normal posse?

Operating alone today are you?

[davidn3600]

31. Places like Moscow and St. Petersburg are not bad

Those two cities especially have a lot of upscale hotels and restaurants and such. Lots of shopping. They are becoming more and more like any other major city you would find in Europe like London or Paris. Lots of tourists there as well. It's pricey....It's become expensive.

But outside of the big cities, most of the country has a long way to go.

[go west young man]

37. Agreed.

Yours is one of the more intelligent, thoughtful and understanding posts in this thread. Russia, of course has a long way to go but for a country that 23 years ago was still communist they are making incredible progress. Crime has been cut in Russia by over half since they started building so much and have put so many young people to work.

[GoneOffShore]

42. And just to add to that little video travelogue full of happy families (Disturbing images)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/10/1276501/-What-it-means-to-be-gay-in-Russia-Warning-disturbing-images?detail=email

So, I guess it's not all sweetness and light.

[dionysus]

43. lovely vacation video. however, outside of the touristy areas,

the violence against LGBT people has been well documented. there's video posted in this thread.

or course they're going to make the areas where westerners go seem ideal.

[EOTE]

44. Well shit, they've got malls? Then they can pass all the awful homophobic laws they want!

When will you get this through your head? We're not upset that Russia is a third world hellhole, we're upset that Russia is a virulently homophobic hellhole. Got it?

[GoneOffShore]

47. Comrade, you're ignoring the truth.

Russia is a bourgeois, capitalist Eden.

Everyone is treated fairly.