Looks like this is a big rabbit hole most of you don't even suppose to exist. :) If you have questions (literally any, regardless all that PC crap or biases) - ask me. I'll try to be as unbiased as possible. May be you will find something interesting or/and important.
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Do you really dance with bears? Always thought that was very glamourous and I do enjoy the snow. My other question is how does the government work( and what documents does it stand on) and what is the power structure? I have a hard time understanding the intricacies. If you wouldn't mind, seems interesting to me.
Hmm good to know, I'll have to stop by and partake. Cheers!
No. It's just an entertainments some circuses done, based on the rumors that russians do it, just to satisfy western audience in abroad tours.
Bears are dangerous beings hardly suitable for being home pets. Just like tigers or lions. Some eccentric individuals could have them as pets, but it is exception, and even in that case nobody in clear mind will play with that pets. Just like anywhere in the world.
We also don't drink hot vodka from samovar, like shown in one of classic McGyver episode. :)
Duma (Lower segment of parliament) issue and vote for laws and president sign them. President is the boss for ministers and they apply the laws to the public. Basic document is constitution, no law could contradict it, however, a lot of laws do that.There are even laws contradicting each other. So there is a complete legal mess.
Parliament and President elected periodically. We have direct president elections. Some time ago there was an intention to create bipartisan political system, like in US using Communist party and United Rusisa party. However this eventually degraded to single party system. Election is mostly orchestrated by MSM propaganda, like everywhere.
Since there is only one party and it is completely made from state officials and big business owners, all that system is looped in itself. They make laws for themselves as parliament and apply them as state officials. Formally, president is not a member of party, but who cares.
If you have more specific questions, I'll try to answer.
Very good, thanks. To me it seems that government structure has the ability to only benefit the good 'ole boys on the inside, do you think a majority of the population feels bullied? Also do most feel heard and their rights protected by their establishment? I am an American and I am just curious how other countries feel about their leaders.
Exactly.
Yes and no. It's a paradox, I know. :)
On one hand, nobody believe authorities. If they tell that, say, "there are definitely no reason for sugar price rising", everybody runs to buy sugar. And the same people praise for Putin and authorities, when it comes to election.
In single dialogue with some 'typical russian' you could get complaints for bullying and praise to authorities.
However, this is not as common as looks like. Mainly this behaviour shown by oldies on pension, budget organisations workers. They are significant group in population. And they are the largest group participating in election.
Most people don't believe anything and just trying to survive. We have no any real ways to influence on the power loop I mentioned earlier. We even have a sentence shortly describing the attitude to all that election thing - "Elections is a special show to make everybody think that somebody else voted for that bastards". :)
No way. Nobody think that establishment protects their rights. Even ones who praise authorities. I told you, this is a paradox.
May be it is because many afraid that things could become musch worse if something change.
I very much appreciate the insight. All I must add is that change is difficult and much is easier said than done but there can be great change for the good when people come together as a community to understand what really matters in life and is worth sustaining.
What is the real deal with Russia vs. Ukraine and Crimea?
It is a very strange thing, really,
Some history: Initially it was Greek colony. Then it was occupied by Osman Empire. Later, Russian Empire took over, and Crimea become a part or it. Since that time, Crimea has mostly Russian population. After revolution Crimea had an autonomy in USSR. Crimea was written as part of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954. Nobody cared, since Ukraine was part of USSR.
USSR used Crimea as a resort for all country. Nearly every person from nothern part of USSR spend vacation in Crimea at least once.
On USSR destruction, Crimea still was part of Ukraine. And also nobody cared, until that color revolution in Ukraine.
The thing that they don't tell you about Crimea is that Putin had very low ratings at that moment. It was really panic on the top. And somehow, he was allowed to grab the Crimea without any significant backlash from the west.
There was funny political thing - to somehow legalise all that stuff there was public referendum in Crimea about unification with Russian Federation. However, in Russian Federation referendums about nearly enything is prohibited. Especially about changing borders. So, people of Crimea on their referendum voted for the prohibition of referendums. :)
I believe that is is possible that Crimean people really voted for unification, because Russian Federation look sligtly more rich country than Ukraine after color revolution. People thought that there will be an increased flow of tourists from rich regions of Russia. And it was mostly russians who voted.
I think that really Crimea was gifted by tptb to Putin to rise his falling rating. Just imagine - some country grab foreing territory and there are no UN troops, military operations, negotiations, nothing. Just some silly pointless sanctions and little grumbling. It is impossible.
And it worked. Most Russians was really happy about return of that nostalgic piece of history. For a while. Now Crimea is a huge problem for Russia. It sucks tax money, because of multiple problems from drinking water to unemployment. Black Sea is not very good recreational resort, it is dirty and comletely dead below 10 meters due to H2S layer at bottom. Also the level of hotels, service and life is very low. However prices are high. It can't and never will compete with other resorts. Russians prefer Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and other Mediterranean sea resorts.
Russians like Bulgarians. In no way any Russian will compose Bulgarian and trash in one sentence.
Russian could think about "Causasian trash" (in the sense of people from Caucasian mountains, not racial designation) or "Tadjik trash", But no way "Bulgarian trash".
Or he is not a Russian professor.
I had to note, that really, in Russia 'Russian' does not mean citizenship. It mean only etnicity.
There are no some widespread habit to think about people in terms 'American'/'Not American'. May be some brainwashed by MSM individuals could do it, but I never meet one.
In the whole there are no any prejustice against Americans as nation, more like propaganda-driver thing about US government. Many opposition leaders thought to be the assets of US State Department, but that is not about Americans as people.
It certainly depends on personality of professor. He could sympathise to China or US and hate Russia, or have any other combination.
Of course there are a lot of misguidance, but it very different from what you think of. :)
:) I'm not a SJW daisy who will suffer from some wrong word, so don't take in mind. :)
It's very complex thing.
Most russians have nothing against people from Belarus, Ukraine, Baltic countries, even Kazakhstan. Just because of family ties, friends, etc. Yes, we could call them many names, not always pleasant, but they do the same, and it is absolutely normal among us. We are in one cultural field. There could be some temporary shifts due to propaganda, but overall it is weaker than people relations.
On the other hand we have Asian republics and Caucasian region, and that is completely different thing. Most Russians feel the threat from that regions and anticipate everything from them. When the USSR broke, the mostly Russian regions was flooded by refugees, seekers for better life and bandits with completely different culture and values. That immideately create huge conflict. Taking in mind that government was on the side of that aliens (for many reasons, including need for 'diversity' pushed by West and criminal money from that groups), that is still a big problem.
And remember, that 'Russian', 'Ukrainian', 'Tadjik' is etnicity, and not a citizenship in russian discourse. Russian from Tajikistan is Russian. Jew from Moscow is Jew, not Russian.
We have the same here. Penza region people to the Moscow or Saint-Petersburg people is nearly same as South Dakota people to NYC people. Nothing new at all.
I was in Bulgaria few times in late 90-s on vacations (Brgas,Nesebr,Varna), and I can't say it was trashy. Very few differences from Russia, really. Yes, it is not Sweden or Germany, but not that bad.
You lost nothing if you lived in Bulgaria.
Interesting fact - socialist Bulgaria and USSR banknotes and coins was nearly identical. In USSR was common to discover Bulgarian stotinki coins in change.
http://karbofoz.narod.ru/Monets/Bulgaria/2_stotink_1989.jpg
https://moneta-russia.ru/upload/monety-20-vek/1961-2kop.jpg
Other things was as similar as that coins. :)
There are a lot of Russian immigrants in US who are green card immigrants and work as janitors and truck drivers. Much more than professors.
Yes, this is a common problem for all eastern block and post-USSR itself. Socialism in soviet manner is a huge negative selection filter.
This is the case for Russia too. Nearly everything in Rusiian social and politic spheres is made using western templates. Coronavirus histeria is the latest proof. Modern world moving to global unification, and seem to have one single source of instructions for every country leader. So we will have less variety across countries very soon.
You definitely should not.
It could be, if there was no revolution and 70 years of what they called socialism. In alternate history without revolution in Russia, US and Russia could be very similar in all possible ways.