Imowface

[Motherland]

I moved to canada from russia and still go back and visit my family every year, and the way people were talking about russia in that thread, made it seem like the russian government is murderous, may I ask how you know who the prim targets are for the russian government? when was the last time you have been to russia? have you ever been to russia or talked to anyone who lives there?

Every time I've talked to an actual Russian on the internet, they paint a much darker picture of their gov't than was put forward in that thread. I was actually chuckling as I read your posts, thinking about what they'd have to say if they were as well, especially since you're a Canadian.

[warhed]

Someday he'll realize his defending of a Russian gov't proven to eliminate political foes is hurting Russia, not helping it.  I would love to go back again someday, but due to circumstances in my family, it's just not safe.  When I hear people claiming the Russian gov't is benign, it frustrates me that anyone could either be that blind, or stubborn enough to defend a gov't who does such things.

[Motherland]

Someday he'll realize his defending of a Russian gov't proven to eliminate political foes is hurting Russia, not helping it.

I don't know about that, while it's become fairly totalitarian and corrupt, it would seem that, both in the opinions of Russians and from the outside looking in, Russia's a much better place than it was in the 90's, at least.

[warhed]

I don't know about that, while it's become fairly totalitarian and corrupt, it would seem that, both in the opinions of Russians and from the outside looking in, Russia's a much better place than it was in the 90's, at least.

Tell that to the hundreds of journalists and political opponents gone missing or discovered dead in the last 10 years.
No doubt it has improved, but so has China in the same regard.  That's not saying much

[Motherland]

Tell that to the hundreds of journalists and reporters gone missing or discovered dead in the last 10 years.
No doubt it has improved, but so has China in the same regard.  That's not saying much

I don't mean for journalists, but for the people as a whole. Yeah, freedom of speech isn't very widely available, but at least the country's not ruled by organized crime and capitalists so much any more.

My 9th grade social studies teacher would always tell his students of the time he was in Russia in the early 90's, and he was kidnapped and robbed by a group of Russian gangsters in Moscow. The country is much safer today, at the cost of some freedoms.

[warhed]

The Anatomy of Injustice was a report that detailed and documented 17 deaths of journalists alone since 2000.  It is available in both Russian and English to read. 

[warhed]

I don't mean for journalists, but for the people as a whole. Yeah, freedom of speech isn't very widely available, but at least the country's not ruled by organized crime and capitalists so much any more.

As long you mean pure blooded Russians by "people as a whole."  Russians who moved from borderlands into the cities are in more of a dangerous situation than ever before.  Mostly because of the rise of Nazi political parties, who actually have a voice in the government.  There have been a few excellent documentaries on this rise of right wing violence. 

[Motherland]

As long you mean pure blooded Russians by "people as a whole."  Russians who moved from borderlands into the cities are in more of a dangerous situation than ever before.  Mostly because of the rise of Nazi political parties, who actually have a voice in the government.  There have been a few excellent documentaries on this rise of right wing violence. 

Nationalism is on the rise throughout Europe, though.
Russia is surely a much more conservative society than you see throughout the rest of the developed world it pretty much always has been, although those facets were surely suppressed in the USSR, and yeah, racial minorities, women, and, in particular, homosexuals, are much worse off than they are elsewhere.
I'm just saying that 'democratic' Russia is better off than it was under Yeltsin and the mob rule directly following the fall of communism. There's still rampant corruption and suppression of speech (god forbid you say anything bad about Putin).

[Reschke]

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[68ZooM]

 

[warhed]

Nationalism is on the rise throughout Europe, though.
Russia is surely a much more conservative society than you see throughout the rest of the developed world it pretty much always has been, although those facets were surely suppressed in the USSR, and yeah, racial minorities, women, and, in particular, homosexuals, are much worse off than they are elsewhere.
I'm just saying that 'democratic' Russia is better off than it was under Yeltsin and the mob rule directly following the fall of communism. There's still rampant corruption and suppression of speech (god forbid you say anything bad about Putin).

Agreed.  Still lots of room for drastic improvement as far as human rights are concerned.  But they have seemed to reach a brick wall as far as that goes.  I imagine it's as good as it can get.

[Imowface]

Nationalism is on the rise throughout Europe, though.
Russia is surely a much more conservative society than you see throughout the rest of the developed world it pretty much always has been, although those facets were surely suppressed in the USSR, and yeah, racial minorities, women, and, in particular, homosexuals, are much worse off than they are elsewhere.
I'm just saying that 'democratic' Russia is better off than it was under Yeltsin and the mob rule directly following the fall of communism. There's still rampant corruption and suppression of speech (god forbid you say anything bad about Putin).

after taking some time to cool down, I am sorry for my outbursts, I come from Voronezh, its in the south of Russia, yes there is alot of violence in the city, I am close with my grandparents (who live in St. Petersburg now) I have always listened to them without question, my grandparents were/are both communists, they belived in the government, so I have been tought to do the same, I have really never talked about this subject with anyone before, so you may be able to forgive me for blindly defending the government if you have ever heard of Voronezh, you may know that has high unelmployment, and there are lots of unwealthy people there, so naturaly, a large number of people who still live there vote for left wing political partys as I said, this is all what I have been told for most of my life.

[warhed]

after taking some time to cool down, I am sorry for my outbursts, I come from Voronezh, its in the south of Russia, yes there is alot of violence in the city, I am close with my grandparents (who live in St. Petersburg now) I have always listened to them without question, my grandparents were/are both communists, they belived in the government, so I have been tought to do the same, I have really never talked about this subject with anyone before, so you may be able to forgive me for blindly defending the government if you have ever heard of Voronezh, you may know that has high unelmployment, and there are lots of unwealthy people there, so naturaly, a large number of people who still live there vote for left wing political partys as I said, this is all what I have been told for most of my life.

I have family and friends who will sit and defend everything Russia does, yet fled the country because of religious and/or political persecution.  Russians are a very proud people, to a fault sometimes.  Russians living outside of Russia can help the situation by being open and honest about their former homelands, in hopes with enough pressure the government will be forced to end the paranoid actions that cause so much pain.

Living near Detroit, with it's high Arab population, as someone with Russian blood and a Russian name, I have been asked to leave restaurants and other places of business before.  While it irks me to have such things happened to me as I am 100% American, I also understand why it happens.

I fully believe the Russian people are a strong, beautiful people with rich and diverse culture.  The government on the other hand has remained the same elitist plutocracy it has been for the last 100 years.

I love Russia, and have been studying the Transcaucasus for years, but that doesn't mean I have to like their government.

[Serenity]

i dont know whats creepier.. that you answered that or that im checking the links out...

Out of pure curiosity, I had to check them too, lol.

[Imowface]

haha, they are both legitimate sites, you can find their ad's in most highend magazines, such bellybutton robb report and DuPont regestry