WHAT'S IT LIKE LIVING IN RUSSIA TODAY?

A different take on the same thing (my (bad translation of excerpts from news item) - note especially the last paragraph:



(From today's De Volkskrant, a Dutch newspaper)

Re
>What's happening in your country....see article.

Hello, guys. Unfortunately I can't post my messages more regularly now.

Now about the topic. At first of course it's in no way a threat to Putin. In the first sight it looks like an attempt to defend Putin (the same as it was after Nord-Ost when Luzhkov was found as the main guilty person instead Putin) putting the personsibility for the economical collapse (really all the economy is collapsing more and more every month despite the high oil prices and a new wave of American credits). Some experts believe that so called "opposition" factions of Duma - Commies and Yabloko - would like to attract more their voters by their crticism to government but since Putin is an untouchable idol they are to blame Kasyanov instead. Then Putin can also demonstrate the developments of "Russian democracy". Now the West won't say that Russia has pro-government parliament and possibly will give more money to enforce the "process of democratization".

But the key reason lays a little deeper - now Dear Comrade Putin heeds a new "threat" for his coming re-election in 2004. As you know every good totalitarian regime will consolidate people at itself with the image of some bloody dangerous threat. In 1993 Yeltsin chose for this role the "threat of a fascist coup", in 1996 it was the Communists, in 2000 - "Chechen terrorists". Now Putin can't maintain his propaganda on the "Chechen terrorism" more because according to Putin himself this "terrorism" has already been completely defeated and destroyed (and not once ). The Commies have so spoilt for last years that now they even can't frighten anyone. The last possible "enemy" is "oligarchies" - some awful fat Jewishes who dream to robber poor Russia and destroy our Saint Vladimir who is going to stop their crimes. Don't be surprised about it's primitivity. The "oligarchies" are a specific bugaboo for the "crowd". And as Doctor Hebbels said the most effective propaganda is the most primitive one - and our KGBists perfectly know this ABC of his theory.

>In Russia, a 'creeping coup'?

>In a no-confidence vote Wednesday, some see a coming showdown between the Kremlin and the oligarchs.

>By Fred Weir | Special to The Christian Science Monitor

Now two warm words about the article. Here you can see a typical example of the material arranged of the FSB (zakazukha in Russian). They have some friendly foreign journalists who will publish every crap they are asked (the mentioned CNS is an FSBist firm - it is pretty well known for everyone). Then this bullsh*t appears in Russia with prefaces like: "according to the respectful American paper Christian Science Monitor.... ".

As about Mr. Weir, either he absolutely uniformed about the Russian reality or (more probably) he has never read his article himself. For example he insists that Putin expressed his dissatisfaction of the low economical growth in Russia in his message to the Federal Council. That's BS. All the Putin's message had quite an opposite subject. Putin was speaking about absolutely enormous, unprecedent, giant economical successes in Russia. According to him Russia had overrun the crisis of 1998 and allegedly Russian people had got income not only more than in 1998 or in 1991 but the highest one of the all Russian history . You can call this delirium anyhow but only not an "dissatisfaction". Then Mr. Weir says that Putin had set a new "ambitious" task - to increase the total income two times in 10 years. It may sound ambitiously only for some not well informed one. Putin said in the same speech that we had god a "1.4 times economical growth" for the last year and the same "1.4 times growth" happened a year ago. Sorrowfully Mr. Weir has no even secondary education and can't count how much it is, so I may assure him that 1.4 * 1.4=1.96 - in other words almost two time growth for two last years! Who can say afterward that 2 time growth for 10 years is an ambitious program? Seemly Comrade Putin hadn't read his speech before speaking it out, but the same can be said about everyone who has seen something "ambitious" there. Of course really this Comrade Putin's speech is nothing but crazy crap, delirium and BS absolutely unlinked with reality as well as any other speech of our Communist and Neo-Communist leaders but since Mr. Weir would like to base on it why wouldn't he have read it before?

And the last point. Anyway even if the "oligarchies" had decided to fight Putin, they have chose the worst way. It's widely known that Duma has ABSOLUTELY NO POWER, NO INFLUENCE, NO AUTHORITY. Kasyanov perfectly demonstrated all his disdain to this club of helpless political comedians, he even didn't appear at the Duma's session as well as expressed no reactions on their initiatives. That can be said about every less or more significant official - they consider it unworthy for them to react on any Duma's message. Since 1993 none of them was ever worried to react on any Duma's invitation, request, demand, accusation etc. So the idea that "Duma is threating to remove Kasyanov's government" is really ridiculous. And even more ridiculous idea is that Duma can carry any threat to Putin - if even Kasyanov pays no attention to these clowns what hell Putin should be worried of them ?

Docent,
Thanks for coming by. Have you been reading anything about President Bush or the Democrat presidential candidates? Have you formed any opinions? How is Bush viewed in Russia? Which American presidential candidates have been noticed in Russia?

In the papers, yesterday:

Moscow closes last critical TV Station

The Russian ministry of the media last Sunday took TVS, the last TV station that wasnt tied to the state, off air. Official argument: financial mismanagement.

In 2001 the Russian authorities appropriated control over the popular independent TV station NTV. Current TVS director Kiseljov was one of the journalists who left NTV after the Kremlin-friendly Gazprom company took over control there. Last year the critical TV-6 was closed down. "According to the director of the independent radio station Echo Moskvi, Aleksej Venediktov, the state now has a complete monopoly on the country's TV broadcasts".

How are the Russians reacting to Putin's visit to and royal treatment by the Englanders?

Not everyone shares that opinion. The first time I watched it I had to turn it off. Everyone told me how great it was so I thought I'd give it another try. It still stunk. I still couldn't watch the entire movie.

Welcome to A2K, AmericanMovieGoer!

Your above opninion might be very valuable (or not), but certainly it is answered to the wrong thread :wink:

Urr, i dunno, i think pulp fiction came up in this thread. Something about 'Brat', that Russian Pulp Fiction Docent P hated so much ;-)

>Have you been reading anything about President Bush or the Democrat presidential candidates? Have you formed any opinions?

No, I haven't got any opinion yet. I like more republican policy, but if there is a sensible democrat candidates I'd like to see him as well. Because in America a weak, disable Republican president may conduct a more leftist policy under the leftist pressure than a real democrat would do. Who I'd like to never see is Al Gore, all his job with Russia in the Clinton's administration looks really awful.

>How is Bush viewed in Russia?

Not too well. Both official propaganda and non-official observers consider him a ridiculous cowboy, big child who will believe to everything he is told. IMHO his speech about Putin's soul will never be forgotten in Russia. Try imagining what was Putin's feeling at that moment: you have just sent chemical weapon to Iraq, nuclear to Northern Korea and Iran etc. and you are sure "he is going to kick out my ass" - but what a surprise - he is praising your fight on terror, democracy and honest soul instead. Well done, cowboy . Although I personally got a good imagination of his team: Dony Ramsfeld, Condy Rice, Colin Powell. Also the current American ambassador appointed by Bush, Alex Verbshow, looks like a very sensible guy, especcially in the front of his predecessor.
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>Moscow closes last critical TV Station

At first of course it has never been critical yet. The most I can say is that they were not so perfectly licking Putin's ass as the rest. This job also requires some qualification. They had too many rivals of really professional ass-kissers from whom they got this reputation of a critical TV station.

Probably the only this channel's worker deserving to be mentioned is Victor Shenderovich - the author our first Puppets show (I'm sure you have such one in the USA) that was several times closed and prosecuted for it's offences toward high ranking persons. He became super popular over the country when he called Putin "Baby Tsakhes" what made our putinists angry on him (although I'm sure none of them has an idea what does this nick mean ). Later he led a satirical program which was the only political TV programs I could stick out although our local authorities considered it their holy duty to replace his every second program by advirtisement diarrhea. Now his program has gone. Unlike each other TV-6 program Shenderovich's project hasn't been accepted by any government channel.
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>How are the Russians reacting to Putin's visit to and royal treatment by the Englanders?

I won't rediscuss our official propagandist diarrhea - you can easily find them in Russian English-language sources like mentioned here the Pravda paper. Independent sources were primarily concentrated on the festival of films about Chechnya in London and the invitation tickets sent to Blair and Putin. As I got from Guardian before Putin state visit to GB had been presented to Ceausescu, Mobutu, Mugabe and Suharto. So Putin got to a good listing. As about Tony - his behaviour reminded me the final episode of Orwell's Animal Farm - people decided to be closer to pigs - in result the people turned to pigs himself, not pigs to people.

In reading your posts, I must admit it is easy to become cynical about life in Russia. Where does one encounter honesty, joy and positive relations with people?

In Rastafari, of course!

Though, its true, even they seem unusually downbeat in Russia ... <grins>



Russian Reggea Rasta Roots

>In reading your posts, I must admit it is easy to become cynical about life in Russia.

I had no intention to show living in Russia in an extremaly "cynical" way. I just have been bringing up some opinion exposed by non-governmental medias because their view is the only objective view on the current situation because the official medias (widely broadcasting abroad as well) put on so awful BS that it is even shamefull to discuss it while the Western medias are too far from us to give a correct comment and often they simply repeat our propagandist crap (BTW the Westerners are rather easily got under influence of the Communist or Putinist propaganda than the local inhabitants). And I will never say that a Russian is more cynical than a Westerner - at least there was a French, not Russian, who appealed to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Putin for his military support to Saddam (which included delivery of WMD as well). What can be more cynical?

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>Urr, i dunno, i think pulp fiction came up in this thread. Something about 'Brat', that Russian Pulp Fiction Docent P hated so much...

As I read recently - our the most awful gangster movie - The Brigade - was awarded the Emmie second place prize. So this opus so blamed once by our observers, especially after a gang of young scums, being influenced by this "masterpiece", killed a Caucasian family (including a 6 year girl), may be very soon "enjoyed" by the Americans. I suppose some of the channels wil broadcast a winner of the Emmie?
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And at last a good article I have recently picked up:

A Low, Dishonest Decadence: A Letter from Moscow. By David Satter


I don't agree with everything but mostly it gives a trustful image.

Depressive, thought-provoking read.

Very worthwhile. I'll recommend it to others.

I saw that the article originally appeared in The National Interest - so its a good thing you posted this link, cause TNI (http://www.nationalinterest.org) doesnt do no-cost online browsing of its articles :-)

I concur. It reminds one of the underlying principles to a living, growing democracy.

Docent,
The article rides the edges of replusive. Yet, I suspect that sometime in the U.S. history some parts of the country dappled in similar behavior.

Is it possible for Democracy to ever get a true test in Russia?

Not while Putin leads the country.

The news today featured an item about how the World Bank is supporting the Russian government with a bag of money in setting up a program to evacuate/resettle some of the people who've ended up in the far North, and now cant get back. The story isnt new - and probably only made prime time news thanks to the summer "cucumber season" in news - but its interesting. The government has budgetted 30 million dollar for the operation, the World Bank would add another 50 million.

These are partly people who were forcibly transferred to the far North, to the camps of the Gulag for example, and stayed on or were restrained from returning home after their release. But the majority of them was lured to take on jobs near the arctic by the high wages that the Brezhnev and post-Brezhnev-era government gave to people willing to work in the mines and factories there.

Most of them would work there long enough till they saved up some money, and then go back home a succesful man. But the 1998 crisis, with its hyperinflation and banks going bust, made their savings go up in smoke, and now they're stuck there.

Life in the North is hard, with temperatures between 10 degress centigrade in summer and -40 or -50 in winter - dunno what that is in fahrenheit but its way, way below freezing point. Furthermore, jobs there are in mining and heavy industry. Environmental pollution is devastating, the health hazards serious. Life expectancy, which has tumbled in Russia after 1992 in any case, is around another 10 years shorter in the cities of the north - think an average life expectancy of 50 years.

800,000 of the 11 million people in Russia's North and Siberia have already left. The new government/World Bank plan would help another 500,000 people in Kamchatka, Yakutia, Chukotka en Evenkia to get out, transferring them to South and Central Russia where, the government says, there are jobs and affordable housing for them. (Could be true, the countryside there has been emptying out, with youngsters moving to Moscow (etc), since '91).

News story was in Dutch, of course, but the online version provided these two links as background info:

Leaving Hell - Radio Netherlands report
LIFE report on Norilsk

More than 10 years has passed since the crumble of the totalitarian regime that lasted almost a whole century. In retrospect, the communist dogma had its glamour rooted deeply in people whose patience wore thin after waiting for long to benefit from a liberal society. In a grip of whimsical ideas that had been incited by some "goodwill" philosophers and political theorists, the collaboration and cohesion among non-possessing workers stood up against the bourgeoisie for the first time in the history in the wake of industrial revolution. Chronical suffering from starvation or, if lucky, subsisting upon meagre food had long suppressed the innate libido of possessing. The communist dogma that claimed to return the ownership back to the populace, timely, stepped in the breach.

But people's fervor with which they vanquished the past turned into pathology under the rigid control of police state. It appears from the first day when the communist state was established that one day this was not going to work. The political chaos in 1991 put to end a miracle of twentieth century with some people saying "Communism is the longest way to Capitialism". Nationalization gave way to privitizatinon overnight. All the economic indice deteriorated and inflation crippled the whole working of the country. But it survived and began to fare well.

The high standard of education and the industrial infrastructure promised a fantastic future for the country. Unlike other communist regimes, the former USSR provided very good education for its citizens. The percentage of population having received high level education was much higher than its counterparts in the communist realm. More, several decades of the threat posed by the Cold War prompted the country to arm to the teeth. The prosper of the martial industry pushed the development of relevent secondary industries, like steel, space tech etc.

The pangs of instant trasition might frustrate those who had long been used to the command economy but it cannot efface the brilliance of the country's future. As President Putin now begins to undertake a series of investigations against some industry magnates, the economy is getting even heathier.

acepoly, what part of the world do live in?

After having installed the multilingual operating system and having bought the trilingual keyboard I acquired a possibility to take part in some Russian forums, and I was displeased with anti-American emotions of the majority of their participants, their majority being students.
They do not feel any sympathy toward Saddam (some of them admitted that condemned the U.S. action in Iraq out of spite), neither they support the Palestinian issue (their comments on Israel are much more sympathetic than these of some of the A2Kers), but they are strongly disappointed with the treatment of Yugoslavia by the former President Clinton administration. Majority of these people are neither radical liberals (I would classify their political stance as moderately conservative), nor devout antiglobalists. IMO, NATO interference in Yugoslavia was a blunder, since it helped the Muslims to take over the part of the European continent, the thing that did not happen since defeat of the Ottoman armies near Vienna in 1683: sice then the Muslim possessions in Europe tended to shrink, and not to expand. And it also posed an obstacle for integration of the Russian society into the "global village" and promoted anti-Western emotions. Russian opinion on the issue was openly neglected, and it was perceived there as a national humiliation.
But no one wants returning of the Cold War and mutual nuclear deterrence, and this gives hope that perception of the USA will improve in future.