Russia: "I'm a Russophobe"

Global Voices Online
Saturday, June 13, 2009

LJ user rusanalit, a popular Russian blogger known for his often provocative posts on the Russian economy, published this mock manifesto (RUS) on his blog on June 10, noting with irony that those who attempt a critical look at Russia's past and present are frequently labeled Russophobes by those who consider themselves patriots, while in fact the opposite may be said to be true in many cases:

And I'm a Russophobe, too.

That's because I write that Stalin genuinely wished to be useful to his country, but judging by the results of his mistakes, the fruits of his - and the country's - pre-war labor were lost. That is, if you are not praising Stalin but are trying to assess his work objectively - this makes you a Russophobe.

Because, even though I credit Putin for the huge role he played in preventing the emergence of 20 Chechnyas in Russia as a result of Chechnya's official secession from Russia, I consider Putin USELESS AFTER CHECHNYA IN ALL OTHER RESPECTS. That is, if you're not licking Putin's behind but are trying, again, to assess his work objectively - you're a Russophobe.

Because I don't like [Mikhail Kovalchuk] and [Gennady Timchenko] - the former basically robbed [Gazprom], while the latter just took away a few billion dollars from state companies [Sibneft] and [Rosneft] while he served as an intermediary in their oil trading. That is, if you straightforwardly call the billionaire-thieves close to the regime "thieves" - you're a Russophobe.

If I don't like the fact that my country's economy is a resource-based economy and the government doesn't really want to change anything, is content with everything - then I'm a Russophobe.

If you think that the duty of the state is to save lives of Russian kids [...], and not to diminish stock market losses of foreign investors - then you're a Russophobe.

Okay, I agree. If this is how things are, then I'm a Russophobe. Because in this case, Russophobe is dignified title.

And who are you then?

Russia, U.S.: Reactions to WSJ Story on Web-Savvy Homeless

Global Voices Online
Thursday, June 11, 2009

Earlier this month, Russian social networking portal Habrahabr.ru featured photos and some translated text (RUS) from the May 30 Wall Street Journal piece on the online presence of the U.S. homeless - On the Street and On Facebook: The Homeless Stay Wired.

The original English-language story has generated 93 comments. On Habrahabr.ru, there are currently 183 responses - and below are some of them:

kakains:

Wow!!! 0_0
Here you don't run into bums with laptops [...]

isnotme:

Here even if you run into one, you wouldn't think that he bought it.

Unechka:

Here a bum would get killed for this laptop. And, quite possibly, by the law enforcement people.

Sigurd:

Here even an ordinary person who takes out a laptop in the street wouldn't survive for too long...

crazysiemens:

Here it's not even often that you run into an ordinary person with a Macintosh ))

jeje:

If this were April 1, I would've never believed it. But, damn it, we are dirt poor even compared to the bums in the United States.

dymdym:

These are singular cases. We also have all kinds of whiz kids among bums. One is even making movies and winning awards at festivals. But the majority are alcoholics.

r_p:

Here some students can't afford to buy a laptop [...]. It's making me sad (

Inskin:

There is some difference - as far as I know, they have summer in California all year round. And there are many open - and free - wifi's, too, I guess. Here in [St. Petersburg], if you become homeless, then nine months of the year a laptop and internet are the last things to be concerned about. :)

Petrucha:

Here vodka is the best laptop.

hypercom:

There, bums can't live without internet, while here educated and well-employed people have no idea what internet is for. This difference is more upsetting that the difference in money availability.

big_jump:

Some people can't understand what they need a computer for, and internet is a totally different dimension for them altogether.

Russia: The Fourth Son

Global Voices Online
Sunday, June 7, 2009

A month or so ago, LJ user voinodel (Russian journalist Vadim Rechkalov) started a second LJ blog (voynodel) and announced (RUS) that he would use it for writing "unhurried posts" there. So far, Rechkalov has posted twice on this new blog. The first text is about the funeral of one of the victims of a Moscow police officer who shot at least three people to death at a Moscow supermarket in April; the second one (RUS) is a sketch about a Chechen family - and here is a translation:

Alaudin and Fatima were only having boys born to them. But they were dreaming of a girl, especially Alaudin. Relatives did not understand Alaudin. He's got three men growing in his house, the relatives would say, and he's dreaming of a girl.

Alaudin and Fatima lived in [Grozny], in Tashkal [area]. In a 5-story building on Zavety Ilyicha Street. When the war began, Alaudin took the family out to [Nazran], then came back to Grozny to watch after the apartment.

At night, Alaudin used to come out on the balcony. He smoked and watched [tracer bullets] fly by. During mortar attacks Alaudin used to lock the apartment and go down to the basement. Once, when he walked outside after the bombing, he saw a woman he didn't know and a baby lying on the ground - she hadn't made it to the basement in time. The baby was alive. Alaudin took the baby home, [and unwrapped the bundle on the kitchen table].

"A boy, again," Alaudin said and started laughing.

This is how Alaudin and Fatima got their fourth son. Alaudin called him Moris, in honor of the horse catcher from his favorite book [Morris Jerald, from The Headless Horseman by Mayne Reid].

Alaudin's relatives don't get it. What kind of name is that - Moris? Should've called him Maerbek instead...