{"id":4449,"date":"2013-01-17T08:00:52","date_gmt":"2013-01-17T08:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=4449"},"modified":"2020-01-16T12:30:18","modified_gmt":"2020-01-16T12:30:18","slug":"5-russian-stereotypes-other-than-winter-vodka-and-bears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/5-russian-stereotypes-other-than-winter-vodka-and-bears\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Russian Stereotypes Other Than Winter, Vodka and Bears"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the middle of the winter, a group of young foreigners travels across Russia searching for Russian women, Russian vodka and Russian bears. Nope, this is not a sequel to \u041e\u0441\u043e<\/span>\u0431\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438 \u043d\u0430\u0446\u0438\u043e\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u043e\u0445\u043e<\/span>\u0442\u044b<\/strong> (Peculiarities of the National Hunt<\/a>) movie. Instead, it is this year\u2019s Cinetrain documentary project<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The twenty four filmmakers participating in it are filming movies based on\u00a0\u0441\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043e\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u043f\u044b<\/strong> (stereotypes) about Russia, including \u201csnow, ice, vodka, colossal landscapes, Russian women and Lada cars\u201d.<\/p>\n

After reading about this project on Russia Beyond the Headlines<\/a>, I got to think about a different kind of \u00a0Russian stereotypes, the ones Russians have about themselves and Russia.<\/p>\n

1. \u0423\u043c\u043e<\/span>\u043c \u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438<\/span>\u044e \u043d\u0435 \u043f\u043e\u043d\u044f<\/span>\u0442\u044c<\/strong> – Russia cannot be understood by mind alone…<\/p>\n

This opening line from a \u0447\u0435\u0442\u0432\u0435\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0448\u0438\u0435<\/strong> (four-line poem) by Fyodor Tyutchev might be the most often-quoted phrase from the entire corpus of Russian classical literature. Russians use it when they don\u2019t want to explain why something is done the way it\u2019s done. Instead, they chalk it up to \u043e\u0441\u043e<\/span>\u0431\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438 \u043c\u0435\u043d\u0442\u0430\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u0430<\/strong> (peculiarities of the mindset).<\/p>\n

\u041f\u043e\u0447\u0435\u043c\u0443<\/span> \u0432 \u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438<\/span>\u0438 \u0434\u043e \u0441\u0438\u0445 \u043f\u043e\u0440 \u043e\u0442\u043c\u0435\u0447\u0430<\/span>\u044e\u0442 \u041d\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u044b\u0439 \u0433\u043e\u0434 \u0438 \u043f\u043e \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u043e\u043c\u0443 \u0438 \u043f\u043e \u0441\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u043e\u043c\u0443 \u0441\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u044e? \u041f\u043e\u0442\u043e\u043c\u0443<\/span>, \u0447\u0442\u043e \u0443\u043c\u043e<\/span>\u043c \u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438<\/span>\u044e \u043d\u0435 \u043f\u043e\u043d\u044f<\/span>\u0442\u044c.<\/strong>
\n(Why do Russians still celebrate the New Year according to both the new and the old calendars? That\u2019s because Russia cannot be understood by mind alone.)<\/p>\n

2. \u0427\u0442\u043e \u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u043e\u043c\u0443 \u0445\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0448\u043e<\/span>, \u0442\u043e \u043d\u0435<\/span>\u043c\u0446\u0443 \u0441\u043c\u0435\u0440\u0442\u044c<\/strong> – What\u2019s good for a Russian, is death for a German<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that \u201cGerman\u201d here is \u0441\u043e\u0431\u0438\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u043e<\/span>\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0437<\/strong> (a generalized character) applied to any foreigner. Russians believe that particular Russian experiences are incomprehensible to or unendurable by foreigners, including \u0431\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u044f<\/strong> (Russian sauna), \u0440\u044b\u0431\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u043a\u0430<\/strong> (fishing), and driving in Moscow.<\/p>\n

3. \u0420\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u044f\u0437\u044b<\/span>\u043a – \u0441\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u044b\u0439 \u0431\u043e\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044b\u0439 \u0432 \u043c\u0438<\/span>\u0440\u0435<\/strong> – Russian language is the richest of world languages<\/p>\n

There is no doubt, the good ol\u2019 \u0432\u0435\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u043c\u043e\u0433\u0443<\/span>\u0447\u0438\u0439<\/strong> (great and mighty) Russian language packs some serious descriptive power. Just think of the infinite variety of diminutives, a bewildering array of meaning-altering suffixes and prefixes, and the multi-storied poetry of \u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u043c\u0430\u0442<\/strong> (Russian obscenities).<\/p>\n

Examples are the classic and highly cryptic answer of “\u0434\u0430 \u043d\u0435\u0442, \u043d\u0430\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u043d\u043e\u0435”<\/strong> and stories such as this one “\u041f\u043e\u0434\u0445\u043e<\/span>\u0434\u0438\u0442 \u043e\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u043d \u0445\u0440\u0435\u043d, \u0431\u0435\u0440\u0451<\/span>\u0442 \u044d<\/span>\u0442\u0443 \u0445\u0440\u0435\u043d\u044c \u0438 \u043d\u0430\u0447\u0438\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0435\u0442 \u044d<\/span>\u0442\u043e\u0439 \u0445\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u044e \u0445\u0440\u0435\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0447\u0438\u0442\u044c, \u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043a\u043e \u0432\u043e\u0442 \u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0445\u0440\u0435\u043d? \u0418\u00a0\u0445\u0440\u0435\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u043e \u0438 \u0432\u0441\u0435\u043c \u043f\u043e<\/span>\u0445\u0440\u0435\u043d\u0443.”<\/strong>\u00a0If you understand the gist of it, demand an A+ in your Russian class.<\/p>\n

4. \u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438\u044f<\/span>\u043d\u0435 – \u0441\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u044b\u0439 \u0447\u0438\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u044e\u0449\u0438\u0439 \u043d\u0430\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0434 \u0432 \u043c\u0438<\/span>\u0440\u0435<\/strong> – Russians are the most well-read people in the world<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always had my doubts about this one. In the times of \u043f\u043e\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0434\u0435\u0444\u0438\u0446\u0438<\/span>\u0442<\/strong> (epidemic shortages) of everything, Russian readers\u2019 hunger for books was never satisfied. But that was probably because of the said shortages as well as the readers\u2019 appetites. Now there\u2019s \u0438\u0437\u043e\u0431\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u0438\u0435<\/strong> (an abundance) of books of all sorts. The above stereotype does not clarify whether \u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0447\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e<\/strong> (quality) matters as much as \u043a\u043e\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0447\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e<\/strong> (quantity).<\/p>\n

5. \u0420\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0435 \u0436\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0449\u0438\u043d\u044b – \u0441\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u044b\u0435 \u043a\u0440\u0430\u0441\u0438<\/span>\u0432\u044b\u0435 \u0432 \u043c\u0438<\/span>\u0440\u0435<\/strong> – Russian women are the most beautiful in the world<\/p>\n

Whether you believe it or not depends on your personal definition of beauty. After all, as we say, \u043d\u0430 \u0432\u043a\u0443\u0441 \u0438 \u0446\u0432\u0435\u0442 \u0442\u043e\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u0438\u0449\u0430 \u043d\u0435\u0442<\/strong> (the beauty is in the eye of the beholder). Some \u0446\u0438\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0438 (cynics) might even say \u043d\u0435\u0442 \u043d\u0435\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0441\u0438<\/span>\u0432\u044b\u0445 \u0436\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0449\u0438\u043d, \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c \u043c\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u043e \u0432\u043e<\/span>\u0434\u043a\u0438<\/strong> (there are no unattractive women, there is not enough vodka). What\u2019s undeniable is that Russian women always try to look their hottest, keeping in mind the old adage \u0432\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0435\u0447\u0430<\/span>\u044e\u0442 \u043f\u043e \u043e\u0434\u0451<\/span>\u0436\u043a\u0435, \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0436\u0430<\/span>\u044e\u0442 \u043f\u043e \u0443\u043c\u0443<\/span><\/strong> (you are judged on your appearance first and on your mind last).<\/p>\n

What other stereotypes about Russia and the Russians can you think of?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the middle of the winter, a group of young foreigners travels across Russia searching for Russian women, Russian vodka and Russian bears. Nope, this is not a sequel to \u041e\u0441\u043e\u0431\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438 \u043d\u0430\u0446\u0438\u043e\u043d\u0430\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u043e\u0445\u043e\u0442\u044b (Peculiarities of the National Hunt) movie. Instead, it is this year\u2019s Cinetrain documentary project. The twenty four filmmakers participating in it are…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,7826],"tags":[9269,1248,1250,257559,257558,1296],"class_list":["post-4449","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-culture","category-when-in-russia","tag-russian-books","tag-russian-language","tag-russian-literature","tag-russian-obsenities","tag-russian-stereotypes","tag-russian-women"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4449"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12220,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4449\/revisions\/12220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}