Discussing racial attacks with students and help finding information on the 'piataia grafa'

[Renee Stillings | Alinga]

Amanda brings up something that has bothered me most about Russian society 
and its values. It is the standing by and watching attacks that any decent 
human, which I believe most Russians consider themselves to be, would 
normally step in and do something about. Attacks happen all over the world; 
in an advanced society that likes to think of itself as very educated an 
enlightened, this complete lack of concern for the fellow citizen is 
appalling. I have long noted it in the refusal of drivers to budge and give 
way to an ambulance. They will give way to black cars with a migalka, but 
not to an ambulance. In conclusion, I guess that while there is respect (or 
probably fear) for power, there is no respect for society in general.

One of my colleagues in Moscow is from Guyana (African heritage, although 
quite light-skinned). He recently had a child with his Russian wife. His 
fear of raising his child in Russia is at this point much more about the 
values the child will be surrounded by growing up rather than the 
possibility of actual attack.

BTW, I found the Charlie Rose show last night with Kasparov and Cohen 
entertaining. Kasparov really does come across as if he is living in a 
fantasy world, as Cohen points out. I felt a bit like he was speaking as a 
Russian who has been living abroad for so long that he'd lost touch but 
wants to jump on some bandwagon now just for some limelight. I though he was 
going to explode when that was pointed out to him and that we'd have a live 
brawl. Cohen seemed to be working hard to contain his patience - 
understandably - and brought up some excellent points.

Renee


> Dear Seelangers,
>
> I recently returned from 6 weeks as resident director of our summer 
> program
> in Moscow and wanted to report that one of my students, who is Asian, was
> violently attacked by a skinhead on the metro. 

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