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

[Galina Rylkova]

Actually, my experience this summer in Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, 
Vladimir, Suzdal' and  Nizhnii Novgorod) was quite the opposite. I was 
pleasantly surprised by the kindness and tolerance of people in 
general. Even my new expensive digital camera was returned to me after 
I had left it in the train compartment. When I reported it missing at 
the Moscow Railway Station in St. Petersburg (I did it for the sake of 
my students, who felt sorry for me and wanted me to do something) I 
never thought that I was going to see it again, but I did a few days 
later for a reward of 1000 rubles. When I think what average Muscovites 
(with Moscow being the most expensive city in the world) have to go 
through on a daily basis, I am amazed at and grateful for their ability 
to remain human in most situations.

Galina Rylkova

On Jul 26, 2006, at 11:15 AM, Renee Stillings | Alinga wrote:

> 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.
>

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------