commentary to student safety in St Petersburg

[Dustin Hosseini]

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:50:19 -0500, Alina Israeli <aisrael at AMERICAN.EDU> wrote:

>On Nov 27, 2009, at 2:44 PM, Dustin Hosseini wrote:
>
>>   However, how would
>> you like it if your neighbor came into your house and told you how
>> to raise
>> your children and/or treat your partner?
>
>Well, this actually is taking place every day, it's called "laws".
>What used to be considered "a family affair" is no longer treated as
>such; beating of a spouse is no longer permitted, nor is beating of
>children in the US. Even some religious practices are challenged, for
>ex. families that prevent their children from being treated by
>doctors which lead to the death of the child.

I did not take that extreme point of view, but if that is the case, then
perhaps the US should vocally criticize Russia for it's lack of
care/protection towards these groups (racial minorities and gays) then.   

>On Nov 28, 2009, at 6:01 AM, Dustin Hosseini wrote:
>
>>
>> No, I am against foreign interference in Russia for both issues.
>> Since when
>> have Russians ever wholeheartedly welcomed outside influence to
>> solve their
>> own problems?  I don't remember it ever causing much good either
>> objectively
>> or in the eyes of the Russians.
>

I think you mistook my point.  I do not think the average Russian welcomes
foreigners barging into Russia with their 'foreign' ideas.  The gay rights'
movement in Moscow is one example of this kind of 'barging in'.  

However, it is an entirely different story when a Russian/Russians go and
look to other countries/cultures for ideas and bring them back by
themselves, or invite outside help.

>Since always. Not in a form of visiting Napoleons and their armies,
>but looking over the shoulder and observing how the "civilized
>countries" do it. Russians either go abroad to get the ideas
>(Christianity in Byzantium, or whatever Peter the Great found in
>Holland), or find them in books (marxism), or invite people to help
>out (Jeffrey Sachs, Italian architects to build the Kremlin, German
>and Swiss scientists that made the early Academy of Sciences), or
>simply try to conform to the practices of the West.
>
>

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 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/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------