commentary to student safety in St Petersburg

[Shlomit Gorin]

Dustin-

On Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 5:01 AM, Dustin Hosseini
<dustin.hosseini at gmail.com>wrote:

> Shlomit:
>
> Some fears are rational, some are not.  As I remember back in 2000, my
> mother and father were very much against my idea of going to study in
> Russia
> - simply because it was a vast unknown.  More recently, in 2006 when my
> Russian partner and I went outside of Russia for a vacation (to Syria) his
> mother was completely against that because it was a Muslim country, among
> other things.
>

Actually fear of the unknown is not irrational - it seems rather rational to
me to be wary of things we don't know anything or very little about. An
irrational fear is based on knowledge, i.e. I know I won't die if I eat
chocolate ice cream but I have a fear of dying from eating chocolate ice
cream anyway.  It sounds like your partner's mother has a fear of Muslims,
and that is unlikely to be due to not knowing much about Muslims and more to
do with particular (probably inaccurate) notions about Muslims.

>
> I call both of the above examples of irrational fear of something or
> someone.  Yes, fear is a part of all of us, and it can protect us, but fear
> does, in fact, get in the way at times and is therefore irrational.  Again,
> Russia is not so dangerous, in spite of the statistics dictate, that people
> should simply stay away.
>

Fear getting in the way of things does not make the fear irrational. There's
no logic to that.  And since you're not accepting the data on hate crimes in
Russia, it's perfectly rational that you'd think it's not so dangerous that
students of color might decide not to go there. But you haven't provided any
compelling reasons for your dismissal of this data. And since you're so
insistent on reputable data, where are your reputable data showing that
Russia is not such a dangerous place for people of color?

>
> If 'people of color' can't study in Russia for the obvious main reasons of
> studying the language, culture, and history in a rich context, then what is
> the answer?  Should programs be set up in Belarus and Ukraine?
>

No one is saying that people of color can't study in Russia. They can. But
they (and everyone involved in study abroad programs) should be informed of
the very real problem of hate crimes so that they can make informed
decisions about what risks they're willing to take when it comes to their
safety and well-being.

>
> "the problem of racism will resolve itself".  Fine - this will seem like
> apples and oranges, but if this problem has gone through a long process in
> the US, why should we expect it to be solved overnight in Russia?  There is
> a process and it has to be completed, and that does include a struggle of
> some sort.
>

Who expects it to be solved overnight?

>
> 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 Alina responded more than sufficiently to this, but I'd like to just
add that frankly, whether or not Russians respond well to foreign pressure
to alleviate human rights violations is hardly my concern.  Anyone who
supports human rights will welcome foreign interference, especially since
supporting human rights within Russia is a dangerous position to take these
days. Alina brought up apartheid - I really doubt that South Africans who
supported apartheid welcomed foreign interference. Of course people who
oppress or support the oppression of others will not welcome demands to stop
- either from people within or outside of their country. So what? Should be
not then try to stop human rights violations?

>
> Shlomit, I had a lot of friends and acquaintances in the LGBT community in
> Moscow; I, a single solitary person, would inquire about their thoughts and
> feelings on the failed 'pride parades'.  They considered it a shame,
> something that lacked government support, something that completely lacked
> organization, and it was ultimately a failure.
> The guy behind the parades, Nikolai Alexeyev, does well at making a big
> scandalous scene, but does little to produce anything effective.
>

> Many of the people with whom I spoke also thought it a bit silly that a
> British MP would come over and try to change anything.  Again, it is that
> idea of a foreigner interfering (and causing a scene) in a domestic affair
> that does not sit well with many, regardless of whether they are LGBT or
> not.
>

Your friends' and acquaintances' feelings about the pride parades and the
British MP don't change the fact that there is systematic oppression of
homosexuals in Russia.

>
> Let's not forget that only 10-20 years ago several countries that have up
> to
> now changed their laws on homosexuality, had in those days laws outlawing
> the very idea or did not have provisions for protecting that particular
> minority.
>

Does that make homophobia, discrimination and physical assault of gays in
Russia alright?

>
> In the US today gays may be able to hold parades, but that still doesn't
> mean that they are all completely equal with their heterosexual
> counterparts.  So, they will just have to wait until the rest of the
> country
> is ready.  I think that is logical.  Forcing someone's hand never wins any
> friends or support.
>

No, they will not just have to wait, and they don't just wait. And how dare
you tell any group of people that they just have to wait around for equal
rights?  I don't think gay rights supporters are interested in making
friends with or asking politely for support from those who find their
sexuality problematic. The LGBT community just wants the same rights as
heterosexuals, and no one who is homophobic will wake up one day and think,
"You know what, I actually think there's nothing wrong with being gay." If
we all just waited around for people to not be racist or homophobic or
sexist or whatever, we'd be in big trouble.

Shlomit

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