On the status or Russian [SEELANGS}

[Jane Knox-Voina]

Vladimir Voina writes,

I wouldn't overestimate these cases.
 
1) There are not many of them while open chauvinism in Latvia are 
condemned, punished, people are expelled from the ruling party, Latvian 
President beggs excuses for such cases etc. Putin would never beg excuse 
even for killing of nationals: Can you compare that? Russian chauvinism 
is 10,000 times stronger but the world is silent about it.
 
2) If real discrimination would exist, Russian speakers (they constitute 
about a half of Latvian population) would leave Latvia, return to Russia 
or migrate to EU countries with their free visas. But they would 
never do that, because living in Latvia is much preferable for them: 
They enjoy much higher living standard, higher pensions and social 
prestige than Russians living at home, they are free to travel anywhere 
and find jobs anywhere on earth, they get two pensions instead of 
one and what not... Unlike Russians, they already live in Utopia!
 
3) As some of them ignore the necessity to study and speak local 
language AT LEAST ON ELEMENTARY  LEVEL, they risk of being mistreated by 
doctors, lawyers, waiters, in colleges, public offices etc. etc. Is it 
strange? I meet such attitudes to English speakers in France, so what? 
It may be very unpleasant, but it's life! And remember all former 
sufferings, genocide etc. of Latvian people while in Russia: Their 
overreaction now is not without rneason. I don't encourage extremism but 
I understand this trend. But I remember too well how Marina, Vita, Sasha 
and me were not treated in a Boston restaurant  because we were speaking 
Russian AMONG OURSELVES. What wrong had we done to those bastards who 
refused to serve us?
 
4) When a Latvian doctor says IN CASE OF SHORTAGES he would supply his 
own folks, Latvians, with deficit drugs rather thangive them to 
 Russians I recollect how ALL doctors in the USSR were ordered to write 
prescriptions for efficient, deficit foreign drugs only for special 
patients, Communists and their family members, through regional party 
bureau network, and those doctors who disobeyed this order and were 
trying to help poor rank-and-file citizens were expelled from the Party, 
disqualified, lost their jobs in health care system. Medical 
discrimination is always disgusting, but how would you comment on the 
majority of Americam doctors refusing to treat patients not covered by 
some special insurance? Is it less disgusting when in a situation of 
catasrophy and shortages maybe people of your kin are saved by drugs 
before those arrogant foreigners who despise your people, 
country, language, culture, tradition, way of life, as some Russians 
openly do? 
 
5) Compared to chauvinism in Russian or anti-semitism, especially in 
Arab and Moslem countries, sporadic anti-Russian declarations in Latvia 
are just insignificant!    

    Vladimir Voina.

Russian American journalist
 


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