On the status or Russian [SEELANGS}

[anne marie devlin]

On a general note, it needs to be pointed out that Latvians are leaving their country in droves.  The population has been decimated in recent years.   Entire villages have been left unpopulated due to economic reasons.  I have many Latvian students and friends - Latvian speakers, Russian speakers and bi-linguals.  However, as far as I know, the Russian Latvians can only get full Latvian citizenship after undergoing a language and culture exam and therefore don't have the possibility to travel and work freely in the EU
AM
 

> Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:46:21 -0500
> From: jknox at BOWDOIN.EDU
> Subject: [SEELANGS] On the status or Russian [SEELANGS}
> To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
> 
> 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
> 
> 
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 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/
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 		 	   		  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 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/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------