bobbyd
04-11-2009, 03:55 PM
A long, long time ago I subscribed to a discussion board that sends me emails of each post entered. It is tiny now in comparison to GG but once in awhile the threads are extremely well written and poignant. Here are 2 posts that give you a sense of how different we all think.
>What is 'patently rediculous' is the American attitude that everyone in the world wants to immigrate to the USA. This is the attitude at every American visa section I've ever seen - and Canadian ones as well, by the way. The assumption is that the person applying for the visitor visa is already guilty of lying and intends to immigrate - it is up to the person to try and prove otherwise. As can be witnessed, if any of you have ever actually BEEN to a US consulate and seen the stream of people coming out - a lot more people are rejected out of hand than are permitted. The discrimination or 'profiling' is particularly harsh against young women> - anyone who's ever tried to get any young woman over for a visit knows THIS to be a FACT
after a few posts about 9/11, Mexicans and the economy, a well thought out response from St. Pete
what d'ya think?
I think you have hit upon the main differences, those of us who do not live in constant fear of mysterious and invisible ills are pretty happy with our lives and are optimistic about the future. That is what we were taught about the US but when I visited a couple times I was immediately struck how fearful and stressed people where, ready to start arguments or even violence over invisible or even unspoken slights, finding fault with everything and everyone. I actually felt sorry for many of the Americans I met who have never seen how many people in the world, even in very poor countries are happy and lead fulfilling lives without cowering in corners as the best description I could think of for the emotional state there.
Fearing very very rare situations to the point of paralyzing or limiting masses of people can't be a healthy society. I think you will agree, we Russians take things in stride, don't fret about much and are usually quick to assume no harm when a slight it perceived. As a rule we have easy and healthy senses of humor and quite social. That might be the contrast with the US in they are stressed about unknowns that we have known and survived but have not been visited upon them. We have survived far worse than ANYTHING that has happened to the American people in any time inits history. They fear what they do not know and we do not fear what we have experienced that is worse than anything unknowns could be.
This forum is a good example of the differences in mind set, they can't accept that people, millions of people actually life our way of life, thrive, are happy, well educated, lead exciting and full lives and are not under stress about much of anything. When I visit Scandinavia and most ofEurope, I see the same thing, people doing just fine, happy and with low stress and fear of the unknown. In almost all personal respects we in Russia and Europe are freer from the demons that seem to dominate conversation and policies in the US. Yet they insist on lecturing us and bullying to get other countries to follow their path, which just is not proving so viable after all. What makes a society create people who are so closed minded and fearful? I personally want nothing to do with it, whatever it is. While you people are arguing over what you do not know about, I am turning off the computer to get ready for a ballet and then to a club to dance the entire night and not think about how misguides Americans think we are. I will no doubt meet my good American friend at the club, he is one American who understands Russia and our culture and does not live in fear, and has a happy, great life as a result.
>What is 'patently rediculous' is the American attitude that everyone in the world wants to immigrate to the USA. This is the attitude at every American visa section I've ever seen - and Canadian ones as well, by the way. The assumption is that the person applying for the visitor visa is already guilty of lying and intends to immigrate - it is up to the person to try and prove otherwise. As can be witnessed, if any of you have ever actually BEEN to a US consulate and seen the stream of people coming out - a lot more people are rejected out of hand than are permitted. The discrimination or 'profiling' is particularly harsh against young women> - anyone who's ever tried to get any young woman over for a visit knows THIS to be a FACT
after a few posts about 9/11, Mexicans and the economy, a well thought out response from St. Pete
what d'ya think?
I think you have hit upon the main differences, those of us who do not live in constant fear of mysterious and invisible ills are pretty happy with our lives and are optimistic about the future. That is what we were taught about the US but when I visited a couple times I was immediately struck how fearful and stressed people where, ready to start arguments or even violence over invisible or even unspoken slights, finding fault with everything and everyone. I actually felt sorry for many of the Americans I met who have never seen how many people in the world, even in very poor countries are happy and lead fulfilling lives without cowering in corners as the best description I could think of for the emotional state there.
Fearing very very rare situations to the point of paralyzing or limiting masses of people can't be a healthy society. I think you will agree, we Russians take things in stride, don't fret about much and are usually quick to assume no harm when a slight it perceived. As a rule we have easy and healthy senses of humor and quite social. That might be the contrast with the US in they are stressed about unknowns that we have known and survived but have not been visited upon them. We have survived far worse than ANYTHING that has happened to the American people in any time inits history. They fear what they do not know and we do not fear what we have experienced that is worse than anything unknowns could be.
This forum is a good example of the differences in mind set, they can't accept that people, millions of people actually life our way of life, thrive, are happy, well educated, lead exciting and full lives and are not under stress about much of anything. When I visit Scandinavia and most ofEurope, I see the same thing, people doing just fine, happy and with low stress and fear of the unknown. In almost all personal respects we in Russia and Europe are freer from the demons that seem to dominate conversation and policies in the US. Yet they insist on lecturing us and bullying to get other countries to follow their path, which just is not proving so viable after all. What makes a society create people who are so closed minded and fearful? I personally want nothing to do with it, whatever it is. While you people are arguing over what you do not know about, I am turning off the computer to get ready for a ballet and then to a club to dance the entire night and not think about how misguides Americans think we are. I will no doubt meet my good American friend at the club, he is one American who understands Russia and our culture and does not live in fear, and has a happy, great life as a result.