[Arado]

(04-16-2014 09:54 PM)Akula Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 01:54 PM)ao85 Wrote:  

I lived there for two years, back in US now. He's definitely right about the fat difference and the height difference, the heels, and the ratios (though late at night they aren't that good in the clubs).

In terms of other things, I think he glosses over how crappy Russian food is, how cold it gets, how racist the people are - would love to hear him talk about getting into clubs as a non white person. Nationalism and skinhead movement are getting stronger and stronger. Also how unhappy and unfriendly the people are. Yeah, maybe a short trip isn't enough time to see the downsides of a country.

Please expand on the 'skinhead movement getting stronger and stronger.' Seems like just more western scare tactics than anything else. I did 5 years in Moscow and didn't see any skinheads there - like ever.

(04-16-2014 03:25 PM)Cunnilinguist Wrote:  

Regarding racism in Russia, id like to make a small but subtle distinction in what is usually proclaimed about the situation in Russia regarding xenophobia and such: Russians arent so much racist as they are race-aware. That is, if youre a black guy walking along the streets of Moscow, youre not gonna get beaten in with a baseball bat. But you might receive apprehensive looks and glances here and there. This is because Russians have an excellent race-radar so to speak. They are acutely aware of who is ethnically Russian and who isnt. It's a little difficult to explain as it is sort of built into the culture and Im definitely not saying real racism doesnt exist in Russia. Hope this isnt construed as apologetics or something.

The reason for this is that increasingly you have to be very careful of the new arrivals from certain areas - Chechnya, the 'stans, etc. - who have tended to prey more and more on the locals in recent years. I heard so many real stories, several first hand, when I was there. It's still safer than the big Western cities though IMO.

Hmmm, perhaps skinhead isn't the right word, but there is definitely increasing hostility towards foreigners. And I had several african friends there that were hesitant to go out at night for fear of violence. Coming from the US it's a bit of a shock to be stared at constantly, harassed by police, and denied entry to clubs consistently. For a couple of months of a trip, no biggie, but for me two years was WAY too long. I'm sure brown/black people can have fun there, but whether the hassle is worth a long term stay is a different issue. Plus the economy is tanking now anyway.