Thread: To Be A Russian

Interesting article:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...f=opinion&_r=1

Opinions?

Scott

Using Stalin, Chechnya and immigration in one article shows that the author still looks on Russia through propaganda glasses, just a thought.
Nice pictures, though.

Originally Posted by hddscan

Using Stalin, Chechnya and immigration in one article shows that the author still looks on Russia through propaganda glasses, just a thought.
Nice pictures, though.

The first word from your list wasn't even used by the author, but by a Russian herself. I think such visual censoring you performed only strengthens up the propaganda against your country, but that's I guess quite the opposite to what you'd want?...

Hey, I know lots of Russians who, if asked about America, would go like, "burgers, bubble gum, gangsters"; no one says "you propagandist f***er" to them, though, and everyone's happy the way they are.

Originally Posted by fortheether

Interesting article:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...f=opinion&_r=1

Opinions?

Scott

I liked the idea that quite a few people repeated, that you can be a patriot without submitting to what the government that happens to be in the office tells you. As long as there are people who really believe that, and live like that, a country's not doomed to failure.

Originally Posted by Eric C.

The first word from your list wasn't even used by the author, but by a Russian herself.

Well, sure, it can be just a coincidence and that woman decided to talk about Stalin on her own and it wouldn't seem strange to a Westerner.
However it does look strange to a Russian, because frankly, I've never heard any Russian bringing up Stalin name in a casual discussion, unless answering a question specifically asked about Stalin. Perhaps that was one of such occasions and the question was omitted in the article as "not important"

And I don't think using Stalin, Chechnya and immigration in one article is merely a coincidence, and that's what Westerners want to hear about Russia, because it fits in the scope of public knowledge. The author just missing ballet and literature here, or maybe it was edited out

Originally Posted by Eric C.

I liked the idea that quite a few people repeated, that you can be a patriot without submitting to what the government that happens to be in the office tells you. As long as there are people who really believe that, and live like that, a country's not doomed to failure.

Ну, ты прям открыл Америку Никогда не задумывался, почему говорят именно "патриот своей страны", а не "патриот государства"? Хотя читая статью, становится понятно, что такое мышление чуждо по крайней мере автору статьи

Originally Posted by Eric C.

I think such visual censoring you performed only strengthens up the propaganda against your country

У меня аж жир с монитора потёк от таких высокологичных слов

Originally Posted by Eric C.

Hey, I know lots of Russians who, if asked about America, would go like, "burgers, bubble gum, gangsters"; no one says "you propagandist f***er" to them, though, and everyone's happy the way they are.

Yes and I would be fine with that
I would be fine with Space station, Kremlin and Perestroyka, perhaps

How would you like if the US would be pictured as: Vietnam, Iraq and the Trail of Tears?

Originally Posted by hddscan

Using Stalin, Chechnya and immigration in one article shows that the author still looks on Russia through propaganda glasses, just a thought.
Nice pictures, though.

He wants (or was asked) to present it suitable for a certain kind of glasses, i.e. all those cliches and stereotypes.

A very biased article. All the photos are black-and-white, no smiling faces, no sun, 2 of 16 persons are said to be homeless - this picture isn't even near to what I see in my everyday life in Russia.

Originally Posted by SergeMak

A very biased article. All the photos are black-and-white, no smiling faces, no sun, 2 of 16 persons are said to be homeless - this picture isn't even near to what I see in my everyday life in Russia.

Agreed.
The article is a good example of the manipulation of consciousness. No matter what the article really is about, a reader gets the subconscious messages: "black-and-white photos of old houses and blocks", "homeless people and losers", "old ugly-looking men and women", "migrants from Tajikistan" and so on.
Especially, that weird head in a cylinder hat lying on a fridge... There is something infernal in it.

a retired nurse who was born in Ukraine, in Kaliningrad

Originally Posted by lodka

a retired nurse who was born in Ukraine, in Kaliningrad

ААААААА!!!!!

Originally Posted by fortheether

Interesting article:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...f=opinion&_r=1

Opinions?

Scott

A rather sophisticated and artsy piece of propaganda, that attempts to be sympathetic.

Probably very efficient at achieving exactly what was consciously or unconsciously intended, among its target audience.

I haven't visited rural Russia so I can't comment on the living conditions there, and how representative the photographs are of everyday life in Russia.
But I've seen enough Russian TV recently to know that cities are renovated, well maintained, modern and that most people live in modern flats.

But I know I could go to the USA and find people that look exactly like those in these pictures, with similar living conditions, take some artsy black/white shots and use a word processor to make some minor changes so it looks like the article is about the USA.

Kaliningrad, Ukraine, what can you say to that? A telling mistake.
Boston, Canada? San Diego, Mexico...

I couldn't even look the whole article. It looked biased from the start. Full with old people in black-white enviroment, all of them looking tired and sad and kinda ugly. The migrant who said that he wouldn't emigrate in Russia. Sorry, but this is not the real Russia and this article is bad, biased and I can't classify it as quality journalism.

Ваши комментарии напоминают мне великого литературного и театрального критика товарища Огурцова.

А чёрно-белые фотографии запретить! Потому что нетипично.

In my opinion the NY Times is a useless rag, the only reason I saw that article was that it was on my Zite page.

Scott

Originally Posted by niko89

I couldn't even look the whole article. It looked biased from the start. Full with old people in black-white enviroment, all of them looking tired and sad and kinda ugly. The migrant who said that he wouldn't emigrate in Russia. Sorry, but this is not the real Russia and this article is bad, biased and I can't classify it as quality journalism.

Kaliningrad Ukraine? Who did the geography for that article, CNN? I mean, they think Ukraine is in Pakistan, Slavyansk is in Crimea, Hong Kong China is somewhere in South America, and New York city is somewhere in Boston!
They have so much news only they don't know where it came from!

I've seen tons of pictures of American cities that look that bad and even worse. So when are they gonna do an article called "To be an American"? They could shoot films of gang warfare in almost any American city then ask them if they did anything patriotic.

Okay. Now we know that the author interviewed more than 130 Russians and only liked 15 of the responses - almost totally from the ghettos of large cities. And the questions were highly politicized.
1. Did anything patriotic?
2. Love of the "Motherland" = Love of the government... February 23 is Defenders of the Fatherland Day. When was it changed to "Motherland"?
3. Yeltsin's political term "Rossiyanin" and not "ethnic Russian"? - The author's a Yeltsin supporter?
4. Chechnya welcomes migrants but not Russians? - Is the author saying that Chechens are better than Russians because they are more like Americans?

But don't forget, the New York Times will force any editor or journalist to resign if they don't back the Official US foreign policy. They do not allow any articles that may be favorable to Russia. That happened to an editor very recently.
It's "Agree with the US government or lose your job" so maybe they just wanted to keep their job... In America it's called "Freedom of the Press".

Anyway, Stalin and Chechnya and immigration were in the article together because that's what the author wanted in the article. Like when the New York Times wanted a Russian in the article that was seen in Russia and Ukraine. They just put the pictures in the same article and said that one picture was from Russia. Yeah, they had to retract it but the New York Times is very experienced in creating illusions... for the government.

I wonder how different it would look if real Russians made an article about "To be a Russian". That would be worth reading.

Vera, a retired nurse who was born in Ukraine, in Kaliningrad

If you look to other photos notes, they all have "in <city\region>" in the end, and it says where the person lives and where photo was shot. So, the line should be read as "Vera, who was born in Ukraine and lives in Kaliningrad now".

To be a Russian part II:
Жизнь сибирских бандитов глазами американца | Fresher - Лучшее из

Originally Posted by Antonio1986

To be a Russian part II:
Жизнь сибирских бандитов глазами американца | Fresher - Лучшее из

АААА!! Отличные кадры!