Thread: So what are you Russians really like??

Originally Posted by Misha Tal

They're not "violent". They're not "rude". They're just "honest". Perhaps a bit too honest, though. Imagine an Englishman who doesn't like you: he'll politely desist from talking to you. A Russian, on the other hand, won't hesitate: he'll tell you what he thinks of you right in your face. Naturally, a fight is likely to ensue. And they seem to love this behavior, too. They consider it "sincere", and expect others to be just as sincere. Many Russians can't stand that kind of dry Western-style tactfulness.

This is one more stereotype, though more thorough. Many Russians like this stereotype and there is "a grain of truth in it" as always. But in fact these tendencies are not polar: there is a long cultural staircase of sincerity vs politeness. I remember young Tajiks in Dushanbe, they were more sincere and less polite than Russian-spoken people. And maybe, let us say, Japanese are more polite and less sincere than "Western" standard implies, idunno.