Quote Originally Posted by edvalais View Post
Ask yourself another question: why does no Russian on this site openly, directly criticise Russia? To what extent does auto-censorship play a role here? The same dark forces which inhibit open debate here were, again in my opinion, at play in 1930s Germany. смутные времена!!!
Ed, I think you are sitting on some rather high horses here....!

Are you saying they are some kind of brainwashed people who can't or won't think for themselves?
What "dark forces" are you referring to, exactly? That's like saying Homeland Security came will come and get UhOhXplode and Deborski because they sometimes diss the USA. About as likely I would say. Or less, actually.

I don't think you used this site very long. Many Russians here are extremely critical of many things. Some people here are completely anti-establishment, in Russia and in general. Another thing is, there is a time and place to dish out the worst dirt on your country, and maybe it's in a forum for language learners. Have you checked Livejournal, the Russian sector?

Another thing to consider is that Putin actually has the majority's support, more or less, in Russia. So statistically most Russians here ought to more or less tolerate him. It's also the issue how you represent your country to strangers. Maybe you don't start with serving up all the dirt to begin with. The site is for people who want to learn about Russia.
Most of us already know the negatives, from media.