Quote Originally Posted by SAn
Why we need to love gays and negroes to live better?
Are you serious or joking here, SAn? 'Cause it's a strange question. Would answers like, "because we are all human beings, all in one boat, so treat others as you would like to be treated", ring a bell with you?

Quote Originally Posted by Johanna
Well you should judge YOUR country by YOUR standards, right?
If Russians begin to have a problem with any of this, then it's a problem; if not - whoever made that comment should mind his/her own business! Personally I have not noticed that Russians are particularly conservative or intolerant.
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All those things that are referred to as lacking in Russia are part of the concept known as "political correctness" (PC) in English.
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Why would / should you have the same view on things as someone from Holland or Canada etc? And what right has anyone to critisise your viewpoint? You are not forcing it on anyone else, and those who don't enjoy living in Russia can leave and live somewhere else... So what's this persons problem?
Rrrright. I just realized this thread pretty much reiterates Croc's "Политкорректность или политкорявость"... Sorry, Crocodile-ji.

Regarding the right to criticize... or absence thereof... It's a valid point but the attitude "моя хата с краю, ничего не знаю" is never going to work now. The international community, the EU officials/observers are always worried now about what's going on in all parts of the world, be it the arrest of generals in Turkey or military coup in some African country; and anxious to promote democracy, impose Western values, equal rights for men and women and so on.

As I said, I wouldn't worry if it wasn't just one person voicing this opinion about Russia but it seems to come up quite often so that's why I got curious if it has any foundation.

All right, when in doubt, go to Wikipedia (yes, yes, I know it's notoriously unreliable):

Racism
Racism in Russia
Racism in Europe

In May 2006, Amnesty International reported that racially motivated killings in Russia were "out of control" and that at least 28 people were killed in 2005.[1]In 2006, Amnesty International registered 252 victims of racist crimes, of which 21 died. In February 2007, President Vladimir Putin asked the Federal Security Service to combat racism,[2] but hate crimes still increased. From January 1 to July 31, 2007, Amnesty International registered 310 victims of neo-Nazi and racist crimes in Russia; 37 of those victims died as a result of attacks. Amnesty International criticize Russian police for not doing enough to combat racist crimes, and for often ignoring reports from civilians about threats and crimes.[3] According to the Moscow Human Rights Bureau, from January to March, 2008, 49 people were killed in assaults by radical nationalists, 28 of them in the greater Moscow area, and an estimated 118 people in total were killed in the whole of 2008. However, it is worth noting that the Moscow Human Rights Bureau focuses almost exclusively on victims of ethnic minority backgrounds, therefore a number of racist attacks on ethnic Russians may go unreported.

The number of Russian neo-Nazis is estimated at around 85,000, "half of the world's total", according to western news agencies.[4][5]. The director of the Human Rights Bureau, Alexander Brod, stated that surveys show xenophobia and other racist expressions are prevalent in 50 percent of Russians.[6]
Bleak outlook, ain't it?