# Forum About Russia Society  Cronyism and nepotism

## alexsms

I don't know if this has been discussed or not. But I'd like to discuss nepotism and cronyism. It seems to me it's become so common in Russia. Sometimes it looks so disgusting when some relatives-in-charge take other unqualified and unprofessional relatives to work. I heard that in US, for example, the general attitude toward nepotism at work is very negative. What do you think?

----------


## fortheether

> I don't know if this has been discussed or not. But I'd like to discuss nepotism and cronyism. It seems to me it's become so common in Russia. Sometimes it looks so disgusting when some relatives-in-charge take other unqualified and unprofessional relatives to work. I heard that in US, for example, the general attitude toward nepotism at work is very negative. What do you think?

 In the USA it can vary - there are businesses that look the other way regarding nepotism and there are businesses that are strict in prohibiting it.  I would think that the bigger the company is the less nepotism there is.   
Scott

----------


## kidkboom

> I don't know if this has been discussed or not. But I'd like to discuss nepotism and cronyism. It seems to me it's become so common in Russia. Sometimes it looks so disgusting when some relatives-in-charge take other unqualified and unprofessional relatives to work. I heard that in US, for example, the general attitude toward nepotism at work is very negative. What do you think?

 It's a heated issue with the industry I'm in - hospitality, the hotel business.. ([Companies like]) mine historically dislike([s]) nepotism, founded in the mid-50's spirit of 'american hard work' or what have you (not making a political statement there at all, just a callback to that time/mindset).. The function of the company was to network with other hotels, share a common name that denotes quality to the consumer, and increase revenue by networking... obviously networking can lead to cronyism but in spirit they weren't the same thing.. but, over 50 years a lot of the investors that put their money into hotels were from india, where nepotism is heavily practiced and even revered in some senses... there was always a conflict between a us side that disliked nepotism and an indian side that preferred it.. and that's kind of where it stands today. still a lot of nepotism in the hotel industry, but on the whole I think american workers look down on this... we like to think people get their jobs based on their skills and qualifications.. 
.. although to some degree a lot of what gets really done in america gets done by cronyism - logrolling tactics.. we examine peoples' skills in job interviews, but I've personally seen in all the places I've worked in the past (not only hospitality) jobs get placed based on "someone knowing someone" .. (then I've read that DNA quality - genetic balance communicated by equidistance of facial and body features - actually makes the final decision on job interviews, far more than does qualifications and skills.. though i suppose that's beside the point.. ) 
Sorry for the ramble - a succinct answer is I think the majority of us don't like it, don't like seeing it (as opposed to a system where the most dedicated and qualified individual has the best shot), but that it happens quite a bit.. however it still happens much LESS here, I'd imagine, than in places in Europe where it's not looked down upon as much.. When I talked to Danish expatriates about moving to Denmark (which I considered for a while), they told me I would simply have to get in good with someone to get any kind of a job, because jobs are not handed away to people who aren't already known - family, friends of family - according to what they said, a lot of expats get their jobs through people they are dating or related to .. Sounds like cronysim/nepotism to me (but I can't be sure I was given a fair description of affairs and not just the sour grapes of a few unhappy expats.. these folks did not opine uncontested) 
I hope Hanna weighs in on this or anyone with UK experience.. I'm curious about how they (uk) view it, because a) they have a lot of indo-euro culture that we have less of here, and b) because being on an island with no development-ready land, i wonder if nepotism has been relied upon a lot more heavily.. a good sociological question to waste my day wondering about, haha =)

----------


## heartfelty

Americans dictate their sons to start from the bottom but only scrupulous ones. But overall, most americans scrupulously dictate that their sons and daughters get a job when they reach university. Sometimes rebellious children are kicked out of the house at 17. The most critical Filipino communists who slander America, spoil their children even if they commit crimes, they bail them out of jail. But American capitalists don't do that. They are left on their own. They should know.

----------


## heartfelty

"In 1722 Peter the Great passed a law of succession which disregarded the principle of hereditary seniority and proclaimed instead that the sovereign could appoint his successor. Once more position was to be determined by merit! But the emperor never used his new law."- A History of Russia, Nicholas V. Riasanovsky

----------


## Valda

> I don't know if this has been discussed or not. But I'd like to discuss nepotism and cronyism. It seems to me it's become so common in Russia. Sometimes it looks so disgusting when some relatives-in-charge take other unqualified and unprofessional relatives to work. I heard that in US, for example, the general attitude toward nepotism at work is very negative. What do you think?

 если бы ты был полисменом, а ты остановишь кто-нибудь за езду на большой скорости... предположим что потом ты обнаруживаешь что водитель это твой брат или племянник... Он будет получаться штраф?

----------


## alexsms

> если бы ты был полисменом, а ты остановишь кто-нибудь за езду на большой скорости... предположим что потом ты обнаруживаешь что водитель это твой брат или племянник... Он будет получаться штраф?

  No, they would never be fined here in Russia. Их никто никогда не оштрафует (если это брат или племянник)... Они только посмеются и поговорят, и всё....

----------


## Valda

> No, they would never be fined here in Russia. Их никто никогда не оштрафует (если это брат или племянник)... Они только посмеются и поговорят, и всё....

 От этого, до кумовство, кажется не далекое расстояние.

----------


## mishau_

-  Новости NEWSru.com :: В Белгороде к памятнику гаишнику, оштрафовавшему свою жену, пришел поклониться глава МВД, засекретивший ДТП со своей супругой

----------

