I speak Russian and lived in Moscow from 2004 to 2007.
Most Russians that I knew personally were nice. I liked most of my flatmates, really liked my coworkers, and I don't think I'll ever have a better boss than the one I had there. Their work/life balance is much more sane than in the US.
Their bureaucracy is really really bad. I once was denied an apostille for a Russian college diploma because it was signed in blue ink, not black ink. That "error" resulted in another 6 months of waiting and endless trips to the college and the &#@%^ Ministry of Education, as I refused to partake in bribery.
I've heard that the Russia today has more bureaucrats than the Soviet Union did, which had twice the population and a planned economy. Way to go Putin!
All but one of the TV stations were conservative, and they competed to see who could suck up to the Kremlin the most. Critical stories on local or regional matters were allowed, but I don't think I ever saw anything critical of Putin himself.
I don't like Putin, and I don't like what he's done to Russia. I'm a democrat, and am against the rule of the one "official" party, the Putin-jugend (which is not to be taken too seriously, but is absurd and is indicative of Putin's cult of personality), and the ever greater concentration of power in the presidency. Some Russians would make the case that Russia first needs stability before it can become truly democratic. I can see where they're coming from, but good luck getting the power back then.
OTOH, most Russians honestly do love Putin. He would be reelected even without the TV media doing everything in its power to ensure that result.
It sometimes seemed to me that for Russians, world history ended in 1945. They don't really understand why Eastern Europe is so pissed off at the them. I think this is reflected in the media as well. There were documentaries and dramas about the many domestic crimes of the Soviet Union, but I never saw anything about what it did to other countries.
If my country had been murdering its own citizens wholesale less than 60 years ago, I don't know how I could live here, but apparently for Russians it's no big deal. Maybe that's how it is everywhere, though - I got something of the same feeling during my short time in Cambodia.
I never had any problems in Russia stemming from my being American or a Westerner. But Russians are still suspicious of Western governments, both the EU and the US. In Russia the Cold War continues on, albeit in a much diminished form. They miss being a superpower, and this drives their foreign policy.
Anyway, sorry for the rambling post.
And boy, could I go for a shaurma now! (I know, not ethnic Russian food, but they were my main form of sustenance for years there, and I miss them dearly.)
|