What are Russians really like?

Former Observer · 02-07-2019 09:26AM

I've lived in Russia twice. St Petersburg and Moscow. Did plenty of travelling and knew plenty of Russians. Beautiful cities and beautiful countryside and people can be very kind.

Russians can be a little dour but that's part of the charm. If you want to spend your life hanging around people who are just like us then you shouldn't travel. I've found them to be more cultured in general than us. Many Russians have a keener sense of literature and classical music than what I'm used to over here.

Particularly in rural areas life can be very hard and the drinking culture makes what we get up to over here look like amateur hour. Both the men and women over there tend to have very strict conceptions of gender roles, and men are expected to approach women etc. Very traditional in that respect. Women get married young. The women are absolutely stunning over there. Women who are considered to be less good looking can be turned away from nightclubs etc.

St Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Moscow is much less charming but if you know what to look for it can be very rewarding. Moscow can feel pretty rough, especially when you travel out of the city centre. Subways are astonishingly beautiful. It's a whole different world to Ireland, much grander, lots of palaces, lots of sports cars, lots of abject poverty.

Tasfasdf · 02-07-2019 09:30AM

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Highly intelligent. Highly socially and emotionally intelligent.

Great sense of humour.

Open friendly they will come up and shake your hand etc.

They can be naive.

Russians accept life challenges stoically, and with resignation. They can bear anything.

Not a great work ethic though.

There is a slight case of this and it is an attitude that pervades Russian politics business etc maybe a bit beyond.
Amorality: we were given one moral code in Soviet times. Now we’re being given exactly the opposite moral code. Neither is worth believing in. There is a lot of mess in Russia still.

They have a lot of self respect. Pride.

This is really noticeable though.
I found them very empathetic on a really personal level. I mean really personal sometimes within a little while of meeting me. I mean they owed me nothing I was a stranger.

A lot of former soviet countries will have an innate sense of do or do not say this. But it gets no more nuanced than that.

Russia on the other hand I find people do 'say it this way'.

You sound like a guy who play alot of video games, seriously

Deebles McBeebles · 02-07-2019 09:30AM

Alarming amount of racism.

02-07-2019 11:26AM

Enormous alcohol problems. The reality is arguably worse than the stereotype. I was reading years ago of entire villages of widows because the guys drank themselves to death before they were 50. Fascinating article here, albeit from 2014:

Vodka blamed for high death rates in Russia

The high number of early deaths in Russia is mainly due to people drinking too much alcohol, particularly vodka, research suggests.

The study, in The Lancet, says 25% of Russian men die before they are 55, and most of the deaths are down to alcohol. The comparable UK figure is 7%.

Causes of death include liver disease and alcohol poisoning. Many also die in accidents or after getting into fights.

The study is thought to be the largest of its kind in the country.

Researchers from the Russian Cancer Centre in Moscow, Oxford University in the UK and the World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer, in France, tracked the drinking patterns of 151,000 adults in three Russian cities over up to 10 years.

In 2018 a Russian government minister claimed alcohol consumption has falled by 80%. However, when this claim was analysed:

Russians on average drank the equivalent of 6.6 litres of pure alcohol last year, according to Rosstat, which said this included:

6.6 litres of vodka and spirits
57 litres of beer
7.3 litres of wine, sparkling wine and champagne

The figure from the WHO for the same period is more than double the Rosstat one, at 13.9 litres of pure alcohol per person in 2016.

Part of that is because the WHO figure is divided by the population over the age of 15, not the total population.

Professor Yakovlev says the difference is also due to alcohol that doesn't come under the official statistics, such as moonshine, counterfeit alcohol and even non-consumable products containing alcohol, such as bathroom products and eau de cologne... (Reality Check: Has Russian alcohol consumption fallen 80%?)

Marty Xavier · 02-07-2019 02:11PM

Nigel Short said about Russians when playing against Garry Kasparov for the World Chess campionships years ago.
-a Russian would gladly shake your hand and **** your wife but God help you if you ****ed theirs.

purplepanda · 02-07-2019 04:52PM

corner of hells wrote: »

My neighbour is Russian, he just cant get his head around hurling, he goes up to the GAA club , watches the senior games, has a few Guinness, watches hurling on TV even understands the rules but keeps asking why would anyone want to play hurling.
Nice bloke too , my dog likes him too.

Bandy, sometimes called Russian Hockey is a popular sport in Russia. A bit like Hurling on ice! :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIl9B_L9y6I

Reviews and Books Galore · 02-07-2019 05:26PM

spurious wrote: »

I think the Russians remind the Latvians that they backed the wrong horse in the last war. Amazing how Independent Latvia gets away (within the EU) with how they treat some of their people (even if they like to call them aliens).

My partner is Russian born in the old Latvian SSR, voted for independence and then got stiffed by the Latvians by not being given citizenship of the new Latvia. She has since got Irish citizenship, so no more Stateless/Refugee category on Ryanair.

Once thing I have noticed about many Russian women is, they speak to other women in a normal tone of voice, but when a man enters the conversation their voices change to this really annoying high pitched almost aggressive tone. It's very odd.

Yeah, a few of the Slavs do that. I get a free pass as I am foreign, but goodness gracious they can treat their men horribly.

Ironically, the Ukranian women (who are not Russian) are actually quite similar to Irish women in some ways. Also, they are the ones who work outside the house and the man stats hone and minds the kids, apparently.

02-07-2019 05:39PM

I know one Russian, he's a very clever and kind person and a great friend and I'm lucky enough to work with him regularly. He's got a proverb for everything and most of them don't make sense when translated, but it doesn't stop him. You just can't fill a bucket with two holes.

From that small sample size I will extrapolate that all Russians are a great bunch of lads.

paleoperson · 02-07-2019 09:51PM

First of all, as a principle looking on at people's reactions to something is both unethical and unfair. No matter what happens in that situation they are never the fool, you are the fool looking on like a coward in the dark.

Putting stickers on someone's car is not nice. If they're parked illegally then they're taking that risk of government penalty. I have looked it up (link below) and seems like they're doing a lot of different things about alleged bad driving.

I like Putin and was surprised someone claimed he supported this. So I did some digging and it turns out no he doesn't at all. Not in the slightest. Not sure where you got that idea, at best he tolerated them for a while before trying to shut them all down.

https://www.rferl.org/a/moscow-court-orders-bad-driving-activist-group-closed----again/29502874.html

What government would support that? Don't know how you thought Putin supported or allowed it in any way, nice getting your facts all wrong op.

Church on Tuesday · 02-07-2019 10:04PM

Kinda like a mix of Dr. Zhivago and Stalingrad (1993) I'd imagine.

ILoveYourVibes · 03-07-2019 01:39AM

This is Russia.

Cup Of Beans? · 03-07-2019 01:41AM

Their women are insanely hot.

Gimme A Pound · 03-07-2019 01:51AM

Former Observer wrote: »

Women who are considered to be less good looking can be turned away from nightclubs etc.

Bit of a misogynistic undertone in places all right I'd say, but plenty more to them no doubt, and a fascinating place/culture I reckon.

ILoveYourVibes · 03-07-2019 01:53AM

Cup Of Beans? wrote: »

Their women are insanely hot.

yup

Pauliedragon · 03-07-2019 10:31AM

I wouldn't tar them all with the same brush.
https://www.thesun.ie/news/4284775/man-33-left-covered-in-toxic-tar-after-falling-into-pool-in-remote-russia/

jimgoose · 03-07-2019 10:43AM

They must break you.

Reviews and Books Galore · 03-07-2019 11:28AM

Cup Of Beans? wrote: »

Their women are insanely hot.

I like Irish women better. More than any other tbh.

Saint_Mel · 03-07-2019 11:58AM

mikemac2 wrote: »

I knew someone from Ukraine who got mighty insulted if you called them Ukrainian. No they were Russian

Maybe like a nationalist from Derry I suppose *shrug*

Worked with a guy from Belerus who considered himself Russian too.

Nikki Sixx · 03-07-2019 12:00PM

Reviews and Books Galore wrote: »

I like Irish women better. More than any other tbh.

Ah go away would you. Russian women would leave them for dust in the looks department.

Deebles McBeebles · 03-07-2019 12:01PM

Saint_Mel wrote: »

Worked with a guy from Belerus who considered himself Russian too.

Lithuania too. Its like Irish people calling themselves English.

spurious · 03-07-2019 12:08PM

Fritzbox wrote: »

How can you say Latvia backed the wrong horse during the war - the country remained neutral until it was occupied by the USSR in 1940. If there was any country which backed the wrong horse it was the Soviet Union - Nazi Germany's main ally right up to the 22nd of June 1941...

Their greeting of the Nazi troops in 1941 when by then people knew what the Nazis were was a bit suspect.
Anyway, they appear to be working on writing the Soviet period out. So much so that at the anniversary of the liberation of Salaspils concentration camp (by the Red Army) there was not one mention that it was Soviet troops did it. It's like 1984.

rgmmg · 03-07-2019 01:11PM

Marty Xavier wrote: »

Nigel Short said about Russians when playing against Garry Kasparov for the World Chess campionships years ago.
-a Russian would gladly shake your hand and **** your wife but God help you if you ****ed theirs.

How did Kasparov react to that? "Czech mate"?

Wibbs · 03-07-2019 01:37PM

Nikki Sixx wrote: »

Ah go away would you. Russian women would leave them for dust in the looks department.

Some Russian women. The average like anywhere else is about the same, they do seem to have more at the top end of looks mind you, and more at the bottom end. They would be thinner overall, though being fat is more a western European thing. At least in young people. It evens out in middle age. France being the odd one out where people are more likely to stay the same general weight through life.

Deebles McBeebles · 03-07-2019 01:50PM

Nikki Sixx wrote: »

Ah go away would you. Russian women would leave them for dust in the looks department.

Ever see one over 40? Steep slope is all I'm saying.

Dr. Bre · 03-07-2019 01:51PM

In a way we are all Russian...

Wibbs · 03-07-2019 02:04PM

Deebles McBeebles wrote: »

Ever see one over 40? Steep slope is all I'm saying.

Yep, quite a few actually, and nope. Not nearly to the degree some like to think. The Russian(and Ukrainian) women I know are in the majority of cases well above the average in ageing well. I've heard the same of French, Spanish, Italian women too. "oh she might be pretty now but wait until she turns into an old granny by[insert age here]". Always struck me as a mix between sour grapes, envy and wish fulfilment tbh. Similar to the other one of "looks fade" stuff. Sure they do, but if you're a munter with a potato head at 20 you'll still be a munter with a potato head at 50 and if you're good looking at 20 chances are you're still going to be above the average at 50.

Deebles McBeebles · 03-07-2019 02:07PM

Wibbs wrote: »

Yep, quite a few actually, and nope. Not nearly to the degree some like to think. The Russian(and Ukrainian) women I know are in the majority of cases well above the average in ageing well. I've heard the same of French, Spanish, Italian women too. "oh she might be pretty now but wait until she turns into an old granny by[insert age here]". Always struck me as a mix between sour grapes, envy and wish fulfilment tbh. Similar to the other one of "looks fade" stuff. Sure they do, but if you're a munter with a potato head at 20 you'll still be a munter with a potato head at 50 and if you're good looking at 20 chances are you're still going to be above the average at 50.

I can assure you my opinion is based on what I've seen over the years, certainly not on envy! Some gorgeous girls who quickly turned into the image of their mother.

40 was probably a bit high tbh, more like 30.

lawred2 · 03-07-2019 02:07PM

They are grand. Same as everyone else.

stratowide · 03-07-2019 02:12PM

"Pretend you're Russian,just say niet in a stern voice and they'll leave you alone"

Best advice I was given when backpacking around Vietnam a few years ago.

Bobblehats · 03-07-2019 02:16PM

One thing about Russian women is they must have the classiest accent in the world. A lot of them have great cheekbones too which could well be due to being in close proximity with the far east; across the eyes too I get that about them

Just the essence of extraction without being overwhelmingly obvious whilst still on the face of it white.... subtle; with just a hint of wherever probably due to a very slight gradual straining of the proverbial beans drip filtered over a fairly long duration of time. Can’t deny I’m a connoisseur of that particular flavour

What are Russians really like?

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