If you are minimalist and family oriented and live for the moment, you won't have high standards of living. This of course gets more complicated and can go into Max Weber's Protestant work ethic theories. And what can be said about Catholic countries can be said about Orthodox as well. Regardless, the emphasis on family values can lead to more fulfilling lives, but also leads to the ever prevalent nepotism and corruption that prevents such countries from advancing. Things Westerners take for granted like clean tap water are still an issue here. Having said that, I try to zoom out and look at the big picture.
Perhaps the Western world is burning the candle at both ends. Which is why I'm not a Nordic supremacist. If the hyper individualized cultures/biology of the West inevitably lead to empires collapsing, maybe the slow burn method is better. After the migrant crisis era is over and the dust is settled, which countries will still be standing? Only time will tell.
I remember being in America during the Socchi Olympics and seeing footage of p*ssy Riot being beaten. At the time, I believed my fair share of Western propaganda and thought it was such a shame Russia was so homophobic and violent. I was fairly apolitical then and only heard about it because a band (Portugal, The Man) posted a petition to free them from prison. In those days, I'd argue with my mom about legalizing gay marriage. Fast forward 8 years and now there's transgender kids and everyone on Tinder is a saposexual gender fluid. Needless to say, I've started to doubt my previous convictions"
We may cringe when we see the brutish, caveman-esque gopniks beating up drag queens. But perhaps The West could use a bit of that macho vigilantism. Everyone here knows their votes don't matter. They joke about Putin winning with 1,400% of the votes. But they accept it. The mentality seems to be a dog-eat-dog, hierarchal type here. For better or for worse. This leads to a fatalistic acceptance of ungodly corruption and income inequality. But it also keeps their society somewhat in check regardless of what the elites want. I show locals American news once in a while and they can't comprehend it whatsoever. And neither can I, really. Can you imagine a beefed up tranny [Tiffany Moore] yelling at people and getting away with it in Russia?
When debating locals, I often accuse them of being pessimists. And they often counter by pointing out my naivety, while assuring me that they are merely realists. Maybe they are. After all, I can guarantee if something like Rotherham or Cologne happened in Russia, they wouldn't wait for the right paperwork and lawyers to get justice. They would beat the living sh*t out of everyone in a 5KM radius and not bother navigating red tape like we do. The immigrants from the CIS countries know this and behave. Not to mention, the Putin dictatorship surely spies on its citizens and nabs any jihadis. They just don't let the media report on it. Speaking of which, most Russians have no clue how insane this whole Russian collusion media frenzy is. But despite what you may be thinking, it's not like North Korea, everyone can use a VPN and surf any website they want.
But the average Russian doesn't bother so the media control seems to work just fine. Guess fire walls work as well. The only time I hear my Ruski peers talk about Trump is when USA places new sanctions on Russia, kicks out some ambassadors, or in the most recent case: when Putin advised Trump about North Korean nukes. Basically, anything that makes Russia look good, and/or America like an aggressor. Smart of them in case a war breaks out between us. But of course the lack of reporting on the Russian hacking / water sport hookers conspiracy theory, could be due to the fact that it's such obvious bullshit, and that no sane news agency would try to milk it for 3 years like ours do.
The thing is, I don't want a "benevolent dictatorship" like Singapore or Russia. I want to live in a country like the Founding Fathers of America intended.
It's tough to say, though. Surely some forms of government fit certain genetic clusters better than others. But how much of this is innate?
What are the challenges of living where you are as a foreigner?
I am incredibly envious of the locals who live in ethnically homogenous countries with a sense of identity and contributing to the greater good. A janitor in Russia or a taxi driver in Japan both have great pride in their nations and being part of a community. When I first lived in Japan I tried my best to be respectful and assimilate. But no matter how hard I tried, I realized I'd always be an outsider and was actually rewarded positively when I played up the stereotypes of the American cowboy who was straight forward and flamboyant. It's pretty fun but a bizarre experience to be the token minority for once. I remember thinking the black suburban kid from my childhood who beatboxed and grew his fro out was goofy. As well as the gay kid who came out of the closet and did a 180Â º personality wise (gay lisp and limp wrist included). Welp, now I can relate" just on a much smaller scale.
Obviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that's because I'm relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.
"Oh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork."
"What!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross."
"Hmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do."
But imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.
Perhaps the Western world is burning the candle at both ends. Which is why I'm not a Nordic supremacist. If the hyper individualized cultures/biology of the West inevitably lead to empires collapsing, maybe the slow burn method is better. After the migrant crisis era is over and the dust is settled, which countries will still be standing? Only time will tell.
I remember being in America during the Socchi Olympics and seeing footage of p*ssy Riot being beaten. At the time, I believed my fair share of Western propaganda and thought it was such a shame Russia was so homophobic and violent. I was fairly apolitical then and only heard about it because a band (Portugal, The Man) posted a petition to free them from prison. In those days, I'd argue with my mom about legalizing gay marriage. Fast forward 8 years and now there's transgender kids and everyone on Tinder is a saposexual gender fluid. Needless to say, I've started to doubt my previous convictions"
We may cringe when we see the brutish, caveman-esque gopniks beating up drag queens. But perhaps The West could use a bit of that macho vigilantism. Everyone here knows their votes don't matter. They joke about Putin winning with 1,400% of the votes. But they accept it. The mentality seems to be a dog-eat-dog, hierarchal type here. For better or for worse. This leads to a fatalistic acceptance of ungodly corruption and income inequality. But it also keeps their society somewhat in check regardless of what the elites want. I show locals American news once in a while and they can't comprehend it whatsoever. And neither can I, really. Can you imagine a beefed up tranny [Tiffany Moore] yelling at people and getting away with it in Russia?
But the average Russian doesn't bother so the media control seems to work just fine. Guess fire walls work as well. The only time I hear my Ruski peers talk about Trump is when USA places new sanctions on Russia, kicks out some ambassadors, or in the most recent case: when Putin advised Trump about North Korean nukes. Basically, anything that makes Russia look good, and/or America like an aggressor. Smart of them in case a war breaks out between us. But of course the lack of reporting on the Russian hacking / water sport hookers conspiracy theory, could be due to the fact that it's such obvious bullshit, and that no sane news agency would try to milk it for 3 years like ours do.
The thing is, I don't want a "benevolent dictatorship" like Singapore or Russia. I want to live in a country like the Founding Fathers of America intended.
It's tough to say, though. Surely some forms of government fit certain genetic clusters better than others. But how much of this is innate?
What are the challenges of living where you are as a foreigner?
I am incredibly envious of the locals who live in ethnically homogenous countries with a sense of identity and contributing to the greater good. A janitor in Russia or a taxi driver in Japan both have great pride in their nations and being part of a community. When I first lived in Japan I tried my best to be respectful and assimilate. But no matter how hard I tried, I realized I'd always be an outsider and was actually rewarded positively when I played up the stereotypes of the American cowboy who was straight forward and flamboyant. It's pretty fun but a bizarre experience to be the token minority for once. I remember thinking the black suburban kid from my childhood who beatboxed and grew his fro out was goofy. As well as the gay kid who came out of the closet and did a 180Â º personality wise (gay lisp and limp wrist included). Welp, now I can relate" just on a much smaller scale.
Obviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that's because I'm relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.
"Oh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork."
"What!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross."
"Hmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do."
But imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.
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