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They've got a lot of potential. The problem is that they keep wasting their time blaming the west for x,y and z reasons. It also doesn't help that their current president thinks he's some sort of Messiah who will save them from degeneracy.
I don't know about Canada but here in the states our "progressive" ways are not doing us much good. Here it's all about "rights" but you never hear a word about responsibility. It's costing us dearly all across the board. We attack foreign countries but never seem to win in the end and no one is ever held accountable. 17 years in Afghanistan and where are we? Do we even remember why we went there?
Want to talk about families here in America? Moms and dads and kids? You know what i'm talking about? Family? It's not Mom, dad any more it single moms struggling on wefare and daddy (if he's even in the picture) struggling to pay child support and living in poverty. Kids? If they're lucky they'll end up in debt for life for an education and a second rate one at that. Our country can't even produce the minds needed by Google and Microsoft so they have to import people capable of doing it. Our schools are a joke, teachers are abused and disrespected.
Is it any better in Russia? In ways much better, in ways not. You have to have standards or your society will rot around you and it doesn't hurt to try to set them high.
Russians marched along this way in the 90's. That's enough.
I see the brainwashing is strong here. I give Putin a lot of credit for being able to convince people that joining the EU would bring back the 90s. Its not easy for an autocrat to achieve this in the current age without going to war against people inside the country.
I understand Russia's history and need to be anti-western. But I'll never understand how it's still a 2nd world country. I get the corruption part, but you would think that a country like Russia would try to become 1st world as another "haha we did it" to the west. I guess when you have a bunch of nukes it really doesn't matter.
No country can achieve first world status without having a liberal democracy. Only a few extreme examples of oil rich kingdoms have made it close. For China, Russia etc it will never happen without a competitive accountable government. Sure they can clean up the big cities and even grow the economy but will never catch up to the 1st world. Corruption is one of the results of autocracy, but they are not mutually exclusive. This is exactly what Putin and Xi don't want their people to understand, so you can't blame your average Russian for attacking this concept. its what they are taught...Putin has shown he will literally go to war to prevent this idea from spreading.
I see the brainwashing is strong here. I give Putin a lot of credit for being able to convince people that joining the EU would bring back the 90s. Its not easy for an autocrat to achieve this in the current age without going to war against people inside the country.
Question is a status of joining. Can we be mutually beneficial partners? What are the terms of joining? Trying to be partners in the 90's did not end well for Russia. What do you want after this?
I don't know about Canada but here in the states our "progressive" ways are not doing us much good. Here it's all about "rights" but you never hear a word about responsibility. It's costing us dearly all across the board. We attack foreign countries but never seem to win in the end and no one is ever held accountable. 17 years in Afghanistan and where are we? Do we even remember why we went there?
Want to talk about families here in America? Moms and dads and kids? You know what i'm talking about? Family? It's not Mom, dad any more it single moms struggling on wefare and daddy (if he's even in the picture) struggling to pay child support and living in poverty. Kids? If they're lucky they'll end up in debt for life for an education and a second rate one at that. Our country can't even produce the minds needed by Google and Microsoft so they have to import people capable of doing it. Our schools are a joke, teachers are abused and disrespected.
Is it any better in Russia? In ways much better, in ways not. You have to have standards or your society will rot around you and it doesn't hurt to try to set them high.
I think it's a matter of time. The fact that someone like Sanders was able to get that far attests to it. It may take a while, but the country is going to become more progressive on a number of social issues. Hopefully, minimum wage will increase in the near future. Last I heard New York State increased theirs.
The education system is in need of reforms, though I would avoid following in Asia's footsteps. Most Asian countries employ a rigorous system that emphasizes memorization over critical thinking. Math, although vital, should not become the only path to success. There's no simple solution, though I believe improving public schools is a start. The biggest problem facing many youths is that they are trapped in a cycle of poverty if they come from lower income families.
Where America still shines is in drawing in new talent. The country has a great entrepreneurial spirit that lends itself well to business. There's a reason why so many people are still trying to get in.
Question is a status of joining. Can we be mutually beneficial partners? What are the terms of joining? Trying to be partners in the 90's did not end well for Russia. What do you want after this?
The terms of joining would mean having an accountable government over time. This is why Ukrainians pushed for it, they wanted the same thing people in Poland got. Everyone wins when you have this system, except for the corrupt elites.
The terms of joining would mean having an accountable government over time. This is why Ukrainians pushed for it, they wanted the same thing people in Poland got. Everyone wins when you have this system, except for the corrupt elites.
If having an accountable government is a requirement then I would think my country is out. No politician in America is accountable to anyone other than who finances their election campaigns.
Once again, Russians seem to be content with what they have and no one has anything more to offer at the moment so why don't we in the west try minding our own business for once.
If having an accountable government is a requirement then I would think my country is out. No politician in America is accountable to anyone other than who finances their election campaigns.
Once again, Russians seem to be content with what they have and no one has anything more to offer at the moment so why don't we in the west try minding our own business for once.
Uh, sure, the same people always win elections in the USA
Fine with me if they are content with being poor, I was addressing why they are not 1st world. It starts with the governance.
Considering the challenges Russia and Russians face in every aspect of life and living they are certainly exceptional. America is great for many reasons and it's not necessarily due to it's government and people. In 1492 the New World was discovered. A good climate and abundant resources easily accessible while only sparesly populated by people barely able to defend themselves against Europeans. On top of that a place easily defended that you could strike others from in security.
Russia had few of these things. They have resources but they're hard to get out of the ground, They have vast lands that to this day are largely uninhabited. Climate is another challenge, a lot of their lands are practically uninhabitable by large numbers of people. There's the aspect of war too. Russia is vulnerable to being attacked. Russia doesn't have 2 oceans to protect it.
Maybe from the perspective of some westerner whom has never stepped foot in Russia (or anywhere else) or only dipped their toe into what Russia is culturally and materially it might seem the be less or 2nd world. People who know the history and have been around it a few times would probably disagree.
I certainly do. Russia is tough to put a finger on, it's not the western world. It's old, rich, primitive, civilized, vast and constrained all in one. Russia is a hard place, it's not easy there. Russians are tough, resilient people worthy of the utmost respect. Russia may not have that shallow, superficial "look" of 1st world like you find in the west but they have a 1st world class all their own.
I agree...as Churchill said it, Russia "is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma"
Not many people understand it, even these that are supposedly Russian experts in the west....I'm currently approaching Russian culture and history in a very humble way, wanting to learn as much as possible.....so far I figured out that trying to figure out Russia from westerners that do not live there is a fool's errand even when they claim they know about Russia.
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