Russophobia, Again…!
OK….the Russians feel that the western press/media give them an unfavorable slant in the reporting that they do about anything dealing Russia, the former Soviet Union, etc. It has been my own experience that most Americans do indeed look askance at anything Russian. Please notice that I said, MOST, not all. I get asked many questions about my work & travel in the former Soviet Union that provoke very biased & negative responses. What the majority of the people here in the USA do not realize is that we were spoon-fed a load of propaganda that was about 10% truth & 90% crap! We were taught to hate Russia & Russians, to fear them & to be skeptical of anything good that came from that part of the world.
Today we still are referencing that sort of mind-set & socio-cultural bias. Russians as a people & as a nation do not hate nor do they fear the USA. They tend to be amused by much of posturing, irritated by some of our ethno-centric ideas/attitudes & downright appalled by some of rudeness & ignorant ways. The average Russian is much better educated than the vast majority of Americans. They study & LEARN about other nations, sciences, mathematics, etc. They actually learn the material!
Our press/media is composed of egocentric morons who are talking heads or glorified copywriters. I shudder when someone is introduced as an "investigative" reporter or "investigative" media specialist. Usually they have no clue how to do an investigative interview (interrogation) nor do they have the ability to discern truth from fiction. They do know how to smile, look serious, get the coiffures done, wear great clothing but as for being what they supposed to be, forget it! Is it any wonder then that they fall back upon trite old & erroneous attitudinal outlooks? Read the following article from Pravda written in March 2005. This is how the Russians seeour press/media.
Russophobia, AgainPravda.Ru
17.03.2005
Source:
http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/7897-chechnya-0
Does biased western press coverage of Russia mask an innate hostility?
While the Russian Federation of President Vladimir Putin continues to show a smile to the international community as it goes about its business, diligently and efficiently looking for bilateral partnerships which bring mutual benefit in a wide range of areas, the western media coverage of Russian events is a mixture of hysteria and insolence.
Let us take as one example, the BBC's coverage of the arrest and elimination of the terrorist Aslan Maskhadov, who was behind a series of horrific events in the Russian Federation, the most infamous being the shocking massacre in Beslan.
The report, presented on today's BBC news website, begins by quoting Russian sources which state that Maskhadov was betrayed due to the payment of a bounty of 10 million USD. Fair enough. Then we have the word "However", marking a contrast.
A contrast it is between the first part of the report and an avalanche of utter nonsense from this supposedly reputable news service. If freedom of the press is about inventing lies and basing a story on conjecture, then it would appear that to impose some standards of quality would improve the prestige of the corporation. These standards are referred to by Washington and London as "controlling the media".
The "However" introduced a statement from a Steven Eke, the BBC's Russian affairs editor, who evidently understands as much about Russia as George Bush's Russia expert, Condoleeza Rice. He is quoted as saying that the "details around the payment of the reward were suspicious.and the official explanation of the events leading to Maskhadov death was not clear".
The official version was that Maskhadov had been cornered in a bunker, had been eliminated in a firefight, the bunker and the building above it then being destroyed due to fears that booby traps had been set, and his body disposed on in an unmarked grave, as usual with these terrorists.
What is so wrong with that? A lot, for the BBC, which quotes unnamed campaigners as stating that the destruction of the property destroyed evidence which might go against the official version of events. What evidence? That Maskhadov was a fairy godmother and spent his time playing with dolls?
The slant given by the BBC to this story is typical of western news sources whose innate hostility against Russia harks back to the Cold War, which they would love to have won, except they didn't, because there was no war. Russia never wanted one anyway.
The Chechen terrorists are called "separatists", Maskhadov is referred to as someone "who advocated negotiations to end the conflict" but then planned and caused the slaughter of hundreds of children (nice man, apparently), and at the end of the piece is even upgraded to the man who was "elected Chechen president in January 1997 but was ousted two years later. He led the Chechen separatists who defeated Russian forces in a 1994-1996 war".
I beg your pardon? What war? There was a guerrilla operation and a strategic pullback by Boris Yeltsin after the territory was pacified. Russian forces defeated? Sorry to destroy the fantasy with a bucket of cold water, but where were the Russian forces defeated and by whom?
The Republic of Chechnya is a free Republic which voted massively to remain inside the Russian Federation, its constitution was democratically adopted by its people and its President duly elected. The BBC's claim that Chechen towns "are now inhabited almost exclusively by old people, abandoned by younger men who escaped to the mountains to continue fighting" shows a total lack of knowledge and professionalism. If over 95% of the Chechen nation voted for the Constitution, they were voting against the terrorists. Sorry, but the state of the Republic of Chechnya today is a massive and crushing victory for the policy of patience and determination followed by Vladimir Putin's Moscow.
There is probably a guy in a psychiatric hospital somewhere in London who claims he is the Queen of Sheba and also an astronaut on Tuesday afternoons. Maskhadov's legitimacy was as great as his respect for basic human rights - zero. Unfortunately the BBC, like so many other criminally biased, lying western news sources, would believe the former while turning a blind eye to the more evil traits of the latter, if it gave them a cheap shot at Russia.
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Comments: 20
I would like to point out that space exploration of the "modern" age developed simultaniously within America and Russia (Soviet Union at the time). Very interesting if a Cold War existed as we are all told (which it did in the average American sense).
As for the press...they will publish anything that gets attention from the majority and raise ratings.
I grew up in the '50s and by 1960 realized that we were being lied to ("duck and cover" drills, the "Red Menace", etc.)
I first began to learn the language in the mid-60s, just to piss off my division officer. I met my first Russian in Vietnam (I know, "we" didn't have any advisors there, either) -- we didn't shoot at each other, but I split my rations with him because he was out of food.
I knew from that day to this that people are the same all over -- only governments suck.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Chechen_War
I personally know employees of the Times who say that the atmosphere has changed since the takeover. The editorial changes are subtle, but we have been subscribers for more than forty years and to us they are evident. Of course the LA Times is not as blatant as other media, like Fox News for example. Still...I don't mind sensationalist press...we have always had that with the Hearst papers, for example. It's the gradual decline in the willingness to criticize those in power that concerns me.
A free press is essential to maintain an informed electorate, without which our very liberty is jeopardized.
Both sides are guilty of propaganda; it is obvious in the language of both sides, not just theirs!
Russians are just like any other group of people, mostly good with a few bad ones. Just like us. The tragedy is that the media tell us all the stories about the bad ones, but if you never get to meet the good ones in person, you might believe the bad stories to represent all.
I wish *everybody* would participate in exchange visitor programs! Look for ways to entertan foreign visitors in your house so you know members of different cultures and discover that they are wonderful!
And always take the newspapers with a spoonful of salt.
linky
As a side note, I've always wanted to travel to Russia. So many different cultures encapsulated in one nation. Kind of like a nesting doll. Each one different, but part of a larger whole. I also had the good fortune of seeing the Cathering the Great exhibit when it came through Dallas. Such beauty and craftmanship there. The kind of stuff we are not likely to see ever again.
Russia is still a relatively young "democracy" and it takes time for reform to actually work. The face of global perception takes just as much time if not more.
Yes and if you think Chechen oil pipelines are something the Russian government wants to lose control of you might just be fooling yourself.
Politics of Chechen Oil
If it's not Russians, it's "Islamofascists," or lesbians, or "secularists," or "witches."
It's a lot of hooey is what it is...
"Be afraid, be very afraid!"
Business as usual.
I remember my Uncle Jorn bringing colleagues from Moscow to his place, when I was little. I went to visit them, and they were wonderful people. Though I was only about 3 years old, I remember their voices, their music, and their willingness to answer ALL of my questions about them. Being the bold child I was, I remember saying this to them. "What's not to like about Russians? You're very nice people, and I like you. Thanks for answering the questions my Daddy tried to make me afraid to ask. I'm going to go home and tell him how nice you are."
Would you believe that my mother still feels uncomfortable when I play Russian music in her presence?
The American propaganda machine has always lead the pack in disinformation. As I mentioned above, I knew in the late '60s and early '70s that Russophobia wass all bull.
You're right that the majority of Russians and residents of the FSU are mildly amused at our attitudes but really irritated by our arrogance. One has only to read Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, or Pushkin to begin to understand the soul of the people.
To look at a country with an 800 year history of hardship and oppression that has survived very nicely from the vantage of a country with only a 200 year history of having everything easy, is the height of arrogance!
What you have said about the long history of opression vs. a short history of having it all, defines my family view. To a lesser extent it defines my family itsself.
One side came to a new land and learned the language, etc. leaving their home behind. The other side has been here for generations, and thinks there's no world beyond Canada and the USA. You can see why I am closer to the side of the family which has recently come to Canada, as opposed to the side who has been here since Canada was born.
Then there is my friend from the Czech Republic who I meet quite often at The Second Cup. He understands this perfectly. At first he didn't understand why I was so down on the opportunity over here, but when I explained that I was down on it because the people in North America take it for granted, instead of appreciating it, as he does, he understood completely.