
Understanding Moscow: The Mysteries of the Russian Mindset - anarbadalov
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/understanding-moscow-the-mysteries-of-the-russian-mindset-a-1162072.html
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cbrwizard
Russian here. I agree with most of this. The majority of people I know in this
country have no interest in being an active part of the society. A lot of
people have a feeling that they will be betrayed by the others as soon as the
chance appears.

This slowly gets improved though, especially in the big cities.

At the same time, I think that Putin and his gang have got all the power to
change the society and yet they don't do that and keep stealing.

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linkmotif
I'm no expert on Putin but I can't process the narrative about him in this
piece:

> And then Konchalovsky said that Putin initially thought like a Westerner

... but then he learned and adapted to exploit the Russians?

To my understanding he was a trained KBG-ist—the most nihilistic kind of
person in all of nihilistic Russia—and believes chiefly in making money. To
suggest that Putin has ever held beliefs, the kind people in the West might
have, rings very naive.

"Бабки надо делать" he is quoted saying as a motto in the early 90s in the
movie "Who is Mr. Putin?" That's his only truth, not unlike, generally, the
people he rules.

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kwhitefoot
Not many revelations there, sadly.

Depressing to read it and have my beliefs confirmed.

On a different note, I wish many journalists who have English as their first
language would write as clearly and passionately as Christian Neef does.

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mdekkers
_On a different note, I wish many journalists who have English as their first
language would write as clearly and passionately as Christian Neef does._

Neef is an old-school journalist, from a time when words matter more then
eyeballs and click-throughs. And it shows.

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squozzer
>As a toll road, however, it is hardly getting used, despite the relatively
low charges. Russia's drivers believe it is a government rip-off and prefer
sitting in traffic jams on the old road.

One might find it surprising that many Americans would hold a similar view on
toll roads. Maybe.

