Publication in Russian on the Zen blog
https://dzen.ru/a/Z5tx08oMSWleB_kJ
You can often hear from propagandists about how Americans are afraid of Russians. I would like to dispel this nonsense and several other myths.
I am a simple person, not a journalist, I can publish my private and humble opinion based on my experience of communicating with Americans. I've wanted to talk about the American mentality for a long time, and I'll take this opportunity to do so...
To begin with, I would like to note that America is a huge country with 50 different states and a population of about 346,063,239 according to 2024 data. Naturally, they profess different religions, have their own views on politics and other differences. I can't tell you for all Americans. I can tell you what I see during my 2.5 years of living in California and from the experience of my trips across 5 states. And to begin with, I am very impressed by the mentality of Americans, I still cannot understand how they combine such qualities.
First of all, Americans are very self-confident, but they are not arrogant, they may seem familiar, but this is simplicity rather than familiarity. It is not for nothing that the pronouns "you" and "you" in English are designated by the same word "you".
What I mean by that. They dress as they want, and usually it's simple clothes, they don't strive to appear better, to show and prove something to someone. At the same time, it can sometimes be a very strange choice in our Russian opinion. They can walk in slippers on the street, in pajamas, I recently saw a young guy in giraffe pajamas, I am sure that he is of a traditional orientation. Overweight people can walk around in shorts and tight outfits without feeling uncomfortable that something is wrong. They may wear strange hats, older people are not so conspicuous because they are dressed like young people. They may be wearing tattoos, jeans, an earring, and the like. It never occurs to anyone to negatively evaluate or inspect each other for their appearance. They don't hesitate to compliment each other and just strangers on the street.
For example, there's a man wearing a strange hat, and people might shout at him, like, "cool hat, dude." And he would happily thank them, not seeing any catch. And there is no such trick, they are sincere.
I was just being complimented on the street, like "cool sneakers" (they were red) or "you're a beauty," and that's from a black woman, by the way. I won't brag, but they don't compliment everyone. Recently, I witnessed a guy walking with a gorgeous royal poodle and a woman from the car shouted out to him, "so cute," like, what a handsome man, for a dog, of course. To which the guy immediately replied, "Thank you." They are confident and calm, they know what they are entitled to and will never violate your rights. They don't come close to others, whether it's a queue or something else. I really appreciate that, because in the Russian Federation I was annoyed when people in the queue were glued to you from behind. Or when people are standing on a common road and they don't realize that they are in the way. Americans always move away, they avoid if they are standing in a public place, and someone is walking. Or if you are walking along the same road towards each other, the American will always step aside on his side of the road so that you can pass. It's still a shock to me. Only Russians, Asians and newcomers are not inferior... They are quickly redeemed.
Secondly, Americans are incredibly polite. Which still shocks me. They always greet you and smile, if you just walk towards each other (of course, I'm talking about strangers to each other), it's either a smile or a wave of the hand, or a simple "hi". They always say thank you for everything!
If you cross the road somewhere in the private sector, a pedestrian will always be allowed through. The police always greet you with a smile. And if you're walking with a guitar, for example, they'll definitely give you a nice compliment or ask you something about it. It's still a shock to me, friends! You're always waiting for a trick, but there isn't one...
I've often heard Russians say that Western smiles are fake, but we're all so sincere here in Russia. So, I will say that they are very sincere, because we are not talking about fervent love, but about politeness and respect for the common person we meet. And I don't need Russian sincere hatred and discontent for nothing... Such is the argument in favor of "sincere rudeness."..
Thirdly, Americans are very tolerant and kind. If you ask for help, they will always help and prompt you. Even if you speak broken English, even if you use gestures, even if you are poorly dressed and untidy. They will help you with friendliness without arrogance. This applies to people on the streets, as well as in shops, in any organization, anywhere... It's also a shock, I still can't get used to it, I'm always preparing for the worst, it's already a habit...
At first, my husband worked for a company that repaired appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators. And each time the owners offered them drinks, food, and relaxation. They were the homes of different people: rich and not so rich, but always respectful and patient, always! By the way, according to statistics, almost every ordinary American has gone through a simple job, such as at the checkout at McDonald's or in delivery. They respect any job, especially hard manual labor. Therefore, despite all the problems, it is not difficult for me here. I know they will help me, they respect me and accept me as one of their own. I don't feel like a stranger here, it was very easy for me to feel like I belong here, that America is both my country and my home. What I can't say about Russia. Despite the fact that I was born there and am half Russian, every day at least someone somewhere made it clear to me that I was "over the top", that I was "non-Russian", just by the fact of my Oriental appearance.
It's time to recall Ronald Reagan's statement: "You can go to live in France, but you can't become French. You can go to live in Germany, but you cannot become a German. But anyone, from any corner of the world, can come to America and become an American," and it's true, I've seen that.
I also remember a time when I was talking to a woman on the street, which was in Idaho, by the way, and I apologized that my English was so bad. And she replied to me: "your English is much better than my Russian, so you have nothing to apologize for, you are cooler than me here." And really, they have such an opinion or a saying, I don't know how to correctly call it, in general, the bottom line is that if a person knows English poorly, don't rush to despise him, it means that he knows some other language perfectly and he is definitely cooler than you.
How do they treat Russians? They treat everyone well, they treat everyone well!
I'm that kind of person, I'm always proud of what I have. I am proud to be from St. Petersburg, I am proud of my Korean, Finnish and Russian roots, I am proud of my family, my life story, the fact that I am a Protestant Christian, who I am and what I profess. I always speak openly about this and I will defend my position. When people ask me where I come from, I always answer bluntly that I am from Russia and I have never encountered any negativity either in the bank, in government institutions, or with ordinary people. Not once! There are no sanctions against ordinary peaceful Russians here. And in general, America did not impose any sanctions against peaceful goods, the Russian government itself, in anger, imposed unnecessary sanctions against Western goods. It started before the war, and they started fighting imported animal feed in favor of Medvedev's projects. And you know yourself that as soon as someone speaks out differently than the Russian authorities want, they immediately find diseases and defects in imported goods from these countries.
There is also such a quality among Americans, I don't know how to express it correctly. They are not pretentious. What is it expressed in... They prefer usefulness and simplicity to beauty... And sometimes I miss it here, especially as a Korean, Koreans are great aesthetes, but Americans are not. A bridge means a solid, simple concrete one. The highway in California is made of huge concrete gray slabs, because of frequent earthquakes. The fences are a simple mesh net with a stretched special material. Huge trash cans, metal benches driven into the asphalt, and much more. Everything is big, practical and simple.
About fear. Americans are not afraid of anyone. They're not scared. I believe that it comes from parenting and from the attitude towards children. They are always respected and considered, and this makes them grow self-confident. But if they are not afraid, it does not mean that they accept Putin's policies. Once, an acquaintance was repairing some kind of equipment from an old American couple. They asked him where he was from. Well, he replied that he was from Russia and Grandma was like, "Don't believe Putin," it was sweet...
In short, it is difficult to fully reflect this topic in one publication. You can write a lot more about the mentality of Americans... If you are interested in the topic of life in America, join Anna Kim on the Ship Shard blog.
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God has given man freedom of choice. And no other person has the right to take it away from you. I remain free and wish you all the same, to be free!
Life in America by Anna Kim
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Publication in Russian on the Zen blog
https://dzen.ru/a/Z5tx08oMSWleB_kJ
Author's video content from CMCproduction & SmartREC video studios on Violetta Vennman's YouTube channel, please support
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