Contrast Russians stereotypes. A stereotype is a statement that simplifies human and social realities.
For example, a single quality is said to belong to every member of a group Men hate to cook. Prejudice is to prejudge to form an opinion, usually negative, about someone before you know many facts. Richard can t cook - he s a guy! If you have seen the film Shrek, about an ogre who falls in love with a princess, you may remember Shrek s lament - his sad complaint that They judge me before they even know me! Stereotypes and prejudice are based on incomplete or faulty information. They get in the way of knowing people as individuals and of understanding the world in a complex and sophisticated way they can offend hurt people and they can lead to serious misunderstandings.
NINE STATEMENTS ABOUT RUSSIA The nine comments a non-Russian might make about Russians 1. Russians are dreamers and not doers. 2. Russians are not materialistic.
They consider other people more important than what you can buy. 3. Russians value familiar faces and distrusts those they do not know. 4. There is a right and a wrong way to do almost anything, and Russians will not hesitate to tell you when you are doing something wrong - or nyekulturno. 5. Russians don t think about the future - they don t plan far ahead. If they have money today, they spend money today. 6. Russians are certain that they are right, they know everything they have all the answers. 7. Russians are fatalistic - they feel nothing they can do will make a difference. 8. Russians disapprove of people who are different or who break social conventions like Tattoo . 9. Russians are lazy - if you don t tell them what to do and supervise them carefully they will do as little as possible or nothing at all. If we can understand what lies behind the stereotypes, we are able to politely challenge or correct others misperceptions if we so choose.
We all stereotype others sometimes -and it can be a shock to hear about how others stereotype us. Just think of a time you have stereotyped someone, as we all have, and imagine their reaction if they heard your words! For an explanation of each of the nine notions, we shall learn some reasons that some observers and scholars might give as to why Russians may appear to others the way they do. 1. As a general rule Americans are oriented towards doing.
They measure their own value, and that of others, by what how much they do. Ideas are not valued as highly as the practical application of ideas and results.
Russians are more oriented towards contemplating ideas and valuing ideas in and of themselves. A Russian who attended an American Russian conference described the different ways each group would spend conference evenings. The Russians would sit all night drinking tea, discussing and reflecting upon the events and ideas of the day, while the Americans would be dunking of what they had to do the next day and preparing for it. 2. It s better to have 100 friends than 100 rubles.
Russians have very close bonds with and depend upon a close network of friends, family and familiar faces - people they know they can trust. Government, banks, bureaucracies are not trusted or depended upon. Friends, however, can trust each other and depend upon one other. 3. Again, many Russians belong to close-knit groups of family friends. Within these groups, there is great trust and a strong sense of closeness - however strangers and outsiders are not immediately trusted and are kept at a greater social and emotional distance. 4. Russian culture, more than many others, emphasizes clear cultural norms, rules and scripts what people should say. Many Russians expect others to conform to these social or cultural rules and freely correct those who stray.
They may feel that they are being helpful and saving others from future trouble or embarrassment 5. Russians may believe that planning for the future and living for tomorrow is sinful and contradicts Christian teachings.
One Russian student quoted the Bible as proof that this belief is sacred Now listen to me, you that say, today or tomorrow we will travel to a certain city, where we will stay a year and go into business and make a lot of money. You don t even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for a moment and then disappears. Making the most of each day, living it to the fullest, and facing only the hardships of the current day are valued.
Many Russians appear to prefer a consensus on truth to a plurality of opinions or truths. Some writers trace this preference to the early Russian Empire - when Russia was ruled by an autocratic dynasty with a holy mission to defend its faith against the barbarians of the East and the heresies and pluralism of the West The pluralism of the West was seen by Russia as chaotic, without harmony, a disunity or thought and purpose.
Historically, Russia has held to a vision of a single, unifying truth - the truth as told by the Communist party and Communist ideology or a Russian Orthodox vision of an absolute truth with no room for conflicting opinions. Russian Orthodoxy, according to one writer, was envisioned as a fellowship uniting all souls under a single and correct religious rite actively agreed upon and shared by all. The faithful were envisioned as members of one big family - just as the 15 Soviet republics were envisioned as sisters. 7. It is a general Russian cultural belief that people cannot necessarily or easily change things or influence events.
The goal is to be patient persevere. Some writers say this may be because of the physical hardships of Russian life - from the long winters to shortages of goods. 8. Again, Russians appear to prefer dear cultural norms and rules and to easily judge and criticize those who break them. 9. Russian workers and Russian students appear to prefer detailed and precise instructions from supervisors or teachers.
Decisions about what should be done, and how, appear to be made at the top. Supervisors teachers appear to know best. People may prefer to follow clear directions from above rather than risk errors or innovations that may harm their careers.