HE IS RUSSIAN. IT EXPLAINS A LOT... "We have an egalitarian society here. All are equal. Of course, that doesn't stop some people from being stupid fools or jerks" - Slylandro, Star Control II The phrase in the heading is taken from the new film by probably most famous Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov, who recieved The Best Foreign Film Oscar a couple of years ago for his movie Tired with the Sun. This season he presented his new work - and epical saga of love, life and "the Russia we have lost" - The Barber of Siberia, a kind of Gone with the wind a-la Russe 75 per cents of which is played in English. Personally, I didn't see the film because I'm not a great fan of melodramas and Mikhalkov's works, but its release was surrounded with massive promotion campaign and the posters with the faces of Julia Ormond and Oleg Menshikov containing this phrase in Russian and English were almost unavoidable in Moscow. Why the director famous for his patriotical views, who openly supports the idea of restoration of monarchy in Russia, and has recently made a hit of the day, by trying to make one of the Russian democratical leaders ex-prime minister Sergey Kirienko sing Otche Nash [Our Lord, famous prayer] during pre parlamentary elections campaign on TV, has chosen such a phrase for his film, is interesting, but "another" question. The point, however, is what figure skating fans can often see the phrases of the similar content on different discussion boards and mailing lists. And usually it's far from being a compliment. On one hand it's understandable. After so many years of Cold War, Iron Curtain and Red Threat we should probably be thankful what Westerns no longer believe what polar beers walk at loose on the Red Square. On the other hand, I can't help shaking my head, every time I see people saying what Maria Butyrskaya's dubious remarks about Michelle Kwan or Alexey Yagudin far from nice comments about Nicole Bobek's memory are due to the fact what they are Russian, while the fact what other Russians, like Ekaterina Gordeeva, never did such a thing, is due to their life in USA and overcoming their "Russiness" Yes, we are different. For good or for bad, but different we are. Our languages are different, our cultural backgrounds are different. So are our traditions and ettiquette. But it's really necessary to distinguish cultural difference from the features of the personal character. For example - my cultural background which made me attend Russian secondary school, made me read all "great Russian classics" like War and Peace or Crime and Punishment as well as many other "classical" novels all Russians have read though few Westerns have ever heard of. The other side of the coin is what my knowledge of American literature in the genres other than SF & fantasy and detectives & adventures are limited to short stories by O'Henry and Mark Twain, couple of novels by Wolf, Steinbek and Faulkner plus Heller's Catch 22 and Kurt Vonnegut's works. But the fact what I was told by several people what they find me rather rude at first because of my habit of smiling and bowing to the person I want to greet rather than saying anything loudly - is just my personal feature, and has nothing to do with being Russian Yes, there are things which can be explained by "being Russian", but at the same time, "being Russian" can be not only the source of the phrase, but the "excuse" as well. For example we can often hear or read what Russians are rude and have habit of making offensive comments. It's not really true. Of course there are Russians and Russians, but in general the more "true to life" statement will be "Russian often make comments and od things what Westerns find offensive". Little difference this can make for Westerns, but the details are often the most interesting (and important) things. Just to make another example about traditions and etiqutte - Russians usually greet their friends only once a day, and meeting him for the second time a day even several hours later usually only make a sign what they noted him. Many Westerns I guess will find such a manner to be rude. Russians, in their turn, are often offended by Western's manner of dropping "How do you do?" on their way, and expecting to hear only brief "I'm Ok" without giving the person they are greeting the second glance, for they believe such attitude to be specious. Russians usually greet each other with the word Privet [Hello] or Dobry den' (Good Afternoon), which require only them same words in return, however if a Russian ask Kak dela? (How do you do?) he or she usually expects to hear something more. Not the detailed autobiography, of course, but a least a couple of phrases like "I've get a new job", or "My daughter is having her graduation exams" would be nice. Another interesting point is what many Russians, especially young Russians, usually reply to this question with the words "Thank you. Very bad", which is, more often than not, a joke. This is really interesting part of the Russian way of thinking. One of our English teachers said once what we are definitely very pessimictic nation, because while for example English people ask for help using "positive" sentences, like "Excuse me, can you show me a way..." or "Sorry, can you help me..." the Russian phrases of the similar content require the "negative" one, like "Excuse me, can't you..." and so on. We also have surprised another English teacher [English in both ways, he taught us English, and he was an Englishman]. He give us a task he believed to be easy to describe oneself with three words. According to him it's a common task on job interviews and he has shown us an example of completing it by writing something like "hard working, responsible, communicative". However most of the students wrote "lazy, sarcastic, charming" even though most of them were hard working, responsible, communicative as well. They simply say what they felt extremly silly trying to write some complimentary thing about themselves. The similar logic could probably be applied to Russian athletes who are usually reluctant to give standart answers like "working hard", "hoping to do my best" on the press conferences. Even though it's often said what Russian athletes often talk "trash", it's not always really so, at least in their understanding. It's written in lots of books about human relationships what the thing one person "said" is not the same as the thing his opponent "hear". This is true even for people of one nationality, education and cultural background, and it more than true in case of translations. It's not about universal conspirace of translators who make certain skaters look bad, it's about these persons expressing themselves in the manner they find innocent or probably funny, but become offensive in translation. For example I guess not every person can imagine how the phrase Nu da, konechno literally translated like "Oh, yeah, of course" can mean complete disagreement with your words or sarcastical decline to do what was asked, but it's often used by Russians (or at least young Russians) in this meaning, you just need to pay more attention to the intonation than to the words themselves. I get the impression what in prediction interviews for example, the "full" phrase sounds like "I hope to do my best and win the gold" for top contenders, but Americans like Kwan usually use only first half, while Russians more often than not use the second one. Probably because Russian don't seen "skating clean program" as a goal, they see it as their work. But the most "vunerable" part of the language and culture is probably the sense of humour for anything we assume to be funny usually is based on some association which are very different for the people of different cultures. Two surgeons can probably succesfully work side by side, even if they know little of each other language, but would probably have "communication troubles" if they go to pub after work even if have some common language. Russian humour is often a bit too "black" and sarcastical for many foreigners too like, but Russians among themselves don't have much troubles with it. For example all Russians I've talked to about Butyrskaya's inviatation for Kwan, agreed what it was a joke, and think what it would be interesting. No one thought it to be offensive statement or doubting Kwan athletic abilities, it was, rather like something of "competition will decide" kind. The other side of cultural difference was what during the notorious "Monicagate" most of the Russians didn't understand what the buzz is about. "Yes, said the majority, Mr. President lied, but what they expected him to do? To admit the fact of sexual relationships with the woman in front of the jury, TV and the whole world? What kind of gentelman he would be?" It was not a naivity, for most of them understood what the fact of the affair was a great scandal, and hiding it was conviniet for him, they simply thought what it would be unacceptable to admit the fact of affair while lady didn't say it took place, despite the promise "truth and only truth". So you may guess how much of Yagudin's comments about his affairs are due to the fact what he is Russian...