Russia: most depressing place on Earth?
- Thread starter MrOogieBoogie
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some idiot initiative which remained an initiative. It was like... I don't know... like some people in America who would try to stamp out evolution theory from textbooks. I mean there are people who would like to do this but in reality it's impossible for them to do.
Maybe if you've only visited St. Petersburg or Moscow.
I've lived a few miles from the Russian border in Finland. There were two small towns on each side of the border and believe me, the difference between standard of living, infrastructure, etc. was quite sad.
This compilation video will either improve or worsen your opinion of Russia (Highly recommended):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiHmW-WUJs0&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiHmW-WUJs0&feature=youtu.be
The old Karelia region is definitely suffering from the old Soviet policies, migration to Finland for the ethnic Inkeri people and lack of employment. But even Wyborg is getting better; the whole country has now a rising middle-class. Rural poor will be an issue, but again the same goes for a lot of 1st world countries. Not that I want to be a Russia apologist, but the "hell on earth" thing is, well, so stupid.
small towns differ much. It depends on a mayor, a city manager, a community and what industries are there. It also depends on a region strongly. The difference could be night and day, so you can't judge the whole country by visiting a couple of cities. I mean if we were talking about Austria this could be the case, but we talk about the largest country in the world.
Yeah, I visited Wyborg last summer and it's starting to look a lot better. Russia is slowly moving forward (if we exclude those new anti-gay law bills), I'm not denying that. I just think on many levels it's not "like any 1st world country" yet.
I know the differences are huge in Russia. I've been in the poor towns of the Karelia region but I've also seen the super rich people in St. Petersburg. My view is limited but I think it shows some signs of the country as a whole that the differences are so extreme.
Typhoon_Ex
Member
This tread is depressing...
Yeah, I know that, I said my view is limited. I'm sure there are many really great towns in Russia, it's just a bit alarming that from my experience the differences between people's standard of living are quite enormous. The middle-class is rising but it's not happening overnight.
milanbaros
Member?
The DR Congo, North Korea?
Seriously this I've never in my life seen a place worst then this and yes I've been there.
I literally saw a man get ran over by a car and the driver kept going
Coal towns are horrible, yeah. Very bad ecology. Same goes for any industrial town with some chemical plant which serves as the sole source of income for the city.
er... what?
Yes. It was shocking to say the least. Not to mention other stuff like the resturant I went to being bulletproof.
Always-honest
Banned
Retarded people like these people here are easy to find in most countries.
In my country fans of Feyenoord and Ajax did the same. One died. People brought weapons too.
Guys was killed with a hammer i believe.
In my country fans of Feyenoord and Ajax did the same. One died. People brought weapons too.
Guys was killed with a hammer i believe.
sounds like something from "Escape from New York".
What the hell happened there??? I mean I know that the car industry has been on decline but what you have described sounds extreme.
Detroit is well worthy of it's reputation. It's not just some internet meme. Miles and miles of ghetto neighborhoods. Thousands and thousands of abandoned buildings.
What has happened in Detroit is nothing you can't find in many other industrial U.S. cities. It's just the scale of that decay that is profound and unusual. It's really just a victim of it's past success. Too much growth and nothing left there to sustain it.
This. There are tons of boarded up buildings still up there till this day. Its really a scary place.
Always-honest
Banned
:O
FreeMufasa
Junior Member
I enjoyed my time there.
Misterinenja
Member
Gotta love anti-Russian Americans living in their fantasy worlds.
I mean seriously? Try North Korea, Liberia or some polluted violation of human rights piece of shit town in China. Russia has tons of beautiful nature and fairly good quality of life.
I mean seriously? Try North Korea, Liberia or some polluted violation of human rights piece of shit town in China. Russia has tons of beautiful nature and fairly good quality of life.
After watching a couple of videos on it a while ago I decided to just load up google streetview and wander around. Looked pretty much as bad as you'd expect from the talk. Right downtown seems ok, but the ring of burned out shittiness around it is truly vast.
Afaik, race riots, white flight, and then the decline of the auto industry is pretty much what did it in. All those things just coalesced into the perfect suburban doughnut that most cities have become to some degree or another, except far far worse.
Just in the last 10 years, Detroit's core population *declined* by 25%. And before that, between the 1950s and 2000, it had already declined from about 2 million to 1 million people.
Okay, please tell me that this is just a clip of a longer story. I need to hear more.
Lazy Jones
Member
What's wrong with Ohio?
I grew up in Queens, and moved to Ohio with my family years ago. Now I am stranded here with no money or future. There is no way out.
@LazyJones: it's not like Ohio is home to various human rights violations or anything like that. Comparing it to Somalia or similar places is silly, but it does promote its own particular kind of depression. You've got a few scattered nice areas like Avon Lake, then miles and miles of rural hell and collapsed industry.
It is full of a whole lot of nothing.
I imagine there are plenty of other places in the US which mirror this, but Ohio is an easy state to pick on.
balladofwindfishes
Member
it's... like the apocalypse hit...
realalbedo
Banned
Hey. I am from Russia!
Well, i suppose it sucks, but things will get better after Revolution.
There is no freedom here. FSB listenin my phone calls. Though, i was not arrested for more than 8 hours, so im lucky.
Well, i suppose it sucks, but things will get better after Revolution.
There is no freedom here. FSB listenin my phone calls. Though, i was not arrested for more than 8 hours, so im lucky.
realalbedo
Banned
I actually was filming videos for them. And almost always ended up being arrested.
who are they?
realalbedo
Banned
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentis...riot-kremlin-protest-riot-grrrl?newsfeed=true
Art Punk-Feminist Activist Group. The took part in december protests too, as well as in any anti-Putin protests in last years
Here is video, which we filmed in Moscow Metro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEiB1RYuYXw
This is my new favourite video.
The Hermit
Member
GhaleonQ
Member
The rural parts, especially as you go toward the center (the east coast is actually pretty awesome; Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii is especially cool), are rough, but the people that aren't suicidal or criminal are incredibly nice, funny, and hardworkng.
And even the Detroit-esque urban parts are far more interesting than Detroit. That's what happens when you're a world power with a fascinating history. I'll put Peterburg, weird as it is, against city in the world.
That said, yep, generally awful. Russia's good at everything but politics, unfortunately, so the country's been eaten alive.
There is. A lot of it. Are you talking about art/classical or popular/new?
Er, didn't the former and latter despise almost of all of it?
And even the Detroit-esque urban parts are far more interesting than Detroit. That's what happens when you're a world power with a fascinating history. I'll put Peterburg, weird as it is, against city in the world.
That said, yep, generally awful. Russia's good at everything but politics, unfortunately, so the country's been eaten alive.
There is. A lot of it. Are you talking about art/classical or popular/new?
St. Petersburg...ah...the city of Tolstoy, Gogol, Dostoevsky...must be amazing to visit.
Er, didn't the former and latter despise almost of all of it?
Why? Have you traveled much around Europe?
realalbedo
Banned
Petersburg is not so much about Dostoevsky, Its just kool place to hang out, unlike Moscow. And weed is much cheaper there!
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