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Russian Culture on Full Display

Russian culture has become drunk with propaganda and poverty
Vladimir Putin waits for a bus. It could be awhile...

These days, when people argue for Russian culture, they speak of education, ballet, art, and the finer things in life, as if all of Russia was the Hermitage. While Russia does offer such things to an extent, there is also an unspoken aspect of Russian culture often lost on its proponents. Lost in a dream of the perfect utopia, those people fail to recognize Russian culture in its depraved totality.


We Are Not Hostages

Take the Canadian Feenstra family. Arend Feenstra and his wife Anneesa left Canada to escape what they called the pressures of the LGBT lifestyle. Uprooting their entire family, they imagined that they would find a utopia in Russia, where Arend could dominate over his submissive wife Anneesa all while raising a squadron of children who would grow up to do the same. 

Arend also had ideas of hitting it big, so he unilaterally moved the family's entire life savings to Russian banks, which are known for their corruption. Russia doesn't enjoy FDIC protection, so with the help of the Russian government, the banks were able to drain the family of their entire life savings. The Feenstras were now stuck there, compliant farmers with literally nothing, and no means to recover their savings. 

While Russians do learn English in primary school, everyone refused to speak the language on account of the war, and the Feenstra Family was out of luck when it came to their money and a country who rather enjoyed their suffering. Forced to farm the land for whatever turnip would come up, the Feenstras relied on the mercy of the harsh Russian climate for any random gift from the gods.

That's when Anneesa finally had enough and went public. She found her voice, at least for a moment. Taking to YouTube to tell of the family's horrific experience in their newfound utopia, Anneesa was hopeful someone would see and she was right. Someone did see.  

Someone in the Russian government didn't like what they saw and confronted the family. Whatever was said, the family's opinion changed drastically and instead of the terrified, destitute family that had done interviews with Western media, suddenly the family turned into publicly compliant Russian propagandists once again, including and especially Arend. 

Their prior YouTube video, which featured Anneesa levying heavy complaints against the Russian dictatorship, has since been deleted. A new video was made, but not by Anneesa. Instead, a glass-eyed Arend appeared, pledging his allegiance to the Russian government, letting us all know that everyone was just fine. Arend made the point to emphasize that the dictatorship was a free country and repeatedly said, "We are not hostages. We are not hostages. We are not hostages." 

This Is Russia

The Feenstra family found no utopia in Russia, but that doesn't stop the country from waging a massive propaganda campaign about culture. The government's new campaign includes targeting American conservatives, particularly those fed up with the openness of progressivism. Russia beckons them to come to a place where conservativism has not been lost, a Christian country with Christian values. Russia lies. A closer examination reveals Russian culture to be corrupt, brainwashed, drunk, anything but Christian, and altogether destitute. 

Take Zhanna Polupanova, for example. Polupanova is one of the majority of Russians who simply cannot survive in a country with no legitimate means of upward mobility. So, Polupanova sent her son to war knowing that there was a good chance that he would die and that she could cash in on the meager bereavement funds provided by the Russian government. When that's exactly what happened, Polupanova used the funds to buy an apartment, but she still wanted to fix up her old home and that really gnawed at her "conscience." When she realized she would need more money than the Russian government provided, she decided to send her other son to die in war, as well. 



We would be remiss, of course, if we did not mention Russia and its attempts to "de-Nazify" Ukrainian civilians. There is this innocent family, who were deemed a threat to the Russian government for simply taking a drive near Kostyantynivka in Ukraine. Hit by a Russian bomb, the family's blood paved the Ukrainian streets. This is what was left of them after Russia deemed the civilians a threat:

When you speak your mind in Russia, the government deems you a threat. The penalty for such speech: either imprisonment in one of Russia's forced labor camps or forced conscription to the frontlines, where an ungodly fate awaits Ukrainian cannon fodder. Take Yuri Kokhovetz, a Russian citizen, who dared tell the truth about Russia's illegal and inhumane invasion of Ukraine, 

"De-escalation is needed of course, but it all depends on our government. Our government started it: Putin and his gang. Russia by itself, created all its problems. For the past 20 years, Russia has been saying that NATO is supposedly a big problem. I personally don't see any problem with NATO. It's not planning on taking over anything. What propaganda has been saying is that for the past 20 years, NATO has been getting closer to attacking us, and it's as if it's a reason for Russia's actions. I look at it as a bureaucracy leftover from the Soviet times. Our government has been saying that it wants to fight nationalists, but it's bombing shopping centers. Our soldiers from Buryatia and Dagestan were executing civilians in Bucha without any reason. People start feeling hatred for all of this. This has to stop. One person can stop it in our country. As soon as he ends it, there will be a de-escalation in our relationship with NATO and with all other countries. So, all these actions need to be stopped and that's it. It's really very simple. After this, our economy will begin to rise and the stock market will go up right away."

For his bravery and for telling the truth about Russia, Kokhovetz was arrested and sentenced to 5 years of hard labor in a Russian concentration camp. 

Then there are the floods, now drowning citizens across the country in nuclear waste. The Russian government has thrown its hands up and the Russian people are on their own, while they deal with what was a preventable crisis. There is no money to help because it's all tied up in murdering Ukrainian civilians. Some Russians, like Vasily Kozupitsa, have had enough. Kozupitsa, a widow, whose husband died at war, is now left to contend with the flooding and its aftermath herself. The Orsk resident confronted a government official with the following, 

"No help up to date! What did my husband die for? So you could cover your ass here standing and blushing?"

One voice in the crowd begged her to keep quiet, while another rallied Kozupitsa to continue,

"I feel bad! Of course, I feel bad because it's impossible to reach anyone for anything! Nobody is answering. While you are sitting and all is well with you. Grow a conscience already! You are in a white shirt while we've been walking around without money or anything for the past two weeks."

A voice in the crowd screamed, 

"Without water!"

Kozupitsa continued, 

"We don't even have enough money for Ramen Noodles! What did my husband die for? What did my husband die for? You're sitting in clean pants and your son is in Dubai! Have you no shame?"

The official is wearing what appears to be an expensive new suit. He offers no reply to Kozupitsa or to any of the suffering people. Her husband died for him and for Vladimir Putin, one of the world's richest men. 

Revolution of Vodka

Yuri Kokhovetz fought back and so did Kozupitsa, but such bravery is rare in a Russian society that has grown increasingly compliant. So compliant, that many are not simply misled or innocent bystanders, but fellow perpetrators of such evil. Until the Russian citizenry stands up against their government in masse, such atrocities will continue and escalate. 

Instead of revolution, Russians have taken up the bottle. It isn't uncommon to see men stumbling over themselves in daylight, assaulting women and children, all because they've chosen vodka over action. It is estimated that 21% of Russia is drowning in alcoholism but locals, like our friend below, know that number is much higher.

There is only one path to legitimate change in Russia. Russians need to wake up from the stupor of vodka and propaganda. Russians need to arise from a culture covered in its own piss. Wake up from the bottle. Wake up from the mass hypnosis. Russia is yours, if only you want it badly enough, but it will take sacrifice and courage like Yuri and Kozupitsa. To save Russia, you must come to the conclusion that it is better to risk death than to live as if you are already dead on the inside. But instead, you talk to yourself in your sleep, "We are not hostages. We are not hostages. We are not hostages."


***************************READ: Russia Drowning********************************


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Location: Chicago, IL, USA

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