[anovikov]

Russian here. This is not misinformation or anything. This is just because yes, vast majority of Russians from all walks of life are pure evil. Even those living in the Western countries for decades. I have deleted myself from all social networks 5 years ago and people keep sending me screenshots from Russian facebook groups in Cyprus and that makes me freak out. Nearly everyone is pro-Putin. Ridiculous posts get hundreds of upvotes.

I really can't see a fix for it. You have to keep containing Russia: there is no chance in hell to ever have a sustainable democratic government there, Putin or not, because people are wholeheartedly against it - they don't respect any government that doesn't make them frightened as hell.

[rpm91]

I think calling the "vast majority" of any country "pure evil" is painting with a pretty over-broad brush.

Specifically here, social media sentiment tends to be poor evidence of anything broader, due to being dominated by the vocal minority of people who post the most, as well as a non-trivial number of bots.

[m_fayer]

On the one hand, instinctively, calling such a large group of people evil feels wrong, it's painting with too broad a brush.

On the other hand, I know where you're coming from. I grew up in NYC feeling pretty much American, but my family is Russian and I speak the language. Over years of encounters with my own extended family and the social network around them, I've struggled to not overgeneralize, to keep context in mind, and to remain open.

But it's hard when you repeatedly encounter so many deeply cynical, bigoted, punitive, and hatefully-normative personalities. I'm hardly a counter-cultural outlier, but I do deviate from the suburban right-wing-materialist worldview that this particular Russian community prefers, so I may as well be from Mars. For that I was told to my face, multiple times, that I'm not normal ("not normal" is the exact phrasing they use) - and because of that I deserve and should accept the criticism and abuse coming my way. And it just keeps coming - casual racism that's basically accepted wisdom and notably bloodthirsty (nuke em all and don't look back!). Then, habitual low-level fraud that no one even recognizes as such (you should really file for divorce! then you can do (a) and (b) and get this [social benefit!]), the elevation of hustle and cunning above all other forms of intelligence, and smug superiority when it comes to political and ethical questions.

The war is some kind of last straw for me. Now, I hear a group of people speaking Russian, I feel an instinctive revulsion. It's not good, but it is what it is.

[lifty]

I grew up in Eastern Europe and your statement regarding "the elevation of hustle and cunning above all other forms of intelligence" rings so true and brings back memories. When I grew up, being able to criminally take advantage of other people and the state was revered as a highly desirable trait. I suspect that any behaviour that leads to monetary success in a society, will slowly become admired, regardless if it's ethical or not.

[jdrc]

If it's any consolation, that's what happens to any highly corrupt country. People skirting the rules, from avoiding taxes to outright theft are called smart and others who don't are called wankers.

[jdrc]

this is becoming a theme with immigrant communities, in a similar vein how german Turks are supportive of Erdogan. I'm sure those people are not evil, but this phenomenon is worthy of investigation.

[eps]

Back when I lived in Canada and had some exposure to some of local Russian communities, it was bloody obvious that there was a concentrated Russian government effort to manipulate and control their opinion.

All online spots - forums, bbses, etc. - had at least one troll reposting from the offical news. More places than one had these as mods or admins. Agitating and stirring the pot was a daily occurence, which was quite effecient given that migrant communities tends to comprise people that aren't exactly well off and generally happy with life. To give an example - people discussing faking a divorce to double their unemployment benefits, that sort of thing. So given them an outlet to vent was working well. Conversely, those who were better established steered clear of these and formed smaller clusters of their own.

So what the GP is experiencing is likely related to them being (originally) a part of one of these poorer bubbles and the effect just lingers on.

[yznovyak]

> had at least one troll reposting from the offical news Look no further -- /u/5ESS have been "directing the narrative" here by posting the same youtube link 5 times already.

[jdrc]

Russians living in cyprus are not poor

[Ambolia]

People migrate for economic reasons, not because they want to replace their own brain with the brain of the destination country people.

The US was was relatively good at integrating migrants into a certain idea of america, but that's not the norm around the world, and I don't think that vision of america exists anymore. Maybe in the upper-middle class, but certainly gone in the lower classes.

[anovikov]

To Cyprus, Russian migrate to hide their money here and live a normal life in a normal country. They are not poor by any measure.

[Ambolia]

There's rich economic reasons and poor economic reasons, they are still economic reasons, none of them are migrating to be integrated, just to be more wealthy.

[CRConrad]

Sure, but as to Cyprus specifically, that's probably not where the poor ones go. It's a kind of l down-scale Switzerland in the economic and immigration senses.

[usrusr]

All the flag-raising and anthem-singing in US schools surely serves a purpose. We tried to avoid replicating that in Germany, for very good reasons, but now we have "third generation immigrants".

[pyb]

As an anectode, I spoke with a Turk who found Turks living in Germny much more conservative than people in Turkey.

Not to mention Brits who moved to Spain because there were "too many bloody immigrants" at home.

[anovikov]

It would be worthy of investigation if these people behaved in any way different from Russians in Russia. But they don't. My conclusion is that it has nothing to do with propaganda - to which those living abroad are naturally exposed less - but just because of what these people are.

Yes, after Soviet Union fell, we Russians found out that all we've been taught about capitalism was true: unemployment, dog-eat-dog competition, class divide and all that stuff. It's not at all a paradise we have imagined. It's time for you to see that all you've been told about Communism was true, too: McCarthy was an idiot, but he was right. There are no "good Russians" waiting to be liberated from "evil Putin". There are "evil Commies" who Putin wholly represents.

Stop trying to "fix" Russia. It is impossible. It has to be contained, made as weak and irrelevant as possible to present less danger.

[ynoxinul]

I'm a Russian in Germany. I've fled Russia after Crimea/Donbass events because of Putin's politics. No Russian I know in Germany or any other country abroad supports Putin.

[TrackerFF]

(preface: I'm from Norway)

The other day I spoke with this older Russian lady that works at the local pub - she overheard some of us patrons talking about the situation, and she went into a 20 min rant about western media being pure propaganda, that Putin was such a great guy, and that there was no real war. It was quite bizarre, as she's been living here since the mid-90s.

[ganzuul]

An expatriate's cultural identity is a fragile thing and easily threatened.