BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Russian Culture More comments on Eric Norton's Trapping the Bear

Michael Macuk submitted an article titled "Comments on Trapping the Bear"

Article's URL is http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art28569.asp

Now I'm afraid... do I want to read it? <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I will admit right now - it is very difficult being in a situation that is directly challenging the Western way of thinking, propaganda, and even raison d'etre for so many decades.

I know, I know. I also suspect that your curiosity will make you read it in the end <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

See now why in my bio I refused to talk politics?

If I were to write an article saying how Russia was to blame for so many problems, I GUARANTEE that it would receive wonderful reviews.

However, I write an article about how Russia is the VICTIM of the West about certain things, and I'm criticized for promoting "communist-era propaganda". Why is it so difficult for people to believe that politics is a two-way street, and that the West is NOT BLAME-FREE for Russia's problems today?

Because I wrote the article in English and not Russian (I'm not going to work on translating it!), I've not been able to share it with too many people actually living in the former USSR. The one person who so far has given me feedback is, ironically, anti-Putin and pro-NATO, so it was basically the same feedback I would have gotten from an American!

Do you want me to translate your article into Russian and announce it all over the Russian forums? I guarantee you tons of approvals!


But will it change anything? It would prove what you already wrote:

1) the West is NOT BLAME-FREE (and who IS?!)
2) politics is a two-way street (it is not good OR bad, it is good AND bad)

For me, it's like with the saying about democracy : it is to blame for thousand things and to praise fro only one: we humans know nothing better.

I've promised my friends that one day I would translate it. But I'm used to only translating things like letters, maybe some academic documents. I have only translated some political articles from Russian to English before... never the other way around! So, if you would rather translate it (probably you would do 100% better than I would, anyway), then I would be very appreciative. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Seriously, I am so interested in getting comments not only from Cold War-educated Americans, but from people in Russia and the former USSR, too.

Are you trapping me now <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ?

I'll do my best but cant promise doing this fast. I'm working on a new project for the Mediterranean Institute of Neurobiology, just imagine that! So please 'bear' with me.

I am indeed interested in the other side's opinion -- not so much personally (I suspect I can predict what it can be) but rather for balancing the discussion.

Here's a post to support Eric's opinion, from russianmeetingplace.com, signed by Pawel_PL. USA, Slavophile Occidentalist:

"As a Pole I cannot say that I'm a Russophile, but I think that Russophobia and other sorts of anti-Russian trends are not ealthy or rational either."

Very interesting, especially from someone from Poland! I would think most Poles would just want to have negative feelings towards Russia, no matter what.