What Do Russians and Americans Have In Common and Where Do They Differ?

[Spacescifi]

 

Culturally that is. I won't speak of politics as I really don't care and it is a dead end anyway, plus it is also against forum rules.

Seems the differences are less than I used to think, culturally at least.

Entertainment: Like the same stuff.

Food: Differs somewhat, especially with cookies and pastries. Bread and what not. It's a European thing. In America the easiest way for me to experience European brand baked goods is to visit a middle eastern market.

Media: Russia's is state-run while in America it is more or less run by competing factions in power.

Ethics/values: it seems Russia is becoming more and more like America nowadays, even though the culture's history seems more geared toward traditional values that America tends to to have a take it or leave it attitude about.

Racial Diversity: America is a melting pot, so is is the UK and Germany. Russia? Not as much from what I have seen, correct me if I am wrong. Not sure why, but probably because immigrants prefer other places for one reason or another. Including the frigid weather among other reasons.

Now your turn. Enlighten me.

Edited January 4, 2020 by Spacescifi

[YNM]

They're humans.

They live on Earth.

[kerbiloid]

The Russkies can read this book. The 'Muricans don't can. Mostly. _{Because in Russian.}
https://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/34990163/

Almost nothing to add.

***

Drinks: both mostly make moonshine out of crops rather than wine out of grapes.

Edited January 4, 2020 by kerbiloid

[Spacescifi]

24 minutes ago, kerbiloid said:

The Russkies can read this book. The 'Muricans don't can. Mostly. _{Because in Russian.}
https://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/34990163/

Almost nothing to add.

***

Drinks: both mostly make moonshine out of crops rather than wine out of grapes.

 

Was I right or wrong... as a Murrican?

 

I can see the moonshine thing, Weather does not favor grapes nor anything tropical. Though I am sure it won't stop people from trying with some success.

 

Edited January 4, 2020 by Spacescifi

[kerbiloid]

50 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

Entertainment: Like the same stuff.

Almost same.

52 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

Food: Differs somewhat, especially with cookies and pastries. Bread and what not. It's a European thing. In America the easiest way for me to experience European brand baked goods is to visit a middle eastern market.

(My vision)
Americans tend to prefer either as-fast-as-possible food, or a restaurant.
Russians dislike the former, and prefer to save money instead of the latter.
Some typical normal dinner in a diner:  (the colored liquid is compote)

Spoiler

The home one looks similar, but on table and with tea instead of compote.

Soups are liquid, while Americans afaik prefer cream-soups.
The Campbell Tomato Soup would be fried on a pan with onions, garlic, etc, added to much greater amount of a meat/chicken broth, sliced potatoes and cabbage, to become borshch.

Pancakes are thin (2-3 mm), unlike the thick monsters with maple syrup. The maple syrup is strange and unfamiliar, only Americans use it movies. Liquid jams (cherry, strawberry) or honey is used.
Sandwiches have only one piece of bread, so they are not sandwiches (there is a whole thread about that).
Cheese and wine are much less significant.
"Boiled sausage" and "fried eggs" are major things.

Spoiler

Shawerma has various names, too. For students, sale managers, and other free artists.

The real Russian cuisine is just a simplified version of the Central European and German, without bells and whistles. Nothing to degustate for others.

1 hour ago, Spacescifi said:

Media: Russia's is state-run while in America it is more or less run by competing factions in power.

Non-politic ones are also numerous and private.

1 hour ago, Spacescifi said:

Ethics/values: it seems Russia is becoming more and more like America nowadays, even though the culture's history seems more geared toward traditional values that America tends to to have a take it or leave it attitude about.

The village made people, the city made them equal.

The European urban office culture will unite them all.

1 hour ago, Spacescifi said:

Racial Diversity: America is a melting pot, so is is the UK and Germany. Russia? Not as much from what I have seen, correct me if I am wrong. Not sure why, but probably because immigrants prefer other places for one reason or another. Including the frigid weather among other reasons.

Eastern European (prevails), Caucasus & Central Asian, Western Mongoloid components.
In cities mostly unified culturally (Eastern version of European urban culture), in rural places with their own specifics.

No significant Black African, American Indian, Indian Indian, or Australo-Melanesian component for obvious reasons.
(Far, cold, and first they would pass through the neighboring countries having long and eventful experience of neighbor interaction.
And no overseas colonies, later requiring to include rather different peoples in the state building. With all local peoples we've grown together.)

[Spacescifi]

 

 

I am sure there are private media otlets that are not bought and paid for by the state, but they hold less power than those that do... just like America.

I guess the main difference is that America typically allows more things to be broadcast that would not be allowed to the same degree elsewhere.

That goes for several countries, not just Russia.

For example, on cable I could watch RT if I had cable but I do not have cable TV anymore.

RT is Russia TV payed for by the Russian state. The views found therein often are very political in nature, and I wonder if they play news station broadcasts that the USA plays?

If it taught me one thing it is that perspective is everything. The way one nation reports something as good is considered a disaster by another and so on. On and on.

 

Edited January 4, 2020 by Spacescifi

[kerbiloid]

27 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

I am sure there are private media otlets that are not bought and paid for by the state, but they hold less power than those that do... just like America.

I guess the main difference is that America typically allows more things to be broadcast that would not be allowed to the same degree elsewhere.

That's true.

27 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

For example, on cable I could watch RT if I had cable but I do not have cable TV anymore.

RT is Russia TV payed for by the Russian state. The views found therein often are very political in nature, and I wonder if they play news station broadcasts that the USA plays?

RT is mostly for foreign broadcasting, like a Russian version of Euronews, not very big between the biggest domestic ones.
The biggest domestic ones are more or less same, but look a little different (less official style).

Some foreign channels are broadcasted by cable, but are not much popular, as far from the local real life and are looking strange.
(Say, the strange EuroNews manner to show some unknown people doing some unclear things and shouting out something in foreign languages with "No comment" caption.
Who they were?... What they did?... What did all this mean?..)
Also who wants to see them, usually already watches internet videos instead of TV.
National Geographic and Discovery are well-known.

Edited January 4, 2020 by kerbiloid

[Spacescifi]

18 minutes ago, kerbiloid said:

That's true.

RT is mostly for foreign broadcasting, like a Russian version of Euronews, not very big between the biggest domestic ones.
The biggest domestic ones are more or less same, but look a little different (less official style).

Some foreign channels are broadcasted by cable, but are not much popular, as far from the local real life and are looking strange.
(Say, the strange EuroNews manner to show some unknown people doing some unclear things and shouting out something in foreign languages with "No comment" caption.
Who they were?... What they did?... What did all this mean?..)
Also who wants to see them, usually already watches internet videos instead of TV.
National Geographic and Discovery are well-known.

 

That was about what I expected.

I actually lost all stomach for RT after a while due to the heavy politcal end. I did not even know RT was what it was at first.

I thought it just gave a different view on matters, like Euronews. Sometimes I saw interesting world news, but I began to lose interest once the poltical commentators started all start saying the same thing over and over.

I mean if I wanted to watch poltics I could watch CNN, which is run more or less by several of the competing factions that run my nation.

But I don't because I don't like politics.

 

Nonetheless, I am surprised at times that the US even airs RT, given the views expressed.

 

But America allows all sorts of stuff so go figure LOL.

 

 

Edited January 4, 2020 by Spacescifi

[kerbiloid]

12 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

RT was what it was at first.

Originally it's Russia Today.

[Spacescifi]

3 hours ago, kerbiloid said:

Almost same.

(My vision)
Americans tend to prefer either as-fast-as-possible food, or a restaurant.
Russians dislike the former, and prefer to save money instead of the latter.
Some typical normal dinner in a diner:  (the colored liquid is compote)

  Hide contents

The home one looks similar, but on table and with tea instead of compote.

Soups are liquid, while Americans afaik prefer cream-soups.
The Campbell Tomato Soup would be fried on a pan with onions, garlic, etc, added to much greater amount of a meat/chicken broth, sliced potatoes and cabbage, to become borshch.

Pancakes are thin (2-3 mm), unlike the thick monsters with maple syrup. The maple syrup is strange and unfamiliar, only Americans use it movies. Liquid jams (cherry, strawberry) or honey is used.
Sandwiches have only one piece of bread, so they are not sandwiches (there is a whole thread about that).
Cheese and wine are much less significant.
"Boiled sausage" and "fried eggs" are major things.

  Hide contents

Shawerma has various names, too. For students, sale managers, and other free artists.

The real Russian cuisine is just a simplified version of the Central European and German, without bells and whistles. Nothing to degustate for others.

 

 

Americans do like fastfood due to the convenience of it. Americans are bombarded with advertisements daily, and fastfood stores exist most everywhere people live.

As for actual Americam cuisine, America is like eating at the world's buffet. They have EVERYTHING and then some more.

I guess that is one positive that came from colonization elsewhere, even though I am aware of the negatives too.

Actual American cuisine differs by population.

 

Want BBQ? Visit the southern states, they are renowned for it. Want decent Asian or Mexican food? Visit the west coast and nearby states. Want great italian food? Visit the East coast.

The middle states are not known for any cuisine that has made them famous that I know of, but I am sure they have their unique stuff too.

 

What kind of surprised me was the Russian love of soups! But given how cold it is, I can understand why.

Personally I am a fan of German sauerkraut. Love that stuff. I consider it gourmet food, chop up some onions add boil egg to it and garlic powder and I have a gourmet meal!

 

 

Edited January 4, 2020 by Spacescifi
Fastfood not food

[kerbiloid]

4 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

What kind of surprised me was the Russian love of soups! But given how cold it is, I can understand why.

The more water - the fuller is the stomach.
A cheap way to make something edible by mixing the components in a pot.
Also typically Russians eat a lot of boiled crops (kasha). But they are mostly being replaced with potato.

9 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

German sauerkraut.

Its a typical Russian meal, too.
The Europe is divided in two climate parts: to the North they tend drink distilled spirit from crops and chase it down with cabbage, to the South they drink fermented grapes and eat olives.
The beer is a compromise.
So, the grape defines who is who. Either it grows, or not.

[Nuke]

i think russians are better with technology than we give them credit. never met a russian who wasn't good at hacking (though in my case the sample size is 2). 

[Gargamel]

14 hours ago, Spacescifi said:

Weather does not favor grapes

This is disagree with, there are numerous regions in the US that the climate is perfect for wineries.  Napa valley in Cali is one of of them, and the South East side of the Great Lakes (Ohio, PA, NY) are filled with top notch wineries that annually give the European wines a run for their money.   I suspect a temperate+ climate, with good breezes coming off a large body of water is one of the keys to this, but I'm just surmising given their locations. 

[Nuke]

when i drink wine its usually the napa stuff. mostly because its cheap.

Edited January 6, 2020 by Nuke

[DDE]

On 1/4/2020 at 5:34 PM, Spacescifi said:

Entertainment: Like the same stuff.

You haven't been introduced to the rabbithole of Soviet entertainment references. It's a deep one.

On 1/4/2020 at 5:34 PM, Spacescifi said:

Racial Diversity: America is a melting pot, so is is the UK and Germany. Russia? Not as much from what I have seen, correct me if I am wrong. Not sure why, but probably because immigrants prefer other places for one reason or another. Including the frigid weather among other reasons.

77%+ Slavic, to be specific. The next group, Tatars, are very heavily Russified.

Furthermore, across all Eastern Europe, ethnonationalism isn't as absolutely politically taboo, even if most forms of its expression invite jailtime.

On 1/4/2020 at 5:34 PM, Spacescifi said:

Ethics/values: it seems Russia is becoming more and more like America nowadays, even though the culture's history seems more geared toward traditional values that America tends to to have a take it or leave it attitude about.

The generations currently in power in Russia were witness to a series of overt, rapid, and negative changes, so opposition to any change sells very well.

The deeper, fundamental differences are, however, far more extreme. Western societies are held together by the expectation of fair play, and equality before the law; this means people can rely more on non-hierarchical cooperation, and expect reciprocation of their altruism. But as soon as you go south or east of the Hajnal line, this is replaced with societal division.

https://www.umass.edu/preferen/You Must Read This/herrmann-thoni-gachter.pdf

The informal, fluid structures, like the civil society, no longer work; so people seek safety in tribalism and hierarchy. Rules no longer matter if you can afford to break them, while no good deed goes unpunished. And since the state is the ultimate street gang, as a rule, you end up with a society centered around its nation-state structures. Because this is where power, and hence safety, is.

And the kicker: the societal trust in the West too is falling apart.

Edited January 11, 2020 by DDE

[cubinator]

Russians have round docking ports, Americans have square.

[Snark]

Folks, just a friendly reminder to stay away from political topics.

Given the topic of this thread, the temptation to delve into political comparisons and discussion may be irresistible to some, and perhaps it's a forlorn hope that people can control themselves and the thread can be left open and unlocked.

However, please try, and steer away from the political stuff, okay? Thanks.