Russia vs US: Friendliness and Hostility

Post by **Winston** » May 9th, 2009, 8:59 am

A perfect summary of Russia vs US by Ladislav in my youtube video comments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEsnjj3-MZc

VladislavModelevsky
In the Us there is more courtesy but less inclusion. People just want to be left alone and /or in small cliques. That means less friendliness but also less hostility. In those countries (Russia), people are less polite but truly friendly or truly hostile.

gmm567 · Post by **gmm567** » May 9th, 2009, 6:26 pm

Well that's an interesting observation, ladislav. Tell us more. How did you come to see russia in this way.

Post by **Winston** » May 11th, 2009, 11:49 am

gmm567 wrote:Well that's an interesting observation, ladislav. Tell us more. How did you come to see russia in this way.

W: Because if you go to Russia, you will notice it. People are not that courteous. They act out how they feel and don't care if it's rude. Some find that refreshing cause it's more honest. They are also not that private. That's why it's so easy to approach girls there. There's no weird shield or ice barrier between strangers. Girls will start conversations with foreigners sometimes too.

jamesbond · Post by **jamesbond** » May 11th, 2009, 11:54 am

In America it seems like everybody hides in their houses or something! People are so private, it's ridiculous! A lot of people in the US don't even know who their nieghbors are! There is that barrier of ice that surrounds people in the US, so hence the term "breaking the ice." It would be nice if there was no ice to begin with!

ladislav · Post by **ladislav** » May 11th, 2009, 1:18 pm

jamesbond wrote:In America it seems like everybody hides in their houses or something! People are so private, it's ridiculous! A lot of people in the US don't even know who their nieghbors are! There is that barrier of ice that surrounds people in the US, so hence the term "breaking the ice." It would be nice if there was no ice to begin with!

That is not how Americans are portrayed in the media. They are actually shown as honest , open , smiling with open doors and lives. And this is how many Oriental people view Americans: the word that they use is open.

jamesbond · Post by **jamesbond** » June 26th, 2009, 5:12 pm

ladislav wrote:
jamesbond wrote:In America it seems like everybody hides in their houses or something! People are so private, it's ridiculous! A lot of people in the US don't even know who their nieghbors are! There is that barrier of ice that surrounds people in the US, so hence the term "breaking the ice." It would be nice if there was no ice to begin with!
That is not how Americans are portrayed in the media. They are actually shown as honest , open , smiling with open doors and lives. And this is how many Oriental people view Americans: the word that they use is open.

Yeah, isn't that funny how some countries view American people to be friendly and outgoing and sociable, when in reality it's just the opposite! When Winston was in Russia he met a lot of girls just by being out in public places like cafes and on buses and trains. Try doing that in the US and see how the women respond to you! LOL

When a guy strikes up a conversation with a woman on a bus or a train in the US, the woman will look at him like he is a crazy criminal or something!

That's because in America we don't talk to strangers, heck we don't even talk to our neighbors! It would be nice to met hot women in the US on buses, trains and bookstores like you can in Russia, eastern Europe and the Philippines.

Hero · Post by **Hero** » June 26th, 2009, 6:41 pm

Yeah, an American who has a few friends already generally isn't interested in making new friends.

When I graduated and was about to move to Washington, I told a fellow student "Drop by if you're ever in Washington". He told me "Thanks, but I already have friends in Washington". WTF?

ladislav · Post by **ladislav** » June 26th, 2009, 6:56 pm

Yeah, isn't that funny how some countries view American people to be friendly and outgoing and sociable, when in reality it's just the opposite! When Winston was in Russia he met a lot of girls just by being out in public places like cafes and on buses and trains. Try doing that in the US and see how the women respond to you! LOL
When a guy strikes up a conversation with a woman on a bus or a train in the US, the woman will look at him like he is a crazy criminal or something! That's because in America we don't talk to strangers, heck we don't even talk to our neighbors! It would be nice to met hot women in the US on buses, trains and bookstores like you can in Russia, eastern Europe and the Philippines.

Well, I grew up in Russia as a kid. I did not like it much as a country but I liked the friends I made with the kids there and how easily people related to each other and how one could just enter and exit groups and become a leader of a group.
Hollywood for years portrayed Russians as these dour, sullen people who do not smile and at the same time made fun of the Japanese fake smile. The only genuine smile seems to be the American one- strange.
Russians do not smile much at strangers and nor do the Brits or Germans. Smiling without a joke being told is not proper.
However, once you get to know the person, they open up very quickly.