Eastern Euro Culture is more Similar to Asian than Western?

[celery2010]

I've noticed over the course of my entire life, that people of Eastern European descent tend to single me out to be friends often over people of Western culture (i'm asian).

In fact recently, it has been 2 women who have shown interest and it makes me wonder if Eastern Europeans would feel closer to Asians in a group of Westerners?

Not an isolated incident, IMO. I stayed with an old Romanian lady in New York and she told me her daughter's boyfriend was I believe either Viet or Chinese.

Any opinions on this?

How do the Russian people behave in Guangzhou? I saw a small Russian community when i was in Beijing in 2011.

Of course, there is still racism and a certain segment of the population does not necessarily identify with Asians, and of course the further west you go in Eastern Europe, the more westernized the people.

[ladislav]

I would say it is closer to Asia for the following reasons:

1) It is geographically closer so people lived with Asians and under Asians for a long time. There's been more exchange. You could say that about Texas and Mexicans there- the people are used to Mexican culture and are "closer" to it.
2) When the Russians colonized Siberia, they were not as nasty to the Asian population as other Europeans which colonized other parts of Asia. There were no genocides ( except for skirmishes here and there). Earlier settlers intermarried with Asian women quite naturally creating a mestizo class. Indigenous Asians were not run off their land. The Russians did not call neither Mongols nor native Siberian tribes as "Asians" and did not refer to themselves as "white". Unlike in America. They called themselves "Roosskie" and they called those people by the name they called themselves- Tatars, Mongols, Yakut, Nenetz, Chukcha.
3) Both Asian countries and E. Euro countries were poor and peasant for a long time and many still are. Which means a) they have the same rural family structure that is required to survive in an agricultural society-- and all rural families on earth are alike--b) because they're still poor , they do not view Asians as someone poorer but rather as someone richer.
4) Asians as a rule are not on their shit list . They did not have a Yellow Peril propaganda, or hateful wars in Korea and VN where they would carry out huge "anti-Yellow" propaganda as in the USA. Russia had a war with Japan but was defeated and then they were defeated economically by Japan. All the hatreds are directed against other targets- Gypsies, Jews, Turks and each other. Asians are generally are not on a radar.
5) Reiterated: there's no official or non-official "white" identity in E.Europe as in the Anglo world. There are no 'white' people there listed anywhere. No such concept. People are just called by the name of their ethnic group-- Czechs, Russians, Lithuanians. They don't understand the term "white". They would just call an Asian by his ethnic group- Korean, Chinese, etc.

Some Russians dislike the Chinese, not Asians. It's the neighbor thing.

Which brings me to an anecdote: One Japanese guy who was in Moscow walked into some bad neighborhood and was in a store buying something. The owner glowered at him and said" You got money to buy this, Chink-head?" The Japanese guy answered: "I'm not a Chink-head, I 'm a Jap-head. " The owner made a 180 degree turnaround and started fawning on the Japanese guy- "Yes, sir, sorry sir, thank you sir, please come back any time , sir" etc.

It was not an Asian- white thing that happened. It was prejudice of a "Rooskie" vs. "Kitayetz" * Cathay person- the Russians call China "Kitay"-Cathay that is. A Japanese person was exempt.

If it were an American racist, he would just say the crown phrase of: "Same f--king shit!"

[celery2010]

Ladislav-- what is your background- are you speaking as an eastern european (foreign born)?

I think it is more than just your argument of "proximity", the Texas/Mexico example. For example, countries such as Poland, Slovenia, Romania have little to no contact with Asians and seem to have similiar dispositions to Russians, when it comes to Asians.

I definitely think that Eastern Europeans have some compatibility with Asians. I still think that they of course have may more in common with Western Euros, but they seem very compatable with east asians as well.

I have met definitely met some Eastern Europeans who were racist initially, but i haven't seen a ridiculous amount of true hate-- but i haven't spent time in Russia since 1995-- so i have no first hand experience.
In a place like America where they may feel out of place, perhaps they would target Asians as having more in common.

I have read on many boards about how Western Europeans and Americans can't understand Slavic culture. To me, as a Westernized Asia, it seems very familiar and very easy to figure out as an Asian. People from places like England are just positively stumped though!!

Except maybe the Czechs and Slovaks. They seem very Western, and i am also not quite sure about Balkan countries.

[ladislav]

Yes my background is foreign born. What I'm trying to say is that most Asian cultures still preserve strong family ties and friendships due to having only recently emerged from agrarian societies just as is the case with E. Euros. For example, rural Ukrainians and rural Filipinos are very similar in the way they view the world, other people, family, friendship, etc. Urbanized Asian people such as HK and Sg and Japan love Brits and Americans and get along very well with them. There's no way a Russian and a Singaporean Chinese would have anything in common.

Correct me if I'm wrong but Poland was under the Mongols for a part of its history.

The Czechs are basically Slavic Germans in everything except language and names.

So, it's not all so cut and dried as dividing people into Asians vs Westerners, E. Euroes, etc.
Now, if you look at people in America with its unique racial categories, maybe what you say is the case.

In Asia itself, the masses of the people cannot tell one Gweilo from another. A Russian is a white devil and so is a Brit. In Thailand they are both farangs and will be treated as such.

[Winston]

I found Eastern European women very approachable and easy to talk to. I don't know if me being Asian had anything to do with it though.

I do find them similar to Asian women in that:

- They act very meek, modest, and feminine, and do not act arrogant or masculine.
- They are also very thin.
- They have good fashion sense and wear nice clothes, and like wearing skirts and boots.

But I think they are more approachable than Asian women (especially NE Asian women) in that they aren't as shy or paranoid about talking to strangers, at least with me they aren't.

[tom]

I remember seeing those occasional Asian looking Ukrainian girls, the remnants of the Mongols. Comparing them to China to me it seemed the Chinese were closer to America than Ukraine was. But each Eastern European county is different, some vary greatly like Estonia vs Montenegro.

I just ran across this, it might be interesting too.
The Impact of National Culture
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http ... mt_414.ppt

[celery2010]

Come to think of it, i have read that they seem to be open and act in a similar manner to other western guys as well. Very open, easy to get to know and pleasant to interact with.

However, i think that Slavs crave emotional closeness, much like Asians. Westerners are too individualistic and cold to each other as to not "encroach on individual freedom".

I have noticed in the U.S. that some Slavs do not integrate so much into Western society. I know that there are now Eastern Euros all over Western Europe, but i have not been to Europe since the mid-90s!

The thing about these girls that i have met, is that they talk to me and open up emotionally in a way that Western women almost never do. I'd also imagine in bed and in a relationship, that they are much more emotional and involved. Western women seem like cold fish in comparison. Sure you can get off, but they are not letting you into their soul.

I was watching a marriage tour video on Youtube and common middle Americans and Anglos are just so culturally different from Russians/Ukrainians. They just don't seem to get Russians. I'm not surprised that Western Euro stag parties guys have difficulty connecting with Eastern Euro women.

Not only that, they are so disrespectful to Eastern European men, calling them ugly and unstylish. I have no such issues. I like Eastern Europeans guys as friends, no issue for me, unless they want to beat my a** or are extremely racist or something.

I was reading, and even Winston seemed to have found genuine girls who seemed to like him, it's just that he went a little girl crazy and went more for the really hot ones.

[celery2010]

In Asia itself, the masses of the people cannot tell one Gweilo from another. A Russian is a white devil and so is a Brit. In Thailand they are both farangs and will be treated as such.

I don't think this is the case in Northern China and Korea, where they are more likely to have more in common with Slavs.

For example, i've seen marriages between Former USSR women and Korean men, on Korean national TV and they seem to get along well. There are also some notable N. Chinese and Russian female marriages as well. Whereas with western women, it's a far bigger gap. There are Russians in China and Korea and they are definitely seen as distinct and different and treated differently than Westerners.

It's only in SE Asia, where there is no seperation and they don't care. Thais and Filipinos have much less in common with Eastern Europeans and don't see the differences or seem to acknowledge them.

[ladislav]

However, i think that Slavs crave emotional closeness, much like Asians.

Not the Japanese though. What emotional closeness? And many N. Asians never let others know what they're thinking. A lone Samurai and a lone cowboy are very similar. On a train in Japan people will not talk to each other even if they travel 24 hours side by side.

Impossible in the Slavic world-- they will share food, sing together, etc. Like hell would this happen with a group of statue-like Japanese robots. But an Anglo will not feel cold among them and will fit right in.

[Repatriate]

I'm not seeing the connection between eastern europeans and asians to be honest. History and geography aside the cultural overlap is minimal even if some slavs have Mongol genetic lineage in them in some regions.

Chinese, Korean, and Japanese are part of the same cultural overlap for sure. Japan is basically a version of the Tang dynasty that underwent its own evolution into what it is now. If you look at Japanese architecture and traditional style (kimono) a lot of it originated from Tang. All 3 cultures underwent a lot of their own unique changes throughout history but there are much more similarities than differences.

On the other hand Eastern Europeans are from scattered viking ancestry mixed in with a lot of western european influences. I don't find anything about the demeanor of slavs to be like asians either. I think slavs are much more aggressive, mercurial, and fatalistic. The 3 NE Asian cultures tend to be more cautious, forward thinking, and reserved.

I'm not sure if there is anything you can compare slavic culture too really. It's its own thing in the world.

[ladislav]

Russians and Filipinos are alike in family structure, the romantic and sensual nature and the ease with which strangers instantly mingle. The folk music sounds almost the same.

All the other comparisons will be along the behavior based on social class lines- Chinese peasants will find E. Euro peasants similar in terms of social values and structures. Hence the similarities observed. Urban Asians will be very much similar to their Western counterparts, otoh.

Japanese = Germans/Scandinavians
Chinese = Brits
Koreans- Irish?

[Repatriate]

Russians and Filipinos are alike in family structure, the romantic and sensual nature and the ease with which strangers instantly mingle. The folk music sounds almost the same.

All the other comparisons will be along the behavior based on social class lines- Chinese peasants will find E. Euro peasants similar in terms of social values and structures. Hence the similarities observed. Urban Asians will be very much similar to their Western counterparts, otoh.

Japanese = Germans/Scandinavians
Chinese = Brits
Koreans- Irish?

Koreans being the Irish of Asia is a pretty interesting comparison. I'd say maybe a more industrious Irish. Ireland basically rides the coattails of EU/UK investment on the other hand Korea is a genuine global competitor. Plus Korea is pumping out some really good film directors and K-pop is a pretty viral media thing in many parts of the world long before Psy. Korea has a history of being colonized and rebelling over long periods like Ireland too.

[celery2010]

No, i'd say the Koreans are more like the Polish. They are the East Asian nationality that is most similar to Eastern Europeans. They are stuck between two giants and were repressed a lot. They also drink alot and like hard liquors. Maybe also the Chinese. I agree that the Japanese are COMPLETLY different.

I'd say that the Japanese are more like UK/German mix. Very similar to the UK due to the island mentalityand more cosmopolitan nature. More like the Germans in their sense of solidarity and work ethic.

If you look at Kim Jong Un's wife. She even looks (facial features) like someone Polish. They also have wide faces, eat pickled vegetables, suffer cold winters and have a decent population in the former USSR.

The Chinese also seem in common but it can be hard to say whether that's due to the communism aspect or if it's actually culture.

Actually in 2011, when i was travelling in China, i met a Polish couple and i asked them if he thought that there were similarities between China and Poland. He said thatif you go to the Ukraine, you can see areas and a society that looks (at least superfically) a lot more like China.

[celery2010]

Russians and Filipinos are alike in family structure, the romantic and sensual nature and the ease with which strangers instantly mingle. The folk music sounds almost the same.

All the other comparisons will be along the behavior based on social class lines- Chinese peasants will find E. Euro peasants similar in terms of social values and structures. Hence the similarities observed. Urban Asians will be very much similar to their Western counterparts, otoh.

Japanese = Germans/Scandinavians
Chinese = Brits
Koreans- Irish?

Then in this respect, Eastern Europeans should have similar affinities for people from Peru, Ghana and Iraq.

The other main culture i see a lot of Eastern Europeans have affinity for is Arab/Middle Eastern culture. I guess to be honest, i see more Eastern Europeans hanging out with say Iranians, Lebanese, Israelis, Turks, etc, although in Russia itself, they are highly discriminated against. The people i spoke with said that they cannot trust them.

Plus, Balkan people (and even a little bit for many Ukrainians) have a heavy racial and cultural influence from the Turks.

[Jester]

I'm not seeing the connection between eastern europeans and asians to be honest. History and geography aside the cultural overlap is minimal even if some slavs have Mongol genetic lineage in them in some regions.

Chinese, Korean, and Japanese are part of the same cultural overlap for sure. Japan is basically a version of the Tang dynasty that underwent its own evolution into what it is now. If you look at Japanese architecture and traditional style (kimono) a lot of it originated from Tang. All 3 cultures underwent a lot of their own unique changes throughout history but there are much more similarities than differences.

On the other hand Eastern Europeans are from scattered viking ancestry mixed in with a lot of western european influences. I don't find anything about the demeanor of slavs to be like asians either. I think slavs are much more aggressive, mercurial, and fatalistic. The 3 NE Asian cultures tend to be more cautious, forward thinking, and reserved.

I'm not sure if there is anything you can compare slavic culture too really. It's its own thing in the world.

Nice analysis, thanks.