As-is
Нечаянно уловлено другом из переписки одного реального иностранца. Может и бояном скоро станет. Однако, очень мило, а главное - как не согласиться?
In Russia to BE ...
In Russia everybody is angry.
There is no particular reason for that.They are just angry.
It's a kind of an existential thing: In Russia to BE,is to be angry .That's how people are born,or rather...learn to BE as soon as they are born.
Smile? --What's that?
Answer a question? --Who do you think I am,your servant?
Give a helping hand? --Dai mne dengi! (...the 3 first words a modern Russian learns--together with the Datelnii Patezh)
Angry.All day long.
--But there must be some reason,no?
Well,I know a few: the taxi-driver who takes you to the hotel is angry because he would rather continue sleeping than work.The other driver who didn't get the ride is angry because he missed his chance of making some good money from the stupid tourist.The saleswoman is angry,because she is payed to...sell for free! The policeman is angry,because,however hard he tries,he can't steal enough money...per hour.The devoushka at the c pravochnajia kaca at the train station is angry,because her ... technologicheski pereriv has just finished...and the next ychot comes after an hour,...and the obed two hours later...and oh my God...she'll have to give answers to idiotic travellers in the mean-time.
But still; adding a thousand angry people in a thousand places cannot give us the reason why the Russians are angry.I mean the... real reason.Of why they are really angry.
For try satisfying all their wishes and you'll soon find out that they will still be angry--even more angry! For now there will not even be an excuse to be angry--and that's so annoying! Angggr!
Give the taxi-driver 200 rubles instead of 150 that you agreed for,and he'll become so angry...because he will have realized that had he asked you for 300 in the first place you would have accepted --and he didn't.Oh,why didn't he?!
Give the devushka at the hotel reception a big smile and you will see her anger grow so much.She will think you are some kind of clown laughing at her because ...she is serving you--and her job is ...definitely NOT to serve you.The pereriv is her real job--work is simply the unnoying interval between ...dva pereriva!
Try helping the bell-boy because your suitcase is too heavy and he will become so angry...because he'll think you are helping him in order to avoid ...tipping him!
Basically,in Russia,you can neither ask for help,nor give help.Ask for a smile, nor give a smile.Ask a question,or give an answer.Everything you do or not do simply leads to more anger! Angggr!
--OK;what about trying all possible actions in a situation--all possible combinations?
OK,let's try it.Let's take ...negociating prices (the main job of every visitor in Russia from morning to evening):
If you negociate a price too much they get angry because you end up paying much less than they wanted.
If you negociate the price a little they are still angry...because they gave you a ckidka when you would have probably accepted their initial price had they remained more firm.
If you don't negociate at all,that's the worst of all!They become so angry, because they realize that they have just missed their big chance to make a fortune by asking for much more!
And,of course,if you turn away and go,they are still angry,because they failed to sell.
It's very simple:there is nothing you can either do or not do,to lessen the anger.For less anger is ...more anger.And anger is simply anger.
In Russia everybody is angry--just angry.And no visitor can fail to ...go with the flow and simply become...just as angry. Or rather...just as Russian!
In Russia to BE ...
In Russia everybody is angry.
There is no particular reason for that.They are just angry.
It's a kind of an existential thing: In Russia to BE,is to be angry .That's how people are born,or rather...learn to BE as soon as they are born.
Smile? --What's that?
Answer a question? --Who do you think I am,your servant?
Give a helping hand? --Dai mne dengi! (...the 3 first words a modern Russian learns--together with the Datelnii Patezh)
Angry.All day long.
--But there must be some reason,no?
Well,I know a few: the taxi-driver who takes you to the hotel is angry because he would rather continue sleeping than work.The other driver who didn't get the ride is angry because he missed his chance of making some good money from the stupid tourist.The saleswoman is angry,because she is payed to...sell for free! The policeman is angry,because,however hard he tries,he can't steal enough money...per hour.The devoushka at the c pravochnajia kaca at the train station is angry,because her ... technologicheski pereriv has just finished...and the next ychot comes after an hour,...and the obed two hours later...and oh my God...she'll have to give answers to idiotic travellers in the mean-time.
But still; adding a thousand angry people in a thousand places cannot give us the reason why the Russians are angry.I mean the... real reason.Of why they are really angry.
For try satisfying all their wishes and you'll soon find out that they will still be angry--even more angry! For now there will not even be an excuse to be angry--and that's so annoying! Angggr!
Give the taxi-driver 200 rubles instead of 150 that you agreed for,and he'll become so angry...because he will have realized that had he asked you for 300 in the first place you would have accepted --and he didn't.Oh,why didn't he?!
Give the devushka at the hotel reception a big smile and you will see her anger grow so much.She will think you are some kind of clown laughing at her because ...she is serving you--and her job is ...definitely NOT to serve you.The pereriv is her real job--work is simply the unnoying interval between ...dva pereriva!
Try helping the bell-boy because your suitcase is too heavy and he will become so angry...because he'll think you are helping him in order to avoid ...tipping him!
Basically,in Russia,you can neither ask for help,nor give help.Ask for a smile, nor give a smile.Ask a question,or give an answer.Everything you do or not do simply leads to more anger! Angggr!
--OK;what about trying all possible actions in a situation--all possible combinations?
OK,let's try it.Let's take ...negociating prices (the main job of every visitor in Russia from morning to evening):
If you negociate a price too much they get angry because you end up paying much less than they wanted.
If you negociate the price a little they are still angry...because they gave you a ckidka when you would have probably accepted their initial price had they remained more firm.
If you don't negociate at all,that's the worst of all!They become so angry, because they realize that they have just missed their big chance to make a fortune by asking for much more!
And,of course,if you turn away and go,they are still angry,because they failed to sell.
It's very simple:there is nothing you can either do or not do,to lessen the anger.For less anger is ...more anger.And anger is simply anger.
In Russia everybody is angry--just angry.And no visitor can fail to ...go with the flow and simply become...just as angry. Or rather...just as Russian!