Monday, January 04, 2010

"We know all about equality and independence — we've been there"

The practicalities are all, it seems - Marie Claire (!) on Russia's classes for millionaire-hunters :

To the Western feminist mind, it might seem a bit retrograde, yet Varra insists that Russian women are the ultimate post-feminists. "We know all about equality and independence — we've been there," she tells me. During the Soviet era, which ended in 1991, millions of men died in wars and labor camps. Women often ran their households alone, while also working in factories. The problem is that Russian men, says Varra, remain deeply patriarchal and still expect women to be subservient. "Rather than try to change men, which will take another 200 years," she says, "we might as well get whatever we can out of them now."

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought that one of the reasons that russia has population problems was that the men were drinking themselves to death with vodka.
I can't see feminism solving that. I am surprised that it has not caught on in the UK.

Anonymous said...

"Rather than try to change men, which will take another 200 years,"

200 years to change them eh? Sounds like a reflexive point of view to me. i.e. one that quietly endorses the state of affairs.

"we might as well get whatever we can out of them now."

An internally incoherent exercise in futility because most men are not millionaires.

My overall opinion? Feminism is beside the point. This is the bandit country Russia we're talking about. That Russian men and women don't like each other is because of the shallowness of Russian character. The Russian character is outwardly fairly civilised, but it thrives on pain: self inflicted or otherwise. There is a violence and lawlessness in their souls that they only talk about when they are participating in a public confession. In Russian culture the confession (to a priest or a detective) has a mysterious status well described by Dostoyevsky. Criminals are described as "unfortunates" because they secretly identify with the criminal evil. I could go on.

Anonymous said...

"we might as well get whatever we can out of them now."

Semen?

yoy said...

It's partly because of comments like that from Anonymous 2:35am that I love this blog.

Laban said...

Hmm. I'm reminded of Marshal Tukhachevsky :"Had Nicholas II but followed in the steps of Peter and Catherine, how docile the Russians would have been, for they love a despot'.

AgainsTTheWall said...

Just women doing what women do. The unusual bit is that are being open and honest about it.

I did read recently that a the strength of a woman's orgasm is related to the size of her partner's wallet

Anonymous said...

"A beautiful woman is paradise for they eyes, hell for the soul, and purgatory for the purse."
-No Idea ;)