An American tourist in Russia
Today I was browsing CNN, and it occurred to me that western news, aside from regurgitating literal Nazi war propaganda, just does not have much to say about Russia. Furthermore, Americans are exposed to very few pictures from Russia. So, I decided to share some snaps from my daily commute to school in Moscow.
Recently Maria and I watched the 1934 Soviet film Chapaev, a biopic of Vasily Chapaev, a Russian folk hero from the Civil War. 88 years later, this movie aged well and is still as relevant as ever. Movies tend to grow stale over time and become unwatchable (who wants to watch a typical film from the 1930s, for the love of God), but this isn’t one of them. Chapaev is just as watchable and exciting as any contemporary war movie, and the lessons are just as important now as they were when it first hit the silver screen.
The military conflict in Ukraine has become the biggest “hot” story of the week and sparked a wave of hysteria across the internet. These developments are significant, but everyone is losing their heads for basically no reason. In this post I’ll provide some answers, based on my own personal knowledge and experience (and trying not to stray outside topics I’m qualified to opine on). I will also address some questions fielded by my readers in the comment threads of my previous posts. I will also, finally, get around to properly filling out a brief autobiography of myself, my relationship with Russia, and why any of you should care.
