Re:Tell HN: If You Are in Russia
by alangibson on Tuesday March 01, 2022 @05:19AM
(#30512247)
Essentialist arguments about the 'soul' of a people are generally tissue thin and fall apart on examination.
That said, history is real. It has real effects on people, both through what stories they tell about themselves as a people and through the social superstructure that builds up over time.
And boy does Russia have a bleak history. What you call a 'Russian soul' is more like the internalized cultural wear-and-tear of a rough few hundred years. The good news is that it can be changed with long term concerted effort.
That said, history is real. It has real effects on people, both through what stories they tell about themselves as a people and through the social superstructure that builds up over time.
And boy does Russia have a bleak history. What you call a 'Russian soul' is more like the internalized cultural wear-and-tear of a rough few hundred years. The good news is that it can be changed with long term concerted effort.