Truth and lies about Russian mentality

Interesting thing - and the pro-Western liberals and their opponents, contemporary Slavophiles - native soil, share the same conception of the historical formation of the mentality of the Russian people. Of course, diametrically opposed assessments are made, but in the main, both are, in fact, adhere to the same point of view.

Here is a typical structure of reasoning.

... Severe weather conditions led to the fact that even by working at the limit of the forces, the Russian peasant was barely able to feed themselves and their families. Since there was practically no surplus product, market relations developed very slowly ( just nothing to trade ). The harsh climate made ​​it difficult to maintain sharp individual farms, forcing farmers contracted to the community and helped to create egalitarian and collectivist principles. ...

Based on these assumptions, the Slavophiles - native soil make the following conclusions:.

a. The Russian people, collectivist, and it is very good.

2. Russian people are not self-seeker by nature, does not pursue profit, capitalism, with its cult of greed, the Russian does not fit.

3. Russian people vysokoduhoven he mirosozertsatel. Europeans, by contrast, is prudent and rational, rather than an arithmetic of the soul.

And that's what they write pro-Western liberals.

a. Russian people do not mirosozertsatel and lazy and a slacker, always put their trust to chance Emelya lying on the stove.

2. Cursed ... No respect for private life, and a few talented and motivated people with entrepreneurial spirit and the upstarts believe strongly pressured.

3. Russian is not eager for profit, not because vysokoduhoven, but because it used to, that nothing of it depends, there is simply no profit, barely enough to live, hence the damned equalization.

4. Russian is slipshod, not accustomed to the procedure, because of economic incentives to be disciplined, for hundreds of years simply did not exist.

Here is a typical example of the above - the argument of the radical liberal, well-known journalist and writer of A. Nikonov:.

... Why are we - are you? . As such there is the Russian peasant way of life, which made Russian Russian - lazy, unnecessary, sloppy, careless gouging, always count on maybe?. Russia is very cold country with poor soils, so here it is these people live, and not other. In Europe, the agricultural period of ten months, and five in Russia. The difference - twice. In Europe, do not work in the field only in December and January. In November, for example, you can sow winter wheat, knew about the British agriculturists in the XVIII century. In February, to carry out other works. So, if you calculate it turns out that the Russian peasant has a plow on the work, except for threshing grain, 100 days. And the 30 days spent on hay. What's that? . The head of a family of four ( odnotyaglovy farmer ) manages to physically plow two and a half acres. And in Europe - twice as many. The average yield... under the instruments of labor was very 3. That is one of the three grain grew. Of the 12 pounds - 36. Minus one peck at the seeds, obtained 24 pounds - net output per acre. With two and a half acres - 60 pounds. This is a family of 4 persons. A family of four, given that women and children are eating less is 2.8 adults. Given that the annual consumption rate - 24 pounds per person. That is, should be almost 70 pounds. And there are only 60. Moreover, one has to subtract a part to feed livestock - horses oats, raise a cow. And instead of 24 put under the biological norm, Russians consumed pounds of 12-15-16. 1,500 calories a day instead of the needs of the body 3000. Here you mean Russia - a country where bread is not always enough. Where life has always been to limit the possibility of. The eternal struggle, the eternal fear of hunger.... But if you suddenly think, ... In winter, work was also a great deal. Due to permanent poverty... the Russian peasant, unlike in Europe, did not walk in boots. In order to shod the whole family - 4 people - in boots, a farmer had to sell three-quarters of its grain. This is unrealistic. Boots was simply unavailable. Russia went in sandals. In the year of the farmer harbored from 50 to 60 pairs of bast. Multiplying the whole family. Made shoes, of course, winter, summer, there was no time. Buy the fabric on the market the farmer could not. More precisely, we could, but as the gift of a rare luxury, and it was only my wife, my daughter never bought. A dressing should be. Therefore, women spun and wove in the winter. Plus, cooking belts, harnesses, saddles. Logging for firewood. Incidentally, before the end of the XVIII century in Russia was not even drunk, and the wood felled with axes. No matter how much you may be working, still all in God's hands, wants to - will not want to - kill you. Work, do not work - from almost anything you do not depend. Hence, in this eternal Russian dependence on ... All the time, the Russian man living, except for a dream since childhood was spent on simple physical survival... Some people think that just because Stalin's collective farms have taken root, and that they were absolutely in the spirit of the national. And in keeping with past life. Yes, I'm talking about this fucking communality. All Russian peasant psychology - the psychology of collectivism. On the one hand, it is good: all must help each other. But the other side is a communal intolerance of ... Without this collectivist psychology, retarding the development of capitalism ( which essentially consists in the greater atomization, individualization of society), the Russian peasants were simply not survive. Well, could not exist a single farmer in plowing time pressure, when the ... Ten to twenty days sick for not plowed - and your family are doomed to starvation. ... ...
Full interview here. http://www. contrtv. ru/print/2185 / ».

What can I say about this? . Please note that the conclusions that make a liberal, do not differ from the conclusions of the Slavophiles, native soil. Estimates differ, but no conclusions. The fact that the native soil is mirosozertsatelnostyu, then simply called the lazy liberal. As you can see, they both believe that the lazy farmer, sitting on the stove emelyushka day long, but some think it's because he mirosozertsaet, and others - that the idle.

The conclusion, to say the least, very strange. First, a long time and detail that the Russian people his whole life injected from morning till night, and then concludes that Russian laziness. This is a logical nonsense. But the native soil is not better. While agreeing that the life of the peasant was very, very hard, they are for some reason also believe in Yemelya - mirosozertsatelya, which is not self-seeker, and not after the profit, is currently on the stove, whistles kiddies master and tells the tales surrounding. As one head can fit two mutually exclusive ideas - God knows. Personally to me it is obvious that, in contrast, is completely kills the Russian climate mirosozertsatelnost, or if you want, laziness. It is in Europe, the farmer, even while working much less Russian, provides a complete, and further work is carried out in order to receive the surplus that can be profitable to sell in the market. In such circumstances, it is possible, providing themselves more and not working, you will not die from hunger. Europeans can work in a slipshod manner - the nature of grace is still richly reward even razdolbaya, and in Russia lazy - mirosozertsateli automatically die from hunger and cold. The Russian all is in motion, all adapted to the economy, and in the work everyone, including women in the last month of pregnancy.

Again, because of the terrible Russian climate forced to be extremely prudent and even cynical - always have to be considered, and the slightest mistake is death from cold and / or hunger. And here it is appropriate to quote an expert of the XIX century peasant life, a businessman of Agricultural Engelhardt. In contrast to the ... To successfully run a business, one must know their business partners, so Engelhardt I trust more than any poet - writers. And that's what he writes about the ...

... Note: A. Zykina ) consisted of boiled potatoes. This surprised me, because I heard that people grabory wealthy, industrious, usually receives a higher, almost double against the common charge of rural workers, and eat well.

- What is it? . - One potato.
- Why so?.
- Yes, it is not necessary better is when you work with the journey-work.
- Here is how! .
- Yes, and you! .
- What do you eat then?.
- Then? . Strong, it means that the food we eat, the thick. On how many potatoes do?.

- Do you think you do not care what is? .

Contractor looked at me with bewilderment. He was evidently surprised, as I do not understand such a simple thing, and he began to explain to me.

- We do not eat well, now that we are working with the journey-work, because we do not care how much we do not, pay the same, the same 45 cents a day. Now, if we have earned by the piece - a ditch dug, the earth were taken - that's another matter, then we had better do more, work for 75 cents, on the ruble a day, and this one did not work out potatoes. Then we ate solid food - bacon, porridge. We know how to eat, and work. Eat potatoes - the potato will work, eat porridge - porridge at work.

- Well, if I raised daily wage, and asked you to eat better?.
- Well, it can be. Why not? .
- Well, the job went to a dispute, then?.
- Perhaps, the dispute. - A more profitable if I were? .
- Why not?.
- Work is a. Work blanket, together, decide it can not be. We no longer sit idly by, work status, collateral do as the law relies. And then the same would work - well, prinalegli least occasionally, to pleasure you to do, especially if you guys brought the vodka. So in fact, guys? . - Work is not the same - continued contractor - work here hand, indiscriminate, it can not be considered. Work, but not like the piece, yet each save up yourself - do not ubitsya also at work - there is no action, and the board is still by the day. ...

This short piece breaks into smithereens several myths. The first myth - the ideal of egalitarian supposedly inherent in the Russian. Just think, a Russian man, a farmer, came into gang navvies, to the extent hates egalitarianism that is ready to eat bad to worse to work and ... Porter speaks directly ... But if financial incentives are calculated individually, the farmer makes an investment in itself - it is better fed, better to work and earn more.

This limit of cynicism and prudence, can not be found, perhaps, even among the Germans, which is considered to be exemplary accountants. That is the second myth of uncalculated mirosozertsatelyah flies to hell. The Russian peasant is constantly looking for additional income, organizing cooperatives, went to town on second jobs. This is understandable, hunger and cold with a dead furnace chase. Yes, and the furnace in Russia does not deposit - cold. Do not believe me? . It is only in fairy tales about the Simons yes Emel trees themselves in the wood turning. Firewood - in the absence of a chainsaw - hellish work, and have a lot of wood - in central Russia is snow much longer than in Europe.

But if the Russian prudent, enterprising, individualistic, then why do they live worse than even those Europeans who migrated to Russia and Russian deployed close to your farm? .

Indeed, the argument is a serious. Farms Germans who moved to Russia, indeed, clearly stronger than the Russian - home is best, prosperous life - and the environment is the same, the same cold, the same climate. What's the deal here? . Methods and approaches of the farm settlers formed back in Europe. And the Europeans have a space for experimental and commercial, in Russian - there is almost no. Europeans may be on a part of their land to try to use the new technology economy - a negative result only leads to a decrease in profitability and positive, on the contrary, it is worth it. In Russia, the risk on the ground - is the risk of life itself. Therefore, the Russian peasant as opposed to innovation, he kosen, as used to copy the experience of ancestors, an experience that allowed them to survive. The Europeans are ahead in the Russian agricultural technologies, work out more in Europe, the Russian experiment with such a possibility was almost devoid of, and the inertia resulting from the eternal fear prevented these technologies to adopt. Not lazy, not alleged lack of prudence and mirosozertsatelnost, harm to the Russian people and the downtrodden lives and centuries of poverty. That's why the settlement of German colonists and differed from the Russian villages of greater prosperity.

So, are those that believe, though Russian mentality - a brake on the development of capitalism in Russia. Westerners are wrong, curse Russian laziness and egalitarian ideal - there is in Russia, neither the one nor the other. Wrong, and native soil - Slavophiles rejoiced Russian dreaminess and sozirtsatelnosti - it is a fiction, and fiction stupid.

Dmitry Zykin.

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