Russians Respect their History and Elders More than Americans

Perhaps We could Learn Something (NOT Everything!) From Them?

9th of May is a Victory Day in Russia (celebrating victory over Nazi Germany in WWII), and since I have a Russian background, I have something to say about it. I know now Putin had turned Victory Day into celebration of his current war he wages in Ukraine, and that’s totally wrong, but I will talk of the original meaning of this holiday for Russian people, and why it might be beneficial for Americans especially to learn it.

This Victory Day made me think of some fundamental differences between Russian and American societies (and Western overall by extension). Many of the things in US are better than in Russia - STILL more freedom most importantly (despite all Democratic, Woke and Big Tech attempts to stifle it), women and gay rights, gun ownership, developed economy, etc. However, some things are imo objectively better in Russia, and I want to talk of that now. I will be talking not of how Russian system works (though some things like healthcare or central heating are surprisingly good here too and are better than in US imo), but about norms and values of Russian society (and nope, it would be not about religion with its sexism and homophobia as some conservatives might have hoped - here in fact Russia is submitting to Islam just like the West, thanks to Putin, so no ‘Christian paradise’ here for you either). What I’d be talking about then?

First of all, and it's especially relevant in US because of Woke mind virus, BLM and pro Pally self-destructive mass formation psychosis, when big attempts to erase our history, to smear our culture and to slander our heroes were made by new radical Woke ideology and by BLM and pro Pally movements, Russians do REALLY respect and honor and celebrate their history, their culture and their heroes. They do remember the dark chapters of their history as well but it doesn't ever give them an excuse to condemn or to deny their past entirely. They remember their heroes, and no one in their sane mind in Russia would try to pull down, desecrate or crash the statues of the heroes of WWII, as BLM radicals were doing with Churchill statue in UK (and Western mainstream media were praising them for it) or with countless statues in US (including even Lincoln one despite Lincoln had FREED Black slaves!)

Even when it comes to dark past (like Confederation in US), Russians prefer to remember and not to erase it. Even with Stalin, despite him being a ruthless dictator and mass murderer, they still remember that he was also crucial in winning WWII and defeating Nazi for good. Things are much more complex in this life than young Western Woke 'progressives' think them to be, but our past, our history and our culture are inherent part of us. If we begin to condemn or to deny it like young people in the West are doing now, we are essentially condemning and denying also our present and our own selves.

Also, Russians in general do have much more respect for their elders and older generations than in the West. I was actually initially shocked by the American young people's attitude towards people of older generation. A lot of denigration expressed in such words as 'boomer', an utter conviction that older people are so 'annoyingly regressive and outdated', absolute contempt for their views and opinions, and, worst of all, a total absence of gratitude to the battles the older generations won for us so we could have enjoyed our happy childhoods - and I mean not only world wars now, but also human and civil rights battles, sexual revolution achievements and so on.

But even there, I see a total contempt for example from young gay snowflakes for old gay veterans who paved the way for all of us since Stonewall. Alas, young people in the West and especially in US chose to forget it and don't hesitate even to call those old veterans of human rights movements 'bigots' if they disagree even with a single point of modern Woke agenda. This total absence of respect and gratitude to trailblazers who paved way for all of us through incredible hardships so we could openly express our love and be ourselves, is shocking to me. Had young Western folks lost all shame and all respect with those regards?

Also, I observe this arrogant, contemptuous and dismissive attitude of young people towards older generations in the West even on personal level. Many young people don't even have deep close and confidential relations with their parents or grandparents but rather kind of 'social duty' type of relations with them, and openly tell shit of their parents to their friends (like some Finnish young people were telling to me of their parents - yeah, I have a Finnish background too, I’m a very diverse guy lol - Russian-Finnish-American).

Again, this is SO completely shocking and incomprehensible for me. I have very close and deep relation with my mother, I respect her deeply despite some disagreements, and I trust her intuition, insights and sharp wit much more than of many of my young and so-called 'progressive' friends. Yeah I would understand if there was some trauma or some deep bad shit in family relations (like parents beating their kids, or homophobic parents throwing their gay kids out of homes, etc.), but this general contempt and dismissal of older generation as 'boomers' looks completely wrong and absolutely immoral to me. This attitude - 'oh those old boomers don't get anything about life' also triggers me - come on, my mum with her wit understand much more about life than many of you, snowflakes.

Russians don't do that. They respect their mums and dads, they trust them and don't usually talk shit of them behind their backs (though ofc everything depends on particular person but general attitude towards older generation is more respectful in Russia than in US imo, and I consider it to be a good thing). So yeah there is some food for thought for young American generation. The tree can't grow without its roots. We are doomed to repeat old mistakes over and over again, if we forgot the lessons of our past. And, most importantly, we can fully respect and accept ourselves and our own lives only if we learned to respect our ancestors and our past, despite all possible disagreements with our elders or shameful moments of our history.