Organization: Penn State University
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 09:04:00 EST
From: <BAV2@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet
Subject: Re: Soc.Culture.Soviet (Chainhorsky,s article)
 <93011.100017BAV2@psuvm.psu.edu> <C0poKH.A1s@cs.columbia.edu>

This is an E-mail I received from Alex Chainhorsky. He asked me to post
it becouse of some difficulties with his post ware. I would like to
stress his opinions DO NOT reflect mine.

-Boris
--------------------------- cut here ------------------------------

Date: Mon, 11 Jan 93 15:50:59 PST
From: alex@corte-madera.sds.slb.com (Alex Chaihorsky)
Message-Id: <9301112350.AA04565@corte-madera.sds.slb.com>
To: BAV2@psuvm.psu.edu
Subject: A copy of my mail to DIPLOMAT


Subject: Russkaja Kul'tura and Russian culture.

Despite that natural cool-off that I felt after reading one of your messages
 that
where you told as that you have been a Russian diplomat, I write this because I
believe that you`re right on th emoney when you talk about Russian
 culture/education.
1. Russian education was BAD in general, but Boris probably talks about good
 schools
 - yes we had a few (so did and does the US !).
2. Russian education is in ruins NOW and was getting there slowly since the end
 of 60ies.
3. "American education" as such is non-existant. We must at least split it into
 public
education and private education. First is getting worse since the same end of
 60ies,
second is very good. We also must remember that good schools in Moscow and
 Leningrad
and especially math and english schools were not really public. Regular public
 school
in Russia was a stinking place even in "Golden" 60ies.

Now, Russkaja Kultura and Russian Culture are two different things. The first is
 imperial
notion, the second is archeological. Russkaja Kul'tura was, is and (probably)
 will remain
for a long time (unless Russians will accept Protestant ethics) one of the most
 unhumane,
utopic, "samodovol'naja" and ethicless social-historic structures on this
 planet. It is full
of "krasivosti" (Tolstoy), false humanism (Dostoevsky), false talent (Soyuz
 Pisateley),
false intellectualism (Glazunov, Kataev), false romantizm (Svetlov, Gorki,
 Fadeev). Bulgakov
in his "M & M" and "Theater Novel" gave us a beautiful insight into Russian
 culture of the
19-20 centuries. But I do not say that I didn't enjoy reading all that. Even
 more - I miss it,
like narcomaniac is missing a morphine fix. But one can be a narcomaniac and
 praise the "dust":
and one can also be a narcomaniac and understand that one better keep his kids
 out of it.
Russkaja Kul'tura always had a very low talent threshold. "Black Hundreds",
 "Pamjat",
"dekadenty" and all that creeks and brooks of trash never had a problem getting
 into
Russkaja Kul'tura. Every western kink, every "pisk mody" from Europe got
 recognition
in Russia almost immediately , pompous, omnipresent, estatic recognition. And
 boy, if there
is anything on this planet that is more shauvinistic, racist, intolerant and
 ignorant
about other's as Russkja Kul'tura. Look at our emigre community. Nobody is as
 racist
as us. Some schmuck from some Siberian town where he never saw a black person
 comes
to Brighton Beach (where he never sees a black person) and all his foul mouth is
producing is racist slurs. "AmeriKa lost it's face - look at all these niggers
 and chinese !!
Why don't they (Americans) through them away? We need cleaner air here !!).
Russkaja Kul'tura is alive and present in all Russian emigre communities all
 over the US -
and everywhere emigres who got better jobs or better pay leave this communities
 as soon as possible.

It is my opinion that one must understand that his own Kul'tura will always be
 the best
for him/her. If one grew up with it, if one thought in the language of that
 culture, etc.,
it is like a mother to you. And one loves it, naturally, nothing wrong with
 that.
BUT PROCLAIMING IT SUPERIOR is as childish as saying that your mommy is better
 than other's.
If you're 5 years old it's OK, but Boris appear to be a bit older :). I will go
 even further.
I will repeat what I said to Mr. I. Glazunov in 1975 - he was calling Russia a
 "mother" and
told us that we must forgive everything and just love her as a "mother". I told
 him, that
there is one fundamental difference between mine or his mother and a country. A
 mother gives
birth to a child and that is it. The child can afford forgiving his/her mother,
 because she
WILL NOT BE REPEATING HER MISTAKES WITH GENERATIONS TO COME. And that is exactly
 why we should
analyze all the mistakes, atricities, wrong-doings and the like that a country
 (or Kul'tura)
does to us. And all that we will miss will happen to our children. BTW, Glazunov
 threw at me
what at that time was a rare thing - (at least in public) a racial slur. He
 said:"Well, YOU
do not have to forgive, but WE do" (One can take me for any Miditerranian type,
 but slavic
I do not look).

Gee, I think I took too much of your time... Sorry.

Alex Chaihorsky. San Francisco.

P.S. I cannot post (we do not have rn at this site, so you can post this one -
 if you think it is worth it.
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