From Nyet to Da: Understanding the New Russia

From Nyet to Da: Understanding the New Russia

Yale Richmond organized cultural exchange programs between the Soviet Bloc and the US during the cold war. He wrote this book to help Americans understand and do business in Russia. He has also written From Da to Yes to help Americans understand Eastern Europeans. Two additional books of his which I have not read are Understanding the Americans: A Handbook for Visitors to the United States helping people to understand the US and Into Africa: Intercultural Insights helping people understand Africans. From Nyet to Da was the first book of Richmond's that I read and it helped me understand my interactions with Russians.

To begin with one must understand the history of Russia. Russia sees itself as the third Rome; the first was in Italy, the second in Constantinople, and the third in Moscow. The word Czar means Caesar in Russian. Similar to Constantinople/Istanbul the third Rome sees itself as a bridge between the East and the West. The Mongols conquered and ruled Russia for some time (their descendants are the Tartars) giving Russians experience with Asiatic peoples. Russia also borders China and reaches all the way to Alaska which was formerly a part of Russia. Russia has been cut off from the West at times which made it miss the Renaissance. Since Russia lags generally lags behind Western Europe in terms of standard of living and technology it views its Western neighbors with a mixture of envy and contempt.

One helpful way to understand Russia (for me) is to compare and contrast it with the United States. I think in many ways the US is moving towards becoming a "Russia." Russians themselves see the US as a kindred country, so the approach should be mutually agreeable.

• Both countries are large and have dominated world relations for most of the 20th century. Russia has the largest landmass of any country in the world. The US does not have as large of an official territory, but its military empire spans the globe with bases in over 130 countries.
  
• Both countries have a strong German connection and have a love and hate relationship with Germany. Germans are the predominant ethnic group in the US and many American schools were taught in German until the First World War. Many Russians of German ancestry serve in the Russian bureaucracy; because of their efficiency, they help the (disorderly) Russians in their pursuit for order. Both Russia and the US battled Germany during both World Wars and had warm feelings for Germany between the world wars. In Liberal Fascism, Jonah Goldberg describes how America intellectuals fell in love with Hitler. Germany and the Soviet Union formed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact at the beginning of the Second World War. Today Germany companies are the best at dealing with Russian bureaucracy.
  
• The American personality is tends towards individualism while the Russian personality tends toward collectivism. Americans look back on the their history and see a rugged pioneer hacking his way through the wilderness with his family. Russians look back and see the Mir an agricultural collective (almost as communism on a small scale) which allowed its inhabitants to survive the harsh Russian winters. I believe both nations are moving closer together in this regard. America is leaving its capitalistic roots while Russia has dissolved the Soviet Union. Both countries are moving towards the fascistic corporatism where large corporations run the country and operate on a system of public losses and private profits.
  
• Order is a related to individuality. Russians love order but tend to be a very disorderly people. Americans love individualism but end up complaining about how much conformism exists within the United States.
• Countries are usually referred to as a mother or a father. Germany is an obvious fatherland while Russia is a Mother country. The US is a neuter country at the present time; this is because it is moving from its German origins to becoming more of a matriarchal state. In 100 years America will no longer be the "home" land but the "mother" land.
  
• Russians are a very warm and emotional people. It takes a little while to get to know them, but once you do, they are great friends. Americans are a little big different. We are very easy to get to know but we never let our guard down all the way. I wonder if this is related to the different ways thoughts are policed in the USSA and the USSR. In the USSR if you complained about the government, you could get into big trouble. Consequently Russians needed to be careful in case the person they were speaking to was one of the (many) informants. In the US(S)A, we have political correctness. No one cares what you really think, but you can get into big trouble if you make an offensive joke or comment. We will speak with you but never tell you what we really think. Russians are coconuts: hard on the outside, soft on the inside. Americans are peaches: soft on the outside, hard on the inside.
  
• Americans tend to be more flexible and make compromises easily. They try to get a job done quickly and inexpensively. Russians follow instructions strictly so they can be inflexible. They want to get the job done and get the best deal possible.
  
• Russians do not equate time and money. For an American time equals money although many Americans decry this outlook. As an American I have to plan out my visits to Russians carefully. I think of my day in terms of spending a half hour on this and forty-five minutes on that. When I stop by to see a Russian friend, I will end up sitting, talking, and eating until late into the night.
  
• Alcohol is an important societal issue in both Russia and America. The traditional Russian drink is Vodka and apparently Russians drink a lot of it. A couple of Russians I have met thought this was an incorrect or old stereotype, but most have agreed with it. Russians seem to be open about and enjoy alcohol. Americans have a schizophrenic relationship with alcohol. During the 1920s alcohol was banned entirely. Many Americans feel alcohol is bad, but Americans still drink, mostly binge drinking. Americans are repressed and guilty about alcohol.