Such a passage was born during a discussion on one of the blogs, when discussing the issue: who is Russian? "Dad is Turkish, mum is Greek, and I am." If a person feels culturally and morally and psychologically Russian, then he is Russian - you can’t imagine anything more threatening for the ethnic identity of the Russian people ...
It suddenly became clear that it was absolutely impossible to unequivocally answer this question. Everything is so confusing in the mindsthat someone needs to urgently begin to deal with this difficult issue. After all, further ignoring this topic at the level of society and the state will lead to the fact that Russians may finally lose their national and ethnic identity- they are banal when meeting on external, behavioral and other signs.
Russians may finally lose their national and ethnic identity.
The main problem with this issue is that the modern concept of "Russian" is invested with the meaning of the word "Soviet", as a collective concept of all peoples living within the borders of Russia and focuses on the fact of the joint formation of individual stages of history. To this is added confusion with the official concept of "Russian people - cement". In such a conceptual mess, it is not possible to unambiguously answer the question: who are the Russians and what features do they have.
Where to begin
I would suggest starting from pre-imperial times. That is, from the time when Peter I had not yet brought many foreigners to Rus' (to Russia) and did not allow them to hold public office in which the fate of the empire and its people were decided. Namely, which should serve as a starting point for starting the formation of the image of a Russian person. The main territorial conquests and assimilation achievements were made during that period. Russian people from the Russian Kingdom formed the core, the base of the Russian people, which was then joined by all the others.
Russian people from the Russian Kingdom formed the core, the base of the Russian people.
The value of the pre-imperial period in the history of Russia also lies in the fact that it is imperative to remember that Russians are Slavs. That is, Russians are an accumulative concept based on Slavic ethnic groups. Without a Slavic approach to the topic of Russian identity, it will not be possible to preserve all the wonderful qualities of the people in history. Without a Slavic basis, Russians will become a "dump of nationalities".
It should also not be forgotten that Peter l built the Russian Empire on the basis of Russian living material from the central regions of Russia. And this one " Russian live material"was formed around the Slavic core, to which Tatar, Fino-Ugric and Siberian blood flowed.
Why do many want to be Russian
Because it's good to be Russian. Russians are a VERY promoted brand, participation in everything Russian gives a person a great charge of self-respect and positions him in the outside world as a representative of the largest country, with a rich history of victories, achievements, conquests and discoveries. With a thousand-year history of creativity. With Russian ballet, Russian bayonets and the proud phrase "Russians don't give up!"
Being Russian is beneficial. Russians are a VERY promoted brand...
Of course, one should not forget that the Soviet past remained in the memory of people, and then having a Russian was considered very profitable and it was received by hook or by crook.
State position
State deep don't give a damn about the topic of Russian self-identification. If now all Russians are simultaneously removed from the territory of Russia and "smart blacks and Asians" are brought in, then the state machine has worked and will continue to work. It's just that there will be black workers at drilling rigs and factories.
What difference does it make to a manager whose goal is profit, who is standing at the machine? What the hell is the difference whose finger will press the rocket launch button - Slavic or Mongolian?
The state is even comfortable as much as possible, because it is those Russians whose roots go deep into history that can say: this is my oil, this is my gas, this is my territory. And they will say this on the simple basis that the land of Russia is abundantly watered with the sweat and blood of their ancestors, who descend from pre-imperial Russians and those who dug ditches with their hands to drain the swamps around the future St. Petersburg and whose bones lie at its foundation. This the city was built on the bones of Russian peasants from central Russia, but the Turks, Greeks, Jews, Armenians and Georgians there are hundredths of a percent.
St. Petersburg is built on the bones of Russian peasants from central Russia.
The state machine is quite satisfied that anyone can be Russian, as long as he is a little bit Russian-speaking and a little Russian-cultural. For this opens up the broadest possibilities for importing "new Russians" and their rapid technological Russification - problems with fertility and demography will disappear by themselves.
Makarevich effect
Or in another way - betrayal of famous people. Those people whose name is heard and whose opinion is listened to by the broad masses. The word "betrayal" may seem too strong to some, but the essence of the phenomenon is precisely this: people, instead of supporting the theme of a historical approach to understanding Russianness, form a conceptual background based on populist stuffing. Thus, they further blur the topic and further complicate the possibility of answering the question: who are the Russians?
Most of our compatriots are gullible people who perceive a solidly spoken word from a famous person as the truth in the first instance. And this is dangerous!
The "elite of society" has a minimum percentage of Russianness in its I.
If you ask why the "elite" of society does this, then the answer will be found quickly enough - this is the same elite . Speaking quite rudely and bluntly - these people are mestizos, half-breeds who do not feel a personal and spiritual connection with the history of Rus' = father is a Turk, mother is a Greek, and I am a Russian person. Such people have a connection with Russian history - learned from books, and not absorbed with mother's milk and father's moralizing. Many of these people in the distant past changed their true names and surnames to Russians.
Turkish dad, Greek mom and Baba Yaga vs.
It is guaranteed that there will be people who will make every effort to troll the topic, that is, to interfere or direct the essence of the process in a beneficial direction for them.
It is also guaranteed that there will be people who will suddenly fall into a stupor by asking themselves the question: but if I don’t fall under the concept of Russian? It will be a collapse of personal orientations. And it is this point of Russian identification that will be the most difficult. I can't answer it yet, but I'll definitely come up with a solution.
For Russians, nationality is passed down through the male line.
The misfortune of many people grows precisely because of the Soviet approach to the formation of a single multinational people in the USSR: mixing the blood of father and mother automatically made it possible to classify oneself as Russian. Although Russian nationality is transmitted through the male line.
Almost Conclusion
The eternal Russian question: who is to blame and? In order to answer it, one must first understand the intricacies of the concepts of ethnos, ethnic community, nation, nationality, and, finally, people. And to answer unequivocally who the Russians are from the point of view of these anthropological concepts.
Likewise, it is necessary to agree that there is no such thing as "nationality". It is necessary to speak specifically about the ethnos (origin), the people (the totality of ethnic groups) and the nation (belonging to the national state). If we use these three categories correctly, we can avoid conflicts during discussions about who the Russians are.
You need to talk specifically about ... the people (the totality of ethnic groups) ...
How do you like this incident: it is quite possible to say a Russian of Georgian origin, a Russian Armenian, a Russian with Chechen blood, but one cannot say a Russian of Russian origin, a Russian Russian, a Russian with Russian blood. Why you ask, but everything is simple: someone once took away the ethnic group from the Russian-Slavs, well, or this ethnic group "accidentally" got lost ...
What if you do nothing?
Then, in 20-30 years, the films "Sadko" and "Morozko" will be re-shot, where, respectively, Sadko will be dark-skinned Afro-Russian, and Alyonushka will be Tajik with Turkish coarse hair. As has already been done with "Quiet Don", where the Cossack Grigory was played by a homosexual metrosexual.
A "special olympiad" was held on the Web called: "Fifteen questions to Russians." I tried to participate.
In Internet jargon, a “Special Olympics” is a public discussion of a problem that does not currently have a clear explanation. An explanation that would suit most of the debaters. Therefore, the outcome of such olympiads is “a little predictable” – a fierce senseless swearing, during which the participants, forgetting about the purpose of the party, send each other in different directions with the help of obscene vocabulary. And sometimes, they even beat each other with "shooters in real life" and continue to discuss there with their hands and feet. Since the Special Olympics was opened on a well-known ultra-liberal resource, its tasks lay on the surface. With mocking smiles, having arranged an ugly brawl, once again to show the insignificance, ephemeralness and artificiality of such a thing as "Russian", once again, proving that we do not exist. But, the time for the Olympiad was chosen unsuccessfully - the "Russian spring", oozing blood, smoothly flowed into the bloody "Russian summer". The Russian world entered the next stage of ethnogenesis, the veils fell off, the lame received their sight, and questions were found for most of the Jesuit answers. I, personally, spent no more than ten minutes on this liberal puzzle.
1. Why do you consider yourself Russian? By purity of blood, by language, something else?
Our liberals, as soon as the question of who the Russians are, immediately begin to count leukocytes and impurities in the blood with such skill and dexterity that in Germany of the 1938 model they would have been taken to the commission on racial hygiene, even without prior interviews. Moreover, in leadership positions. It is curious that when determining Jewish, Tatar or Swedish nationality, liberals take their interlocutor's word for it, without stooping to clarifying - who is he, a Mischlingen or a Quaternary? So take my word for it, if you are not Nazis, of course. I am Russian.
2. Do you enjoy being Russian?
No, I don't. Awareness is a constant; it cannot evoke emotions.
3. What's good about Russians? What are the positive and unique features of the national character?
Take a globe or map. Look at the location and size of Russia and get answers to all questions.
4. What does the Russian landscape look like? Will you kiss the Kamchatka sand in patriotic delight? What about the wet Taimyr tundra? Where are the borders of the native? Kunashir, Shikotan - native land?
I, with a torn meniscus and with great delight, walked along the Taimyr tundra for about a hundred kilometers - I just walked and could not stop. This place was called Middendorf Bay, which was undoubtedly a Russian person, since Russian lands were named after him and in honor of him. Moreover, for this honor - to expand the borders of the Russian world, the great traveler gave his life. Moreover, in terrible torment, stretched out for many months. Maybe Middendorf did not want to be Russian - in those years, people serving Russia were rarely asked such stupid questions. But, the Russian world is contagious for its centripetalism. You can be a Georgian prince all your life, and remain a great Russian commander for centuries. This paradox infuriates representatives of ethnic groups and nations who are unfriendly to Russia. Therefore, the "boundaries of the native" depend only on a specific historical period.
5. What is our historical tragedy?
We have already experienced our historical tragedy - this is the rejection of national identity in favor of false and deceitful truths introduced from outside. The story is old, with a natural ending - the Russians will remake everything for themselves, as it suits them. You can remember Byzantine Christianity. The same thing awaits Western liberalism as a non-nationally anti-God fighting aggressive concept that defends individualism and vices. He will remain in our hut, only you will not recognize him.
6. When was our Golden Age?
Russia never had a golden age. The golden age is an ethnic group in the phase of obscuration, after which decay, death, dissolution occurs. Russia is still far from retirement.
7. Who is our main character? Oslyabya? Pozharsky? Suvorov? Zhukov?
Our main character is the Unknown Soldier, who lies near the Kremlin wall. Avatar or symbol of all who gave their lives for our country.
8. Who is our main prophet?
Tyutchev: "Russia cannot be understood with the mind." Moreover, the Slavophil Tyutchev had in mind the rational Western mind, which does not work in our civilization.
9. What is our national lullaby?
- “Tired toys are sleeping”, and try to prove that this is not so.
10. What is our national dance? The Irish dance a jig, the Caucasians dance the Lezginka, the Jews dance the Freilekhs, and what are we?
And we do not need to assert ourselves with the help of a certain set of rhythmic body movements. What we want, then we dance. We do not give a damn about this at all. We, you see, have a slightly different, not archaic value system. Not a tribal community with complexes of rituals. We have a Church for rituals and ceremonies, but it is forbidden to dance there, and those who did not understand this were explained intelligibly.
11. What is our national game?
Hide and seek, "Cossack robbers", "war". Here we are leading in the adult standings. Chess, checkers, dominoes. Recently, backgammon has become another national game.
12. What is our national dress? How would you dress for a "Russian style" party?
A padded jacket, a St. George ribbon in a buttonhole, kirzachi and a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
13. What is our national dish?
What one national dish can a country lying on one sixth of the land of the continent have? And Russians live everywhere. Specify the time zone, region, climate zone.
14. What kind of death is considered worthy?
For our friends, for the land, for the faith. Everyone has something to choose from.
15. What kind of nations are brotherly to us?
Those humanoid races of our solar system who are ready to accept our love and in return assume brotherly obligations. Russians easily accept new brothers, but write them back very harshly. What we are seeing now on the ruins of the once fraternal republic.
1. Why do you consider yourself Russian? By purity of blood, by language, something else?
Our liberals, as soon as the question of who the Russians are, immediately begin to count leukocytes and impurities in the blood with such skill and dexterity that in Germany of the 1938 model they would have been taken to the commission on racial hygiene, even without prior interviews.
Moreover, in leadership positions. It is curious that when determining Jewish, Tatar or Swedish nationality, liberals take their interlocutor's word for it, without sinking to clarifying - who is he, a Mischlingen or a Quaternary? So take my word for it, if you are not Nazis, of course. I am Russian.
2. Do you enjoy being Russian?
No, I don't. Awareness is a constant; it cannot evoke emotions.
3. What's good about Russians? What are the positive and unique features of the national character?
Take a globe or map. Look at the location and size of Russia and get answers to all questions.
4. What does the Russian landscape look like? Will you kiss the Kamchatka sand in patriotic delight? What about the wet Taimyr tundra? Where are the borders of the native? Kunashir, Shikotan - native land?
I, with a torn meniscus and with great delight, walked along the Taimyr tundra for about a hundred kilometers - I just walked and could not stop. This place was called Middendorf Bay, which was undoubtedly a Russian person, since Russian lands were named after him and in honor of him.
Moreover, for this honor - to expand the borders of the Russian world, the great traveler gave his life. Moreover, in terrible torment, stretched out for many months. Maybe Middendorf did not want to be Russian - in those years, people serving Russia were rarely asked such stupid questions.
But, the Russian world is contagious for its centripetalism. You can be a Georgian prince all your life, and remain a great Russian commander for centuries. This paradox infuriates representatives of ethnic groups and nations who are unfriendly to Russia.
Therefore, the "boundaries of the native" depend only on a specific historical period. It is no coincidence that just the other day, Japan decided to reformat its police self-defense forces into a full-fledged army. What is it for?
5. What is our historical tragedy?
We have already experienced our historical tragedy - this is the rejection of national identity in favor of false and deceitful truths introduced from outside. The story is old, with a natural ending - the Russians will remake everything for themselves, as it suits them. You can remember Byzantine Christianity. vk.com/anti_maydan The same thing awaits Western liberalism, as a non-nationally atheistic aggressive concept that protects individualism and vices. He will remain in our hut, only you will not recognize him.
6. When was our Golden Age?
Russia never had a golden age. The golden age is an ethnic group in the phase of obscuration, after which decay, death, dissolution occurs. Russia is still far from retirement.
7. Who is our main character? Oslyabya? Pozharsky? Suvorov? Zhukov?
Our main character is the Unknown Soldier, who lies near the Kremlin wall. Avatar or symbol of all who gave their lives for our country.
8. Who is our main prophet?
Tyutchev: "Russia cannot be understood with the mind." Moreover, the Slavophil Tyutchev had in mind the rational Western mind, which does not work in our civilization.
9. What is our national lullaby?
- “Tired toys are sleeping”, and try to prove that this is not so.
10. What is our national dance? The Irish dance a jig, the Caucasians dance the Lezginka, the Jews dance the Freilekhs, and what are we?
And we do not need to assert ourselves with the help of a certain set of rhythmic body movements. What we want, then we dance. We do not give a damn about this at all. We, you see, have a slightly different, not archaic value system.
Not a tribal community with complexes of rituals. We have a Church for rituals and ceremonies, but it is forbidden to dance there, and those who did not understand this were explained intelligibly.
11. What is our national game?
Hide and seek, "Cossack robbers", "war". Here we are leading in the adult standings. Chess, checkers, dominoes. Recently, backgammon has become another national game.
12. What is our national dress? How would you dress for a "Russian style" party?
A padded jacket, a St. George ribbon in a buttonhole, kirzachi and a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
13. What is our national dish?
What one national dish can a country lying on one sixth of the land of the continent have? And Russians live everywhere. Specify the time zone, region, climate zone.
14. What kind of death is considered worthy?
For our friends, for the land, for the faith.
15. What kind of nations are brotherly to us?
Those humanoid races of our solar system who are ready to accept our love and in return assume brotherly obligations. Russians easily accept new brothers, but write them back very harshly. What we are seeing now on the ruins of the once fraternal republic.
Talking about Russian culture Anastasia Nikolaevna Koshechko, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Literature Department of the Tomsk State Pedagogical University, Associate Professor of the Department of Humanitarian Education, TOIPKRO, and Maxim Valerievich Stepanenko, Head of the Missionary Department of the Tomsk Metropolis of the Russian Orthodox Church.
***
A.N. kitty: Here it is necessary to stipulate the fundamental difference between national identity and citizenship. You can be a citizen of Russia, but not be Russian by nationality. You can be a US citizen and be Russian. From here such phenomena as "Russian Frenchmen" or "Russian Americans" are born.
Repeatedly in different audiences I asked the question: "What culture do you consider yourself to be?" Most of the audience answered: "We are Russians." I keep asking: "What does it mean to be Russian?" The answer, as a rule, is always the same: "It means speaking Russian and living in Russia."
I object that one can speak the purest Russian, live in Russia and not be Russian. By what features do you distinguish a Russian person from a non-Russian? They say to me: "Well, how ... you can see that he is Russian."
I give an example. Let's say that you are facing a student from Poland and a student from Russia. Both are of the same age, prefer the same style of dress, behavior may be similar. By what signs will you see which of the two young people is Russian? Pause.
I ask one more question. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin - Russian or non-Russian? This situation turns out to be more understandable, so many confidently answer: "Pushkin is a great Russian poet!" Amazing! At the same time, he is a "black" (as they said in the time of the poet) in the third generation ...
In the process of such reasoning, we reach the fundamental conclusion that a person becomes Russian, first of all, because he belongs to the values of Russian culture. It is culture that gives a person a certain set of cultural matrices, cultural scenarios, behavior patterns, and experience of value living in certain situations. It is by this experience of value living that we can distinguish the bearer of one culture from the bearer of another culture.
Portrait of Emperor Alexander III. Artist Ivan Kramskoy
M.V. Stepanenko: Do I have suspicions that a number of national cultural features can be acquired only by being born into a culture?
A.N. kitty: The concept of "born in a culture" implies education in traditional cultural values, self-identification in culture, knowledge and respect for the history of one's culture, one's country and one's family. This, of course, is not all, but the most important. Therefore, you can be Russian, having been born in Japan, if your parents are aware of themselves as carriers of Russian culture and are ready to raise a child in its traditions.
However, often in order to be part of a culture, one must necessarily be "born" in a culture. For example, according to Shintoism, the national Japanese religion, the Japanese as a people descended from gods and only Japanese can be Shintoists.
M.V. Stepanenko: So… what are the unique features of Russian culture?
A.N. kitty: The most important feature is that Russian culture is based on the foundation of Orthodoxy. For Russia, Orthodoxy is a culture-forming religion. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky wrote: “They say that the Russian people do not know the Gospel well, they do not know the basic rules of faith. Of course, they do, but they know Christ and carry him in their hearts from time immemorial.<…>a heartfelt knowledge of Christ and a true conception of him fully exist. It is passed down from generation to generation and has merged with the hearts of people. Perhaps the only love of the Russian people is Christ, and they love His image in their own way, that is, to the point of suffering. The name of the Orthodox, that is, the most truly confessing Christ, he is most proud of all.
M.V. Stepanenko: Indeed, this is an obvious fact! By the way, one of the chapters of the book by the Azerbaijani Vasily Irzabekov "Secrets of the Russian Word" is called "Russian means Orthodox". And one more example: in 1937 Archbishop Luka Voyno-Yasenetsky was interrogated. He was charged with spying for the Vatican. In response to this ridiculous accusation, the investigator heard: "I have always been Russian."
A.N. kitty: Secondly, Russian culture is basically a conciliar (communal) culture; is built not on the idea of division and opposition, competition, but on the idea of unification. Russian culture is not individualistic, it is not a culture of loners, it is a culture built on interaction with all neighbors.
M.V. Stepanenko: For real Russians, public interests are more important than personal ones: "Die yourself - help your comrades out." That is why "A friend in trouble is known", if in trouble your neighbor betrayed you, left you - he is not a friend, and not a real Russian! A real Russian person never betrays his neighbors: "Make new friends, but don't lose old ones!"
A.N. kitty: Therefore, the most important in Russian culture are philanthropy and self-sacrifice, which are possible only under the condition of faith in God and the immortality of the soul.
M.V. Stepanenko: It can be added that an important rule of community is gratitude. First of all to God, then to your neighbors: "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thess. 5:18). A Russian proverb says: "It is good for him to do good who remembers." It is ingratitude (to God, father, mother, teacher who helps our neighbors) that lies at the basis of falling into sin, madness and betrayal, retreat into sin: “But how, having known God, they did not glorify Him as God, and they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened, professing to be wise, they became fools…” (Rom. 1:21-22). For ingratitude, God departs from people, and they plunge into lust, impurity, shameful passions and the aforementioned madness - all this is spoken of in the first chapter of the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Romans.
A.N. kitty: Another feature of Russian culture is its amazing openness, "worldwide responsiveness." Thanks to this, Russian culture harmoniously coexisted with other national cultures without suppressing them.
M.V. Stepanenko: I would like to emphasize - it did exist, in the past... The modern culture of Russia, distributed through the media, and even through the school, is not Russian culture. This is a monstrous remake monster that devours and destroys, leveling the ancient traditions of all national cultures of Russia, including Russian culture. Tell me, how can you unite different people with different worldviews?
A.N. kitty: Through love, which underlies Orthodox culture and is its main value. It was mutual sacrificial love that attracted the pagans of the Roman Empire to Christianity. In modern society, the concept of love is not just distorted, it is deformed exactly the opposite.
M.V. Stepanenko: For many, love now is a feeling of attraction between a man and a woman, but not like: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt. 22:39), and even more so not what the Apostle Paul writes: "Love is long-suffering, merciful love does not envy, love does not exalt itself, does not pride itself, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not irritated, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, covers everything, believes everything, hopes everything, endures everything. …" (1 Cor. 13:4-8).
A.N. kitty: For a modern person living in an era of competition, it is very difficult to put the interests of another person above their own, to treat others as if they were a neighbor.
What is love based on? On the fact that every person is the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:27). If I see in another person not an opponent, not a competitor, not a rival or an enemy, but a bearer of the Divine image, then I will definitely treat my neighbor with love.
Love means accepting a person for who they are. All the individual inherent in this particular personality is accepted by a loving person, so he will not try to re-educate another person for himself, to make his neighbor his clone, devoid of his own will. Let me remind you of the words of the Apostle Paul that "love ... does not seek its own."
M.V. Stepanenko: That is why Russian missionaries, coming to small peoples, not only did not destroy their national culture, but also preserved it through the creation of writing. We see what kind of contrast in behavior takes place in the culture of Western peoples who have adopted Catholicism or Protestantism. Coming to other peoples, they began to destroy their national cultures, and I don’t remember such precedents when the peoples of the West created a written language for the conquered peoples and developed the culture of the conquered peoples. Let's take Norway as an example. Norwegians received state independence, you will not believe it, only in 1905! Until that time, the Norwegians were under the rule of Denmark, then Sweden. At the same time, the Norwegians did not have their own single language and writing! Modern Norwegian was artificially created at the beginning of the 20th century. The outcome of this is natural. The world knows Danish and Swedish writers (for example, Hans Andersen and Astrid Lindgren), but Norway did not give the world writers equal to them ... What other national features of Russians are there?
Participants of the Tomsk
