New Russian kshatriyas The task of the Russian army is to restore normal proportions in the very type of military. This means that we must return to a full-fledged model of a kshatriya, a warrior, a military aristocrat, as he was in the traditional Indo-European civilization, as he was

“A stupid one turns sour, but a smart one will provide for everything” “Whoever dares, he ate” (It is a question of those who know how to take risks.)

Russian folk proverbs

Who are these "new Russians"? Their appearance is usually explained
ut only by the peculiarities of the shadow economy in Russia. Among
There are two groups of them: the first is entrepreneurs who actively
employed in financial and economic activities; second -
property owners who were behind the scenes involved in the
le 90s in the privatization of a large state property
ness, using their commanding positions in the nomenclature of the former
state system of the USSR. " "

In general, we can say that the most painful and negative impact of the transition to the market has affected the position of the previously relatively well-off groups of the population - teachers, cultural figures and scientists. During the reforms there was a change of leaders and outsiders. Representatives of previously prestigious professions have lost their high (or acceptable) financial position, and with it the role of leaders. Previously, very modest "techies", lab heads, to whom the humanitarian intelligentsia treated condescendingly, burst forward from the shadows. It can be said that in Russia the situation of the 20s of the XX century was literally repeated: “Who was nothing, he became everything.” Such a rapid change of roles in society affects the level of social tension in society, the sharpness of perception of the situation in previously prosperous groups.

The most interesting and promising is the first group, i.e. actual entrepreneurs. Usually these are energetic people no older than

45 years old with high intellectual abilities. They can solve not only professional problems, but also diagnose the situation, make decisions quickly and efficiently, retain a huge amount of information in their memory, take the initiative, take risks (“make or break”), take responsibility not only for money , but also for the fate of the workers entrusted to them.

Given that one has to act in a rather uncertain and unstable economic reality, it is these psychological and personal qualities of people that have helped them to take a leading position in society. They became pioneers not because of hereditary capital, family tradition or parental choice, not because of the appropriate education or special training, but only because of their personal qualities and conscious choice.

Here is one typical example. The wife of the “new Russian” is tired of sitting at home and waiting for her always busy husband from work. She also ceased to be satisfied with her role as a decorative element in the life of a rich husband. She knew how to sew and took it seriously. But not for myself, but for sale. She borrowed money from her husband with a promise to return it with interest, bought fabrics, invented models and styles, purchased equipment, rented a room and hired assistants. A few years later, she became the owner of a large clothing production with a serious clientele, is responsible for the fate and earnings of 2,000 employees - and this is no joke!

It would seem, why did she have such trouble? If you are rich, then why not “live for yourself”, arrange a “beautiful life” for yourself? The character is like this. The example of this woman shows the emergence of a completely new type of people. After all, such enterprising people had to hide from the law and the all-seeing eye of the state, since such activities were regarded as criminal and were punishable. The social role of this group of people is all the more significant if one takes into account the traditional Russian "indifference", the habit of sitting back, hoping for a miracle, expressing one's dissatisfaction with the situation and looking for someone to blame. All this also comes from the conservative syndrome in the Russian archetype (see part II, ch. 3, § 1 and 2).

So, the stratification of a previously unified society occurred not only for objective reasons, but also for psychosocial parameters. The emergence of a layer of entrepreneurs has so far been little appreciated. It is impossible not to be surprised at the speed with which an entrepreneurial stratum appeared in Russia. After all, only 10 years ago

They unanimously grieved that of all the historical losses of pre-revolutionary Russia, it was precisely the loss of a layer of business and active people that was irreversible.

Where could people come from in the Soviet space who know what a “mortgage right”, “exchange rate” or “shares” are! No one has ever taught them this. The legislation of the USSR, with which Russia entered the market, did not provide for market relations. The pioneers of business, breaking all the laws, moved forward like a minefield. It is not surprising that the first cohort of entrepreneurs was made up of the most lively, fast and daring people, people who are said by the people that he “will not let himself be eaten with porridge”, “Knows all the moves and exits”, “Went through fire and water, copper pipes and wolf teeth. They have always been respected. They established the market infrastructure in the shortest historical time: they engaged in the shuttle business, opened stores, created exchanges, banks, holding companies, began to drive cargo across borders, open advertising and production companies, issue shares and bills, burn out and rise again. In the beginning, they learned to trade and mediate. Now, little by little, they learn to produce, grow, build and mine.

Of course, the criminal component was present in Russian business from the very beginning. However, those who have entered the legal economy no longer want to be in conflict with the law. Do not underestimate their flexibility, ability to learn and desire for respectability. After all, managing a criminal business is a dangerous and troublesome business. This asserts in thought that in the future the economic situation in Russia cannot fail to stabilize.

The anecdotal types of the “new Russians”, primitive, dreaming of one thing, are gradually disappearing into the past - to take their capital abroad and “live quietly” somewhere in Cyprus. It must be assumed that the dreams of the latter have already come true. Their image is fully reflected in a series of anecdotes (see part 1, § 4). But people who have consciously chosen the path in adulthood are undoubtedly the least inclined to the primitive eating of their wealth. There are more and more economically responsible people who are determined to create. They often refer to themselves as "new" new Russians ". This group of entrepreneurs is characterized by a desire not to get in the eye, demonstrating their wealth and grand gestures, but on the contrary - a secret donation, for example, to orphanages.

From whom exactly was the group of Russian entrepreneurs who managed to break forward formed? Objectively for pro-

the last 10-12 years, first of all, those who have managed to switch to newly emerging private sector enterprises have won and pulled ahead. It depended on the profession, age and region of residence. In the depressed areas of the country, the probability of going to work in the private sector was, of course, lower than in Moscow, St. Petersburg, or Nizhny Novgorod. Such a factor as position also had its significance: managers, in the main, retained their privileged positions, but average workers lost them.

Basically this group consists of men. Women employed mainly in the humanitarian sectors of the public sector (doctors, teachers, engineers, scientists, etc.) suffered more than men. Those who had dependents in their families at that moment - minor children suffered greatly. In short, almost everyone who remained outside the "market sector" lost.

But in addition to objective factors, at least when dealing with Russians, subjective factors also have their significance, which have had an impact on the dynamics of well-being. For example, the traditional conformist attitude of the Russian archetype - "to be like everyone else" - had its influence. Those who were at the mercy of this attitude and lived according to the principle of “keep a low profile” lost, finding themselves on the sidelines of life, and bright, non-standard personalities with individualist aspirations, characteristic of Western-type societies, broke through and took a leading position.

This means that according to the results of 10 years of reforms, the dynamics of the financial situation of Russians is strictly connected with the types of their mentality: each person used the opportunities provided to him in different ways. A sharp change of leaders and outsiders is not an accident, it depends on the mentality and type of human behavior.

How do Russians treat the rich? The most common stereotype, according to which Russians are suspicious and hostile towards wealth, looks contradictory in the mirror of sociological studies. On the one hand, the proportion of those who treat people who have grown rich quickly in the last 10 years in the same way as everyone else, or with respect and interest - 58% 80 . On the other hand, 30% of Russians are equally consistently suspicious and hostile towards them. This is not even so much envy as the rejection of arrogance, the desire to demonstrate one's success and wealth (all these "fancy" jeeps with tinted windows, huge houses

among empty fields, etc. things). Such people are traditionally spoken of with contempt: “A crow flew into a tall mansion”, “From rags to riches” ...

It should be noted that the "American dream" - to get rich quickly - is not quite popular among Russians. In Russian cinema, you will never see a scene in which the hero (heroine) rolls her eyes in bliss, sorting through a lot of money, pours it on herself like rain or rolls on it in euphoria, as is shown in Hollywood film production.

An interesting statement by the head of the Yukos company, oligarch M. Khodorkovsky (AiF, 2003, No. 5), is that he finds a common language with difficulty even with his parents on the issue of wealth. This is the tradition: in Russia for hundreds of years, successful people were not perceived positively. In Siberia it is even easier (this is how the historical situation has developed), but in the European part, in his opinion, it is just a disaster. And the situation will change only with the change of generations, when the old people leave and with the help of new technologies and the Internet, a new generation of normal Europeans will grow up and be brought up. People brought up in the former system will never be able to become successful in business or have a positive attitude towards this activity. Despite the obvious extremism, it seems that there is a reasonable grain in this opinion...

For 10-12 years, the number of people who attributed to entrepreneurs such qualities as “indifference to state interests”, “promiscuousness in means”, and “graft” has decreased by several percent. But at the same time, the number of people who blame businessmen for their "ruthless, consumerist attitude towards people" has grown by 10%.

Perhaps there is a hidden reproach in this? Hidden expectation of help from the rich: they are obliged to share, since they took a place at the top and took this place away from the state.

But even those who are satisfied with the difference in income and the presence of rich "new Russians" are not entirely indifferent to what this difference is in material terms. There is a line where the pay gap stifles even the most competitive spirit. Studies at the Institute of Psychology claim that a Russian is ready to accept if the difference in income between the richest and the poorest is 5-7 times, but no more. A larger gap is perceived as unfair, people begin to think that the rich get their money undeservedly.

And now, according to the director of the Institute of Population of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician Natalya Rimashevskaya, the richest Russians are 14 times richer than the poorest. For comparison: in the USA it is 7-8 times, in Europe - 4 times 93 . This data is disturbing.

Let us also remember that the way in which money was earned is very important for the Russian mentality, it is very important that a person works, strains. It is equally important that he spend money "wisely", not throwing it to the wind, but "for the benefit of society." For example, an engineer agrees that some academician gets much more than him, but he no longer forgives this for a television announcer: what kind of job is it to be a “talking head”? Economic ignorance will set him all the more up against a banker who produces nothing concrete.

Something without which the "respectable people" of the 90s would not talk to you

With the departure of the "soviet" reality, representatives of the so-called post-Soviet elite appeared on the stage - those who rapidly became rich after the collapse of the USSR. In 1992, journalists coined the term "new Russians" for these nouveau riches.

Very soon there was a collective image of a sort of rich man in a crimson jacket, who is ready to give any money in order to live “like a human being”. What were the ideas of the new Russians about a rich life?

Live like in a palace

Joke: The new Russian built a custom-made house. But he didn’t like the house: “The doors are kind of narrow, all the time I touch the jambs with my fingers!”

The crampedness of the typical "Khrushchev" managed to bother everyone to such an extent that those who managed to break out into the rich began to buy apartments in one house and remake them into mansions. And even better - to build houses, preferably on the Rublevsky highway - huge and indecently expensive to maintain. A la palaces - only with pools and a jacuzzi. And, of course, renovated.

In the 90s, the word "European-style renovation" sounded no worse than "Baroque" or "Empire". In the West, this term was understood as an ordinary repair using new generation European materials. But in Russia, and indeed in the CIS, they were expected from “European-style repairmen”, then with the help of drywall, suspended ceilings and plastic panels, they would arrange something like a compact Hermitage in the house.

Lurid bulky armchairs, giant mirrors in gilded frames, sofas upholstered in natural leather, mahogany dressing tables, four-poster beds and other "royal luxury" were bought up in abundance in the "new Russian" houses.

There were even rumors that all those crimson jackets and skinheads, secluded in the study of thought, sit down exclusively on golden toilets. After all, these items were not gold, but they were often equipped with the most unexpected functions: they measured body temperature and pressure, flavored the air, heated the seat, and entertained the hosts and their guests with enchanting melodies.

Palace of dreams of a new Russian. Photo: pixabay.com

Joke: Rolex has released a new cuckoo watch. Every half an hour they tell you how long you have left to live. Lifetime warranty.

Every self-respecting new Russian wore fabulously expensive Swiss watches ("boilers") - usually by Rolex.

Models made in gold and adorned with precious stones enjoyed special honor. Putting a fortune on your wrist was good form - without a watch worth several salaries of an ordinary engineer, no skinhead would take you seriously.

Those who had relatively little money, wishing to pass themselves off as serious people, acquired counterfeit watches of prestigious brands for this purpose. Yes, in the novel Pelevin"Generation P" Morkovin by sending Tatar to negotiate with a potential customer, gives him a burgundy jacket and fake Rolexes: “When you talk to a client, you know, rattle them. Helps."

Photo: pixabay.com

600th gelding and other vehicles

Joke: The traffic cop sees - he is driving along the road "Mercedes" -600. The traffic cop starts waving his stick and whistling. The car stops, the window goes down, from the Mercedes comes:- Don't whistle, there will be no money!

In fact, among the raspberry jackets, BMW cars (“behi”) were no less popular. For their abbreviated name, the people even came up with a decoding: "extortionist fighting machine." However, for some reason, “six hundredth Mercedes” remained in folklore - that is, cars of the Mercedes-Benz W140 series.

It's funny that the first "six hundredth gelding" in Russia belonged to Zhirinovsky.

The most successful new Russians did not disdain other types of personal transport; while the vast majority of their fellow citizens were jostling in buses and considered it a fortune to ride a train as a hare, they plowed the seas on personal yachts and soared in the skies on their own planes. For a while, it was in the order of things after a party at a club to put all your buddies on a plane and wave to warmer climes.

golden chains

Joke: The new Russian chooses a gigantic gold pectoral cross for himself.- Do you have the same one, only without a gymnast?

It was customary to wear gold chains (“golds”) almost as thick as a hand over a shirt, black turtleneck or even a jacket. They were perfectly complemented by gold bracelets the size of handcuffs and massive rings, each of which, if desired, could kill a person.

It was very easy to recognize the new Russians and their companions abroad - and not only by defiant behavior: they were hung with gold from the very morning, sparkling like walking Christmas trees.

Art

Joke: A new Russian comes to an art gallery, points his finger at the first picture he comes across and declares that he would like to buy it.

- What do you! Not for sale!

The new Russian takes out a chubby wad of dollars, and the painting is still sold to him. He calls on his cell phone:

- Ale! I bought a card for the birthday boy, now let's look for a gift!

The new Russians, strange as it may sound, respected art. They willingly bought the most expensive tickets to the theater - and right during the performance they agreed on cell phones about new deals. They collected collections of paintings in their mansions, invited highly paid musicians to their birthday parties.

Some even sponsored the restoration of abandoned old churches or invested in the promotion of young talented performers. In general, they were not alien to a sort of old Russian merchant prowess, pushing to spend money on beauty - until you were killed in a drunken brawl. Well, or in a gangster showdown ...

At the same time, they do not have a high level of intelligence, culture and, despite their well-being, use the vocabulary and have the manners of the social strata from which they came.

Etymology

Story

In the 2000s, the term gradually began to go out of active use. So V. A. Buryakovskaya in the monograph “Communicative Characteristics of Mass Culture in Media Discourse” of 2014 characterizes the expression “new Russians” as a “word combination that is gradually falling into disuse”, finally disappearing into history. In general, in the 2010s, the concept of “new Russians” is used as a retro term from the era of the “dashing 90s”. .

Attributes of the "new Russian" and terminology

Characteristic attributes in the 1990s were considered:

• A red or crimson jacket is a distinctive style of attire of a "tough", its symbol (also a symbol of bad taste), black jeans of a fashion brand, pointed black shoes. According to the player “What? Where? When? » Andrey Kozlov, the “new Russians” began to wear crimson jackets precisely after they appeared in this game. According to another version, Sergey Mavrodi became the founder of "fashion", having come to a TV show in such a jacket. The largest collection of crimson jackets in Russia is located in Moscow, in a private collection of cult clothes of the 90s "Real Outfit". Collection owner Dmitry Funtikov managed to collect more than 150 copies of crimson jackets. Previously, these things belonged to well-known businessmen, politicians, crime bosses, show business stars and various media characters.
• Massive gold chain around the neck (“gold”), gold chain loose.
• Weighty gold signet ring ("nut"). Usually on several fingers.
• Large watches (“boilers”) of an expensive brand, preferably gilded and with precious stones.
• Thick gold bracelet. [ clarify]
• A 1991 Mercedes-Benz S600 car in the back of a W140 (“six hundredth Merc”, “600th gelding”, “Suitcase”, “Bandit”, “Boar”, “one hundred and forty”), Jeep Grand Cherokee (“chirp”, “ Cherkan", "Jeep", "Jip", "Cherokese", "wide"), Nissan Terrano ("tyrannka"), Mitsubishi Pajero ("lean", pager), Toyota Land Cruiser ("Kruzak", "Kukuruzer") , Mercedes Geländewagen ("gelik", "cube"), Chevrolet Tahoe ("coffin"), Volvo 940, Mercedes-Benz W124 ("Wolf"), BMW 5 ("boomer", "schnitzer"), Audi 100 (" herring", "cigar"), BMW 7 ("boomer"), Lincoln Town Car or Lada Samara ("chisel").
• A mobile phone (“pipe”, “mobile”, “cell phone”), which was considered a luxury and prestige item until the end of the 90s.
• Shaved "hedgehog" head (or only the back of the head) ("turnip").
• “Fingering”: characteristic gestures with the hands with the little finger, index and sometimes thumb bent and the middle and ring fingers pressed to the center of the palm (“spread”, “finger”, “fingers like a fan”, “boy goat”).
• Slicked back hair.
• Leather Jacket
• Black leather shoes
• Use of specific jargon (words such as "type", "in kind", "pure", "specifically", "in any way", etc.). Blat Fenya.
• "Cabbage" - a lot of cash in US dollars, or money in general ("grandmothers", "loot", "greens", "lave").

The words “new Russian” are closely related to the concept:

• "roof" - ensuring the protection of business, including illegal, by law enforcement or criminal structures ("roof") for a fee on an ongoing basis.
• "Brothers" ("brothers", "brothers", "brothers") - people from a criminal environment who used force and criminal methods to resolve conflicts that arose.
• "throw" - skillfully deceive, "dissolve" for money.
• "Arrow" - a meeting with the aim of resolving a certain conflict, sometimes by armed means.
• “grind” - talk, fight or even arrange a shootout.

"New Russians" in popular culture

Picnic at the New Russians:
one says to the other:
- Vovan, go make a fire.
He comes to the fire, sits down
squat down and say:
- Well, bonfire, you hit!

"New Russians" have become a common cliché, the heroes of many anecdotes, their characters have been repeatedly played out in various films, performances and programs. The archetype itself has been repeatedly transferred to other spheres and phenomena of life (see "New Russian Babki"). Also in 1996, the character Vovan Sidorovich Shcherbaty appeared in the Gentleman Show program, performed by Ukrainian actor Oleg Shkolnik. In the Gorodok program, jokes about the “new Russians” were often staged, there was even a whole issue - “New Russians of our town”. Monologues whose protagonists were "new Russians" were performed by Yevgeny Petrosyan, Mikhail Zadornov, Vladimir Vinokur and other artists.

The image of the "new Russians" is to a certain extent played up in the television series "Brigada", as well as in the film "Zhmurki" and the series "Gangster Petersburg".

see also

Notes

1. Kostomarov V. G. Linguistic taste of the era. From observations of the speech practice of the mass media. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. - 3rd ed., Rev. and additional - St. Petersburg: Zlatoust, 1999. - 319 p. - ISBN 978-5-86547-070-0. - (Language and time. Issue 1).