Went on new year holidays in Belarus. Brief impressions.
1. Despite the fact that Lukashenka’s regime is absolutely dictatorial and unfree, at least in two directions of a modern Russian Belarusians have lagged. First, in the modern Belarusian discourse is almost no “braces” (like, previously, but it has in the past) — with the consequence that LGBT people and other minorities to feel at least a little better.
And, secondly, and perhaps most importantly — due to natural causes there is no propaganda of “great power” in the style of “we all bend down, to humiliate, will visiem, can repeat, and so forth.” With the result that there is much less aggression in the home.
Extremely impressed me the case: on the night of 2nd / 3rd January we spent some time in the night the Novopolotsk centre of attraction varibale drunk the inhabitants of the surrounding villages and suburbs. Types there came the most colorful (in Slippers on his bare feet, weakly standing on his feet for a group of local young people buying new bottles to drink them right outside at the bus stop, and so on). However, no conflict, no harsh words, no aggressive look we saw. Pretty sure that one is connected: when the state of the ideal citizens bring the image of a dominating world superpower, they are in life begin to try to reproduce it. And when at this place the image of a small European state with a sense of dignity, the level of aggression in society falling sharply.
2. Not a single person, at least to some extent support joining the Russian Federation was found. In any layers of the population. (Despite the fact that in the Crimea are certainly was, and throughout the Eastern Ukraine, too). Probably, the reason is socio-economic. Pensions, benefits and so forth in Belarus are about the same as in Russia (and even higher), while the prices are much lower, and the social sphere better. Accordingly, the poorer segments of the population who could potentially be the basis of local “Russian world” in Belarus are better than in the neighboring Russian regions, and no desire to worsen their standard of living they have.
3. In this case, at least one the direction in which closer integration would be desirable, I found. It’s absolutely insane prices for roaming, mobile Internet, etc. for the Russian offer (and probably the same for the Belarusian numbers in Russia?). Generally it is a very typical example is the elite of a healthy person, starting a conversation about integration, “customs unions”, “common space” and so on, needs to focus on issues relevant to ordinary citizens — of the same type of roaming. And we are ready to talk about anything else, but not about the fact that in reality people need.
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