Mila
Oct 23, 2020
Updated: Oct 12, 2021
Well, admit it, you also have some stereotypes about Russians. Everybody has and it's totally fine. The problem is that some people are so convinced that these stereotypes are applicable to every Russian living person in the world. And I would be happy if there were only positive stereotypes, like all Russian women are beautiful or that all Russian men are strong and brave. But there is another side of the story where all Russian people live in Siberia and have to survive in the wild forest while it is always freezing outside, so that they are forced to drink lots of vodka and dance with bears. And that we never smile and worship communists. Come on, guys! This is such a cliché.
Well, I have compiled the most irritating stereotypes about Russians to tell you the truth.
And here is the video based on excerpts from Hollywood movies.
Russian people never smile - Русские люди никогда не улыбаются
Well, this Russian stereotype is somewhat true. Russian people indeed don't smile all the time, but it doesn't mean that Russians never smile. You will not see a lot of smiling people on the streets of Russia and people will not smile at you in return. Why? Well, because it is insincere to smile to someone you don't even know. Period.
Russian people are rude and cruel - Русские люди грубые и жестокие
Really? I wonder where this stereotype come from. While I don't understand why foreigners also find that Russian language sound rude, I do understand why Russian language learners say that imperative forms in Russian language are not really polite comparing with English or French. Nevertheless, it doesn't mean that Russian people are rude...rather straightforward.
All Russians drink vodka - Все русские пьют водку
I hate this stereotype. Yes, some Russian people drink vodka, especially for some holidays. But it doesn't mean that ALL Russians MUST drink vodka, as if it was programmed in our DNA. I personally can't stand just a smell of vodka and so do many of my Russian friends. So, please, stop making stupid jokes abour vodka.
Russian people love cold - Русские люди любят мороз
Come on, you are Russian, you cannot feel cold! This is what I hear all the time I say that I am cold. Yes, Russian people are indeed used to extreme cold temperatures but it does not mean that we do not feel cold. And no, not all Russians swim in cold winter rivers and lakes. These are people who called themselves "моржи". It requires training.
Russian people are crazy - русские люди сумасшедшие
This is definetely favorite Hollywood stereotype about Russian people. Russian people do crazy things and are not afraid to die, they wear ushanka even when it's hot and they keep bears at home. Well, in reality, there are indeed some crazy Russian people (just watch some crazy videos on YouTube), but I believe that every nation has its "heroes".
Now I invite you to take this funny quiz to find out your level of "Russianess". Who knows, maybe you had some Russian ancestors in the past and you are a little bit Russian in your heart.
Write your impressions and share you quiz results in comments.
Would you like to learn the key Russian words and phrases to be able to impress your Russian friends? You can download for free my guide 'Essential Russian Words and Expressions to Understand Spoken Russian'.
Hello! My name is Mila and I am a founder of Hack Your Russian learning platform. You can find me here:
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