TRAC
Interview Transcript

Victor Erofeyev (cont)

The Russian people are indeed white people. The Russian people, same as Americans, happen to be able to walk on their two feet. But unless we figure out the difference, that is there between the people of Russia, Europe, and the United States, we’ll find ourselves in the same predicament as Auntie Neora who still doesn’t understand what is happening in Russia or why we have these conflicts. The blunt fact is — that Russians are different, and this is one notion that is irreconcilable to the people of the West.

Geographically, Russians reside in what is known as Europe, but only in part. It is not a European nation residing on European soil. Alexander Pushkin ages ago said that it’s a quirk of history that Russians reside in Europe. All the sociological surveys, all the research work done in different Western nations ultimately boils down to this — the Russians are those poor, enslaved people, enslaved by Communism, who have only one dream, that one day, the shackles of Communism will be dropped, which is not the case. It’s basically a tantamount to how do you adjust your expectations. If you focus, in other words, to the Chinese person, you’ll realize he has yellow skin. And if you ask him, would you please tell me about your father, he would say my father just died yesterday and then the guy begins to laugh for some reason, uproariously. And you shrug your shoulders and say well, they are weird in China. After all, his dad died and that’s no reason to laugh. And supposedly, yes, that’s how it should be. Then you train your binoculars onto a Russian person and he’s also in the same position but he acts and behaves quite differently.

So what aggravates this whole situation is that some of the Russians speak with some degree of fluency a foreign language. They enjoy French cuisine. They speak not only French but other languages, and that breaks your Western stereotypes. And you find it all so very confusing.

If we have to take the stance of the Russian intelligence, we’ll see that this is what you have been known for trying to save Russia. Now, what is intelligence? In terms of definition, it’s a fact or people who believe it’s their call in this life to fight for other people’s happiness. We don’t have intelligence in some other countries, but we do have it in Russia. And the reason is because we have Auntie Neoras in Russia; these are the people who have no idea what their happiness is all about.

There has to be somebody some writer, some academician who is so much superior to Auntie Neora that one day, hopefully he will descend to her level and explain the difference between communism and capitalism. Because she is so clueless, she truly does not see the difference. You can spend hundreds of hours explaining; there’ll be no result. You can say, well but she comes from a Tartar ** village. But you don’t have to go that far to **. You can become a real estate broker in downtown Moscow; you can become a local physician in downtown Moscow. You’ll visit thousands of communal apartments and you’ll see millions of these very same Auntie Neoras.

The problem is that she not only is incapable of picking out the differences between two diametrically opposed political systems such as communism and capitalism, she has no clue as to what it’s all about to be a human being. Hence, there is an obvious need for intelligence. People who supposedly are in the know as to what Russia’s all about, what is to happen with Russia, and in which direction Russia is to traverse. So, no matter what the Russian policy is, it will be seen as a plot against these Auntie Neoras. There is nothing you can explain to Auntie Neora. Well, maybe you would hope you can explain something to her kids, but they happen to be alcoholics. Well how about the grandkids? But it looks like they are all drug addicts. Well, now it is a very complex matter — what do you want to explain and to whom? So, apparently, each time around you have to start with the very beginning.

And you’ll start by examining the exact values that presently exist in my country, and why is it these values do not match those of Europe or the United States. And why it is that each time we try to have a meaningful dialogue, we fail and we’re still groping in the dark. And the reason is simple - we have a totally different value system.

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