The choice of a place to stay abroad among Russians remained narrow – most often they fly to Turkey. But Ukrainians also spend their holidays in Turkish resorts, and conflicts often arise between representatives of the two countries. In addition, fights based on national identity have recently reached a high level. In Ankara, an employee of the international department of the State Duma snatch from the hands of the deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Alexander Marikovsky, the flag of Ukraine, after which a fight ensued. Russian media asked psychotherapist Nikolai Ambartsumov to think about how to prevent conflicts between Russians and Ukrainians vacationing abroad.
Nikolai Ambartsumov is the head of the medical rehabilitation department of the Gannushkin Clinical Psychiatric Hospital, a doctor of the highest category, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, narcologist and expert in forensic psychiatry.
Why Russians Sometimes Behave Obscenely Abroad
Probably, one of the main national characteristics of Russians is their colossal inner freedom with very strong limitations on the outside. Therefore, at some point, something begins to come out of us that simply cannot be stopped.
I don’t think we all have specific common characteristics – you can’t say, for example, that the majority of Russians, say, are alcoholics. We are different and our ethnic group also includes many different aspects.
@bazabazon / Telegram
Take for example a person from Stavropol and a person from the Arkhangelsk region. The first is short, dark-haired, swarthy. The second is blonde, with absolutely white skin. And yet they both belong to the same ethnic group. The same Pushkin was a quarter of an African and at the same time the absolute ideal of a Russian.
We can endure a long time, but at some point (and we don’t always know when) it all rips us off, and suddenly, anything can happen. So, on the whole, it’s the extremes that are visible from the outside – either the most slobs and scoundrels, or the broadest gestures. But the average layman is not visible. It’s just that the usual, reliable and good Russian is not noticed, paying attention precisely to extreme manifestations.
Russians Abroad is one of the classic stories. They find themselves in an environment where there are not our strict laws, which, as you know, are compensated by the optional nature of their implementation. It turns out that anything seems possible.
Removal of external restrictions. Respect for the law is seen as a weakness. It seems that if the district police officer doesn’t hit you hard on the head, you can fly and fly. At the same time, such a metamorphosis can happen to any Russian who has been considered calm and kind all his life in his native country.
A Russian going abroad is like when parents let a child out of the house behind a fence, where everything is possible. By the way, in Finland there are no fences around the houses. And some of the “liberated” may well not, and even trample on someone else’s lawn, feeling permissive in the absence of prohibitions.
Moreover, almost always, when we talk about all kinds of fights and other similar manifestations, it happens in a drunken state. Alcohol suppresses self-criticism and something deep begins to come out of a person.
At the same time, I communicated, for example, with North Koreans and Chinese. And they have a certain hard core inside that doesn’t allow them to do that even when drunk. And we have enormous freedom inside, hidden in the outer shell of a person. It cannot therefore be said that such manifestations add a certain touch to the portrait of the average Russian.
Which side is most responsible for conflicts on vacation
Whoever triggers the conflict is always wrong. And I’m not alluding to world circumstances at all. Any military action always sets the tone for communication between the representatives of the belligerent states. There is a huge polarization of the sides, and with the same sign, causing them to repel each other powerfully.
On the Internet there are conflicts, up to monstrous accusations against each other. These feuds occur between what are commonly referred to as “couch troops”. And in Turkey, we see how these “couch troops” begin to “fight” in reality.
File photoDenis Vyshinsky / Kommersant
Barking through the “fence” of the network, no one forbids it. But when you’re at a resort, relax and don’t disturb others. Remember that your freedom ends where another person’s freedom begins. It’s a normal rule.
And I want to ask the “defenders” on both sides who organize such fights, what do you do on vacation if your countries are at war? Go ahead to protect your valuables, and don’t heat your ass in the sun.
Again, I repeat that we are almost always talking about drunken fights. It’s funny, but until recently, Russians and Ukrainians were building up drunken Germans in Turkey, calling them fascists. And what happened on May 9 … And, by the way, drunken Poles and French people also liked to join these “combat actions”. There were cries of “you will answer us again for Sevastopol!”. And if you think about it, almost 80 years have passed since World War II. Thus, such “microbombs” are embedded in any ethnic group.
In general, hostilities are always bad. These are crimes, attacks on relations between peoples. These events are always perceived as absolute: holy or shameful. And it is always worth remembering the command “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Therefore, just do not fall for provocations, which, of course, will come from both sides, wherever they meet. The “sofa troops” are always howling dogs around the corner.
Again, if you’re going to a public place where you might meet people from a country you don’t like, don’t drink. In Russian law as in international law, alcohol increases guilt.
What if, at the sight of Ukrainians, you want to shout “Glory to Russia!”
You must understand that this cry will not be for the glory of your country, it will be derogatory and shameful. Because when a drunk rushes at you shouting very good slogans, he is humiliating himself.
If you are proud of your country, keep it to yourself and say so when you are accepted. There is such a beautiful phrase: do not throw pearls in front of pigs.
And if you want conflict and fighting, go ahead and fight. No need to hide behind high ideals, showing vile traits of your character. It discredits the idea that you are supposed to want to convey in this way.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the opinion of the editors
Read the Latest Ukraine War News on The Eastern Herald.
