March 01, 2018

Viral Videos of All Stripes and Sizes


Viral Videos of All Stripes and Sizes
Is This What the Kids Do These Days?

1. The adults are trying to appeal to the youths, and, as usually happens in such cases, the result is amusing. A local Russian media company just dropped a new music video, “Oi, come to the ELECTIONS!” The video features singing and dancing pensioners, rapping youth, and uncomfortable-looking cadets, all for the purpose of encouraging young people to vote in the Russian presidential elections, which will take place on March 18. These videos are nonpartisan, but they aren’t immune from controversy: one widely-shared advertisement portrays a post-election world in which middle-aged men are asked to enlist, children beg parents for millions of rubles, and families must adopt gay people when their partners dump them. Will it be better at encouraging the youth to vote than it has been at riling them up? Unclear.

[INVALID]

 

2. Leonardo DiCaprio may have gotten himself into a bit of hot water. Or rather, very cold water. After Leonardo DiCaprio made a video about climate change in Oymyakon, a Russian town known as the coldest inhabited place on Earth, local kids made a response video. In this video they challenge Leo to come to Oymyakon and dump a bucket of water on himself, which they promptly do themselves. Leonardo DiCaprio may be famous for doing extreme stunts, but something tells us he wouldn’t be too hot about this idea (despite his Russian roots).

3. Art imitates life, life imitates art, and video game clips are being broadcast as real life war footage. One of Russia’s state television channels, Channel One, recently aired a segment honoring a hero who died in Syria, interspersing it with footage of the Syrian war. The problem was, not all of it was from Syria (or anywhere else on Earth): one internet user noticed that two very short clips were from the computer game Arma 3. Channel One clarified that editing snafu  was “accidental”: maybe someone just needs to get their heads out of the (Arma 3) clouds.

In Odder News:

Photo: Vnsilin

  • No, you didn’t miss the Rapture: the pillars of light hanging over St. Petersburg last weekend were just caused by ice crystals.
  • One impatient minibus passenger decided to keep his ride on schedule by stealing it and driving it off himself. As tempting as that sounds, taking a deep breath is probably a better coping mechanism.
  • An ice-cold heart that actually has some joy in it: check out Lake Baikal’s heart-shaped ice skating rink.
Quote of the Day:

“Oi, come to the elections, let’s go vote! Who if not us will pick our president?”

—The very endearing pensioners of the “Oi, come to the ELECTIONS!” music video

Want more where this comes from? Give your inbox the gift of TWERF, our Thursday newsletter on the quirkiest, obscurest, and Russianest of Russian happenings of the week.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955