March 07, 2014

7 Ways Not to Protest the Occupation of Crimea


7 Ways Not to Protest the Occupation of Crimea

Russia’s occupation cum annexation of Crimea is a tragedy no matter how you slice the salami tactics. One just wants to protest, boycott, DO something. But what? Well, like President Obama and the EU, we’re coming up a bit short on the list of feasible and effective sanctions. But here are a few things we recommend NOT doing.

  1. Boycotting Vodka. Yes, Russia invented vodka (don’t tell the Poles). And they export a lot of it around the world, including to the US. But boycotting vodka, or even making the drastic personal sacrifice to drink only non-Russian vodka, is not going to be more than a drop in the proverbial vedro. What is more, the good Russian vodka you can buy in the US is made by private companies, and chances are they, like most of the Russian business world, is anti-conflict. So please oh please don’t pour vodka in the streets again, it just makes us cry.
  2. Ritual Matryoshka Burning. Spring is coming, and I know that up here in Vermont we are itching for a nice big, warm bonfire (if we can find the fire pit beneath all the snow). And a fire fits right in with Russian Spring Traditions. But the matryoshki didn’t occupy Ukraine, so why punish them? Besides, if you torch them, the Ukrainian pysanki are going to be lonely on your Colorful Folkcrafts From Around the World shelf. Perhaps most importantly, we’re willing to bet those little mothers were not painted with eco-friendly paint, and you wouldn’t want to be breathing their flame-licked fumes. So step away from the nested dolls.
  3. Posting Anti-Russian Tirades on Facebook. If we have to explain the futility and incivility of this, well...
  4. Boycotting Russian Companies. As I pointed out in this space during the Snowden Affair, this is harder than it sounds. Unless you have a Gazprom pipe feeding the line into your basement, it’s pretty difficult to find a worthy boycottee. The world economy has just become so intertwined and complicated – as Obama et al are discovering – that any economic sanction aimed at Russia has as much chance of exploding in one’s face as it does of hitting the target. Better bet: buy anything Ukrainian you can get your hands on. Zubrowka anyone?
  5. Boycotting the NHL. Ok, sure, there are loads of Russians in the NHL, but, like the matryoshki, they didn’t occupy Ukraine either. Besides, the US and Canada both beat the Russian team in the Olympics, so isn’t that punishment enough?  
  6. Cancelling Your Trip to Russia. Bad idea. Traveling in Russia will give you the opportunity to meet Russians, discuss this and other issues with them, and basically become better informed on this, something you can share with others when you return. In fact, perhaps the current situation in Crimea will cause NBC to carry more of the Paralympics in Sochi. One can only hope. Those athletes deserve the exposure!
  7. Cancelling Your Russian Life Subscription. Now wait just a gosh darn minute! Is it our name? Did that confuse you? If so, we hasten to remind you that the word “Russian” in our title is descriptive of our content, not our allegiances or origins. In fact, our [American owned] magazine has zero connection with the Russian government, and we rarely agree with what the Russian government gets up to before, during or after hours. So cancelling Russian Life because you disagree with the Russian government’s actions would be like cancelling your TIME subscription because you loathe Congress. If anything, more people need to be reading more about Russia, not less. But then you knew I’d end up there, didn’t you?
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Some of Our Books

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

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.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

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