Guest speaker at English class

[roykirk]

Last night I was the guest speaker at my GF's English class here in Siberia.  It was a fascinating chance for me to speak to Russians at a sort of man-on-the-street level.  It was also a good chance to talk politics since my GF really isn't that interested in the topic.  Since this was an advanced English class, there was very many good questions and long discussions.

Everyone in the class, including the instructor, were under 25 (except my GF at 27).  Only two men in the class.  Everyone seemed to be taking English for work-related purposes.  The only exception was the instructor, who admitted she would like to emigrate to Europe.  Some of the questions and discussions:

1.  As I expected, the first question was about my thoughts on Bush.  I told them I thought Bush was a horrible President that had threatened world peace.  They all nodded their heads in agreement and it was quite clear this statement lightened the mood in the room.  (sorry to the Bush supporters here on the board, but it's honestly how I feel and not something I said just to win the favor of a classroom of students)  This led in to a discussion about my thoughts on the current presidential candidates and an explanation of our political parties.

2.  Georgia.  My GF warned me this would come up.  I do have some strong negative feelings about Russia's actions here, but I simply did a political dodge and told them America should let Georgia fight their own battles.

3.  Iraq.  Reading #1, you can guess my response here.

4.  Many questions about our education system and the average salary of various jobs. 

5.  Questions about what the Russian "stereotype" in America is.  This was one of the longest discussions of the night.  One student expressed "disgust" that Hollywood portrays Russians as drunks and that there is mafia everywhere.  This was a tough one for me to respond to, because I really have some conflicted thoughts about this.  While I'm sure Hollywood overdoes it, I do think Russia has quite a problem with alcohol.  Even my GF described it to me as "Russia's private shame."  And I would say my experience has been that I've seen what seems to be many more drunk Russians staggering down the street than I have drunk Americans in similar-sized cities.  Maybe it's because being drunk in public is more frowned upon in the U.S. so our drunks are passed out in bars and at home?  I honestly don't know. 

6.  They also asked me to explain the financial crisis in the United States.  One of the students was a banker, and he made it quite clear that people in his profession considered it the fault of the U.S. for ruining the world economy. 

One thing I was confused about and didn't have time to clarify was about Russia's education system.  There were two 23 y/o women in the class I spoke with.  One is working on her PhD, and the other said she was a 3rd year medical student.  I don't understand how this is possible.  Is it because Russians graduate from high school at a younger age and start college earlier?  Most Americans graduate high school at age 18 or close to it.  You'd be hard-pressed to be a 3rd year medical student here at anything less than age 25 (graduate at 18, 4 years undergrad + 3 years medical school), unless you graduated early.  I also have several friends who are PhDs, and not a one of them managed to do it before age 28.  Are our education systems so different?

On a different note, I would say that if there are single men here who wish to meet young and pretty Russian women, go hang out at an English school.  You will never see so many beautiful and friendly women who wish to know everything about you.   

[Jack]

I don't understand how this is possible.  Is it because Russians graduate from high school at a younger age and start college earlier? 

Yes.  You graduate from grammer school at grade 11.

Many students begin the University at 17, some 16.

[ScottinCrimea]

Medical school there is a six year program beginning right out of high school, so if they graduate at age 17 they can be a third year med student at age 20 and graduate with their medical degree at age 23.

[roykirk]

Medical school there is a six year program beginning right out of high school, so if they graduate at age 17 they can be a third year med student at age 20 and graduate with their medical degree at age 23.

Interesting!  I think I remember talking to a physician in Scotland who mentioned a similar program there.  It's too bad we don't have something like that in the U.S.  It's one of the primary things that kept me from pursuing medicine as a career.  I just couldn't fathom spending all that time in school and not even being a free-and-clear practicing physician until I was nearly 30.

[kievstar]

Russian education for doctors is not as extensive as USA.  My sports doctor is from Samara.  He said when he came to USA he had to redo most of his education as not up to par with western standards (he spoke perfect English before moving).  I see the same thing with economist and accounting majors.  Russia has very good schools prior to university. But university is not as strong as what you would get in the USA or some of the better universities in western Europe.  I do think before university Russian schools are better than most schools in USA.  So a 19 year old in Russia is more likely to be more book smart than an 19 year old in USA. 

I have taught business subjects in Kiev and the discussion tends to lead to what the USA does.  Eventhough the subject had nothing to do with the USA.  People like to always blame the USA for World faults.  One of the negatives of being #1 power.  But this crisis is more to do when the USA dollar is weak and oil / commodities are high it destroys the world.  Lesson to the world you better make sure American citizens can afford your products or it will happen again. When America stops spending.  Causes a big problem.  Global economy right now does not work when oil / commodity countries get rich. 

[Ronnie]

Roy,
I'm disappointed in your comments.  You say you railed on Bush becuase that's the way you feel, apparently aware of the damage it might do - a American going abroad and denouncing the democratically elected president.  But, as you say that's the way you feel.

Then you admit you had negative feelings about Russia's actions in Georgia but you kept them to yourself and instead said America should let Georgia fight it's own battles.  I'm seeing inconsistency here in your professed candor.  Am I wrong?  What is consistent is your fear of saying something truthful that the audience may not want to hear.  I'm not sure what to call that, some might call it pandering, others cowardice.

Did it every occur to you that there may have been people in the audience with a positive view of the US but after hearing you, an American speak, decided to join the negative crowd.  Thanks.

Even more unforgiveable in my view are two of my wife's ESL teachers here in California.  They, on taxpayer dollars, use the class to indoctrinate the newly arrived immigrants as to the evils of capitalism, conservativism and religion and spout the radical left, socialist positions.  Again, this is on my dollar as a taxpayer.  It's against the law, but they do it anyway.  When I wrote a letter of protest to the principal, I never got a reply but the teacher because to treat my wife very badly, bringing her to the point of tears once. 

Folks, this is what socialism and the left are all about.  Belittle, and ridicule of those who don't follow the party line.  Sound familiar?  It should to anyone who lived under the Soviet system and is becoming the new/old theme under Putin.

You missed an opportunity Roy, not just to improve your country's image but to put the lie to notion that America is at fault for every ill that befalls every dysfunctional government.  Russia's economic problems started with Georgia because it's government showed it is erratic and untrustworthy.

[Blues Fairy]

And how did you explain the financial crisis?  Also the fault of Bush?  Did you agree with that student banker and admit the responsibility of the U.S. for all the woes of the world?

[Misha]

And how did you explain the financial crisis?  Also the fault of Bush?  Did you agree with that student banker and admit the responsibility of the U.S. for all the woes of the world?

And, let's not forget that Putin was preening not too long ago that Russia would be a safe haven in a financially troubled world. However, after losing more than 10% in half-an-hour or so yesterday, both the RTS and the MICEX stock markets were shut down. Who knows when they will reopen. Russia is pouring billions into banks (with no collateral) and into the stock markets and the main companies (GAZPROM and ROSNEFT notably) are asking the state to help them pay of their foreign debt ($80 billion) in exchange for an IOU. Meanwhile, untold Russian banks (who lent billions to consumers in the last few years in their own ponzi credit schemes) are on the verge of bankruptcy. Is this all the West's fault?

[kievstar]

USA is not the cause of this financial crisis or Bush.  Anyone who thinks this is highly uneducated in business.  Europe likes to blame USA because it takes pressure off them.

Meltdown is due to many things but over history stock market goes up and down.  People should really look up the average stock market returns per year from 1930's.  You would be surprised how many years were negative. 

[AugustD]

Actually it rubs me the wrong way also berating our existing president while in a foreign country and then taking a political dodge when it comes to theirs.  Sounds somewhat hypocritical.

[Ronnie]

America's current problem is due to bursting of the house price bubble combined with the fact that American homeowners were fully leveraged.  This was the cause of the 1929 stock market crash as well when stocks were margined at 90%...a 10% decline being enough to wipe out 100% of the person's equity.  So while the government fixed the stock leverage problem by limiting margin investors to 50% loan to value ratio (marked to the market each day), the government at the same time set up a similar collapse in the housing market.

The Government set up the collapse in several ways.  First by eliminating the tax deduction for interest payments on everything but home mortgages.  This created a world where people took out home equity lines of creditr to make purchases of automobiles, and other big ticket items so that the interest could be deductible.

The next thing that was done is to make it easier to qualify for a mortgage and buy a home without increasing their incomes.  The dream of homeownership then becomes a nightmare when people can't keep up the payments and they lose their home.  You can google the history of the CRA (community reinvestment act) for more details on how the government accomplished this.

Next the government engaged in a policy of uncontrolled immigration touting the myth that American employers can't find qualified people already in the United States to fill jobs.  This policy was designed and had the actual effect of keeping down wages...wages the new homeowner was counting on seeing grow in order to make his mortgage payment more affordable over time or to make it possible for him to overcome the built-in rate increases in the mortgage he took out in order to shoe-horn the mortgage into his tight budget.

The fourth way the government set up the crisis is by agreeing to trade agreements that have a dual affect on Americans, not only by pulling their jobs out from under them and shipping the jobs overseas, but by creating a trade deficit that leads to weaken buying power of the dollar.

The fifth way the govenment screwed up the economy is by refusing to reverse the trend of importing oil and gas imports taking the percentage from 24% in the 1970s to 70% today.  This occurred with the full knowledge by each administration and by each congress that increasing dependence on foreign sources of vital energy supplies would be devastating in the future. 

Russia on the other hand has problems because their economy is nearly completely dependent on oil and arms exports.  Other than beautiful women and some forest products, Russia offers nothing more to the world and the falling price of oil and the pulling out of foreign investment due the Putin's aggressive statements against NATO has thrown that economy into a tailspin.

Blaming the United States by various governments for their own internal problems is a tried and true method of diverting blame from their own corruption and ineptitude.  It's worked for years in Cuba, N. Korea and the middle east and now Chavez in Venezuela is playing that old violin with the skill of an Itzhak Perlman.

Would it be nice if Americans could travel abroad and tell the truth and not worry about political correctness?  Our politcal correctness is probably, if the truth be told, the major contributing factor in our declining respect abroad.

[wxman]

Every time I visit my fiance, I go to the university where her best friend teaches english. I spend about an hour with the class, and time after time these questions come up. When it comes to politics, no matter where, people will bait you with questions in which in their mind they already have their answer. They ask about our president hoping to get a negative response from you, validating their opinion, same with Iraq. I do believe in giving a honest response to all questions. Sometimes they agree, sometimes they don't. As far as Georgia, I would express my opinion and not try to sidestep it. Give it to them straight up. Over the years, students from that University have become a lot more negative about the US. Some of it justified, some of it not. But I never put my country down. This is not the same as expressing my negative view on Iraq, or politics. I still let them know I am very proud of my country, very proud to be an American and to live in a country that has allowed me to pursue and achieve my dreams. I tell them I hope they feel the same about their country. After I say that, most of the time no more negative comments follow about the US. It's like saying, those in glass houses should not throw stones, without really saying it.

[docetae]

America current problem is mainly due to the Alan Greenspan...

I have played the guest speaker but in french class. I have always avoided political question by a simple answer: If you want to stop to be friend with someone, start to talk politic or religion. Each one has his own sensibility and point of view, the real freedom in our countries is free speech.

[Ooooops]

AntiAmerican propaganda is getting stronger in Russia.   Of course, recent actions of US government ain't helping either...   

[wxman]

And vice versa...AntiRussian propaganda is getting stronger in US.   Of course, recent actions of the Russian government ain't helping either...   

[Ooooops]

And vice versa...AntiRussian propaganda is getting stronger in US.   Of course, recent actions of the Russian government ain't helping either...   

Regular Joe doesn't give a hoot about Russia.   Most of the time he doesn't even know where it is.      

[wxman]

Regular Joe doesn't give a hoot about Russia.   Most of the time he doesn't even know where it is.      

Not too sure about that. All the debates so far have brought Russia into the discussion. Both candidates have not been too kind in their words for Russia.

[Ooooops]

All the debates so far have brought Russia into the discussion. Both candidates have not been too kind in their words for Russia.

And which one of those two is the Regular Joe - Obama or McCain?   

[docetae]

Not too sure about that. All the debates so far have brought Russia into the discussion. Both candidates have not been too kind in their words for Russia.

Yes now already knows that Russia is the island in front of Palin's house.

[wxman]

And which one of those two is the Regular Joe - Obama or McCain?   

Not sure. Either the one that get his property for free, or the one that can't remember how many properties he has

[Ooooops]

Yes now already knows that Russia is the island in front of Palin's house.

 

[Ooooops]

Not sure. Either the one that get his property for free, or the one that can't remember how many properties he has

 

It would be very funny if it wasn't so sad...   As Russian proverb goes - why do we need enemies if we have such friends?   

[SANDRO43]

As Russian proverb goes - why do we need enemies if we have such friends?   

Not a Russian exclusive, we say:

"Dagli amici mi guardi Iddio, che ai nemici ci penso io."

God, safeguard me from my friends - I can take care of my enemies myself .

[Ooooops]

Not a Russian exclusive, we say:

"Dagli amici mi guardi Iddio, che ai nemici ci penso io."

God, safeguard me from my friends - I can take care of my enemies myself .

Hmmm... looks like carbon copy...  I wonder which one is the original?..   

[SANDRO43]

Hmmm... looks like carbon copy...  I wonder which one is the original?..   

I think it's universal folk wisdom, there are probably equivalent versions in any language .