“Russia” in western educational system. Опции Поделиться

[Sankino-88]

Development of mass communication technologies and actual ease with which a personal psych of the probable info-consumer may be accessed play detrimental role in the dramatic increase of popularization of various mass media distribution devices and organizations. It is now not a problem to advertise in Honolulu while permanently residing in Timbuktu. Commercial invasion of the cultural space and development of basic assumptions regarding personalities of potential commercial targets and their milieu by the money-starving business enterprises is ever greater than any time before. Political climate in and around the most powerful social agencies such as USA, Russia, China, and Europe, not to mention Middle East and Asia altogether, is far from stable. Horizons of the most optimistic predictions regarding developments of socially conscious and culturally respectful relationships between the above stated countries are rather dreary. Though the light of hope is always beaming from the minds of progressive intellectuals, this hope may very well be deserted if nothing continues to be done towards achievement of the globally peaceful community.
Obviously, development of the world-wide commerce is the vital necessity for our very existence, for the rules of today’s biological and social survival have never been as materialistic as they are today. Yet, the most prominent damage that the striving for profit can do is the creation of an overall generalized perception of human subjects as biological entities incapable of development of consciousness. It is the creation of a culturally distorted image of the social content of the globe-neighboring countries that suggests ‘we-sellthey-buy’ relationship between them. It is this competitive drive to overcome, overpower, outsell, outbuy, become a leader and subject others to one’s own ideology that promotes grounds for increasingly growing misunderstanding by and between the people of the world. It is this artificially developed pride and military-based patriotism that selects the minds of the most devoted to the present ideology while completely rejecting those who think otherwise. It is this very notion of the national comradeship that allows disregard and disrespect of the ‘less significant’ neighbors, who and by far exercise similar politics within their own sphere, thus doubling, tripling and quadrupling the divergence of social subjects from the opportunity to think in common and respectful terms.
How is it possible then to attain understanding between the parties of the world’s community of people if these very parties do not know, or have no opportunity to learn about values and developments of historical identities of the given nations? Say, what is Russia in the eyes of the majority of a common public in Canada and United States? The thorough study must be conducted to answer accurately such an important question. However, this authors’ personal encounters of the most common responses suggest that Canadians, for example, have little if any knowledge of Soviet, safe Russian, history. Some representatives of the US still envision Russia in terms of the Cold War opponent, whose people are wearing thick ‘tullups’ and drinking a lot of vodka. Surprisingly, when asked to explain the intellectual level of majority of the newcomers from Russia they try avoiding answering to this question, unable to comprehend the difference between actual and assumed.

On the other hand, increased business relationships and traveling opportunities landed a big hand for understanding between the Nations. Yet, it would be naïve to assume that such a miniscule number of direct connections established between the moneymaking industries in a form of business enterprise or traveling agencies may or ever will be sufficient determinant of the international climate and relationship between the countries. What is more probable, is the fact that the governments, elected by the public uneducated in international history framed by empathic views, would have much greater leverage to manipulate public internal support for the country’s external affairs then it would have been possible should the public had a better understanding of the social values and beliefs of those they making politics with. A mouthful of explanations, nevertheless the point is clear; there never will be any development of commonality until both participants of the dialog come together to appreciate and respect the growth and development of national identity of each other. This author exhibits personally a strong believe in that Canadian public is capable and potentially interested in knowing more about Russia and it s history. All that is needed is a step forward initiated by the wiser.

There are but few examples to support presented above arguments for the necessity to communicate between the nations on a broader basis; that aside and beyond the platforms developed by official governmental structures.
For example, when asked whether or not students of the grades 9 through to 12 of the Canadian catholic high school Art class are studying about investment of the Russian and Soviet artists into deposits of the art in the world, the teacher replied that nothing is known to him about this side of the international art development. As a matter of fact, no one textbook in the subject area of the arts includes any, even most trivial information about Russian artistic heritage. The only reminder that Russia does exist on the map of developed cultures is the picture of the famous St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. Yes, some teachers do acknowledge the fact of knowing major Russian figures such as Lenin, Yeltsin and Gorbachev. Putin is also a known element of Russian ‘folklore’. As with respect to most famous painters or writers or theater players, the knowledge is a very limited one to classical music radio channels and narrow circles of professionals in specified fields of study. Overall, while an average Russian student, (say Soviet, for this author has no particular knowledge of today’s Russian school curriculum) could fairly confidently manipulate his/her knowledge about major western classical writes such as Jack London, James Fennimore Cooper, Hemmingway and others, a Canadian high school or college student can’t even recall those named, heavily relying on the knowledge of Shakespeare alone. Canadian student is most likely proficient in knowing authors from largely unknown countries and developing cultures, which is a great knowledge to possess in and by itself, then any of the Russian giant developers in the field of art. Repin, Bunin, Lermontov, Pushkin, Vasnezov, Lomonosov, Mendeleev, Stanislavski are as unknown to the great majority of Canadian public as the murky waters of the vast Ocean. Proclamation of these names means nothing to any given Canadian student, not to mention those in US.
Another example is the fact that Canadian and American public have a very unique view of the roles played by countries in the conduction of the Second World War. In particular, the notion that it was the USA who made Nazi Germany to capitulate is a common one and most prevalent. Soviet Union, this notion suggests, was only minimally involved in the event of fighting fascism. Not to say that some educated circles do recognize the fact of Soviet struggle and the extent of distraction suffered in the war, many, it cannot be overemphasized, many academic writers mention occasionally or intentionally how important and detrimental was the D-Day of 1944 for the entire population of the world never mind the 4 years the preceded the opening of the second front). The Cold War had and still exhibits its’ legitimate outcomes. For example, it seems that the way world history is taught in Canadian schools is far more divergent from the actuality of the past perceived by the Russian experiences. As this author has personally observed in one of the classes, a teacher made his students draw pro-Nazi, anti-Semitic posters “to draw their attention” as he explained, “to the outcomes and horrors of the Nazi propaganda.” Act unimaginable in any ggiven Russian school. These posters (what a nonsense) were held on the classroom wall for public observations for a month until the moment a complaint was finally filed to the vice principle of the school about inappropriateness of such an exposition. They simply don’t feel what Russian do. And if they don’t, and their partners across the Atlantic don’t, how can these nations understand each other?
There are ways to change the situation. Or should this situation be changed? What do you think about it? All comments are welcomed. Questions, critique, suggestions or opinions regarding this article may be directed to Alexander Godkin either in reply section of this forum

Respectfully,

Godkin, Alexander.

[А.Рассадин]

А что никто не отвечает Sankino-88 в эту тему --- по-мондиалистски, что ли, все читать разучились?

Справка:

Санкино --- это деревня в Свердловской область, где в 1988 году Александр Годкин строил коммунизм в отдельно взятой деревне вместе с Александром Араповым (который тогда ещё не был Президентом АСФ России).
Это вам не Сан-Ремо какое-нить...

[Sankino-88]

"А что никто не отвечает..."

А они вас ждут, Александр.


"Санкино --- это деревня в Свердловской область, где в 1988 году Александр Годкин строил коммунизм в отдельно взятой деревне вместе с Александром Араповым (который тогда ещё не был Президентом АСФ России).
Это вам не Сан-Ремо какое-нить.."

Какое отношение имеет Александр Арапов и Ассоциация Студентов Физиков (АСФ) к моей статье мне не понятно. Мне кажется что если-б кто-нибудь и хотел узнать что такое Санкино, то и спросил бы, причём без вашего на то побуждения.

А вам, Саша, хочу заметить, что грубость, это всегда признак недостатка способностей. По видимому, вы исчерпали себя. Мне уже не интерестно беседовать с вами. За вами пустота, за вашими словами нет ни смысла ни понимания. Очень хочется верить что в России всё-таки больше людей здравомыслясших, тех кто не пойдёт за демагогами и шизoфрениками; надеюсь каждый поймёт мои слова в меру своей испорченности.

[А.Рассадин]

...
Какое отношение имеет Александр Арапов и Ассоциация Студентов Физиков (АСФ) к моей статье мне не понятно. Мне кажется что если-б кто-нибудь и хотел узнать что такое Санкино, то и спросил бы, причём без вашего на то побуждения.
...

Всё просто. Глядя на ваш первый пост в этой теме, у любого нормального посетителя нашего форума сразу возникает вопрос: не является ли Sankino-88 агентом Трёхсторонней комиссии или Билделбергского клуба, шпионящим за нашим форумом? И стоит ли вообще иметь с ним дело?

А тут Вам сразу дали отличную рекомендацию:

...строил коммунизм в отдельно взятой деревне вместе с Александром Араповым (который тогда ещё не был Президентом АСФ России)...