re: Moscow looks like a great place to live

Back in the US, back in the US, back in the USSR

-Beatles

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And here is a different video of life OUTSIDE of MOSCOW's elite borders.

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And your point? Here in the U.S. we could take you to large parts of the rural south, large parts of Appalachia as well as parts of the midwest and desert southwest, and you would see the same type of run down 3rd world type living and similar levels of poverty.

At least their major cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg are really nice and not sh*tholes like Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco, parts of Chicago, parts of Los Angeles, parts of New York City. Heck, Kensington Avenue in Philadelphia truly rivals some of the worst places on the planet in terms of poverty, destitution and hopelessness.

Every country in the world tries to highlight it's beautiful and vibrant areas and ignore the areas that aren't postcard worthy, the areas that aren't very nice. Every country does propaganda to some sort. It's just we've decided some propoganda is good and some is bad.

I saw another 1:20 minute live video of someone just walking, while filming inSt Petersburg. And it was so shocking, surreal even, that I immediately forwarded it to several close friends; and I still remember & mention it from time to time.

Here is what I saw. First of all, it was impossible to fake or edit. The person filming walked for perhaps a mile down the sidewalk of a major boulevard. He walked block after block, with no breaks or edits, all clearly & obviously live as countless people approached & went passed. While walking casually, the person with (a GoPro?) crossed dozens of crowded streets/crosswalks/corners - all full of people patiently waiting, orderly crossing (NO Jaywalking) both ways. The camera would stroll past store after store, sometimes panning to look in, with people exiting/entering. No one either knew and/or cared if they might be being filmed. They were going about their day, very comfortably, happy - almost always together as a clerly close family, friends holding hands, couples, mothers with children, etc. The level of simple, nomal affection, touching, smiling was STUNNING! Again - as camera approached or as people walked toward/away or coming out of doors of stores.......it was all IMPOSSIBLE to fake or edit.

What was so incredibly obvious, was that EVERYONE was WELL BEHAVED, RESPECTFUL which USED to be Normal/Typical. Everyone was DRESSED "Appropriately" in Nice, Clean Attire. There was NOT ONE BUM, No One Panhandling, No Homeless, No One with torn, ripped jeans or clothing. NO HOODIES or Baggy Shorts falling off of Waists. No One was Smoking or Drinking! No Trash, No Loud Music. I was GOBSMACKED @ what I saw. So, I started looking further and further "down the street, across the street" as far as the camera would allow. The level of civility, closeness, respect was soo unlike what I have become accustomed to in the US or here where I live (which is considered and is factually very nice, orderly, crime free, polite) .....well, what I witnessed/saw after watching 45 minutes of people (thousands) coming/going - filmed live -in this Large Russian City......it was simply "Surreal"!

It was really unbelievable at what I was seeing in the demeanor, faces, interactions & behavior in family after family, friends - everyone. That I decided to I analyze, inspect deeper. So, I stretched my vision/view to observe even closer, see more details, buildings, architecture, landscaping, street/sidewalk maintenance, windows, etc. Of course, No Trash. No Cigarette Butts, and N O G U M. Splotches. It took awhile, and then I said....wait, something is missing or wrong. I could'nt figure it out. And then it hit me. Almost NO ONE had their Phones Out, No Distracted/Isolated Talking, Staring @ screens!! And this was NOT a dated video. It was filmed, taken in superb 4k video. I could see phones in back pockets & evidence of nice, modern phones; but people were basically NOT using them in Public. They were enjoying each other's company, talking, interacting together! Neither did I see people isolated, privately listening/talking through Headsets, Bluetooth Ear/Air Pods, etc.

This is what I irrefutably saw, witnessed as the camera gently "walked" perhaps 3/4 of a mile or more - the whole street, and at street crossings, the camera would point & zoom down other streets. I saw well over 1.5k people - clearly and/or well enough to ascertain their appearance, behavior, body language.

It was like going back in time - to an idylic, peaceful, safe place - where everyone was comfortable, not stressed or strained, and quite clearly "happy".

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What was so incredibly obvious, was that EVERYONE was WELL BEHAVED, RESPECTFUL which USED to be Normal/Typical. Everyone was DRESSED "Appropriately" in Nice, Clean Attire. There was NOT ONE BUM, No One Panhandling, No Homeless, No One with torn, ripped jeans or clothing. NO HOODIES or Baggy Shorts falling off of Waists. No One was Smoking or Drinking! No Trash, No Loud Music. I was GOBSMACKED @ what I saw. So, I started looking further and further "down the street, across the street" as far as the camera would allow. The level of civility, closeness, respect was soo unlike what I have become accustomed to in the US or here where I live (which is considered and is factually very nice, orderly, crime free, polite) .....well, what I witnessed/saw after watching 45 minutes of people (thousands) coming/going - filmed live -in this Large Russian City......it was simply "Surreal"!

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This is normal behavior in large parts of Europe. You can see smiling and polite people in Estonia, Sweden, Hungary, all of these places. This is not a Moscow or Russia thing.

So here is another video for you

LINK

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And your point? Here in the U.S. we could take you to large parts of the rural south, large parts of Appalachia as well as parts of the midwest and desert southwest, and you would see the same type of run down 3rd world type living and similar levels of poverty.

At least their major cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg are really nice and not sh*tholes like Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco, parts of Chicago, parts of Los Angeles, parts of New York City. Heck, Kensington Avenue in Philadelphia truly rivals some of the worst places on the planet in terms of poverty, destitution and hopelessness.

Every country in the world tries to highlight it's beautiful and vibrant areas and ignore the areas that aren't postcard worthy, the areas that aren't very nice. Every country does propaganda to some sort. It's just we've decided some propoganda is good and some is bad.

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That’s kind of a strange metric though, isn’t it? You’re comparing the absolute worst pockets of poverty in America to the entire rest of Russia outside Moscow.

Try matching similar tiers. The U.S. has its rough areas, sure, but it also has endless miles of spotless, safe suburbs and small towns that don’t remotely resemble what you’ll find past the ring roads in two Russian cities.

Head outside Moscow or St. Petersburg. It’s cracked concrete, poverty, litter, busted plumbing, and Soviet apartment blocks that should’ve come down before the Berlin Wall did.

You’re pointing at the shittiest parts of America and saying “see, same thing,” while ignoring that 99 percent of the country still outclasses 99 percent of Russia in quality of life by any measurable standard.

What I saw in the Russian video was widespread, ingrained into the people, culture & society. You don't/can't simply "act" in that deep, genuine, respectful manner while just visiting "downtown", and then suddenly revert back to something lacking those morals!

I don't recall seeing any police or cops anywhere. And if their were, there certainly did'nt appear anything/anywhere that would have required them to "police". Nor do I think they had formed a 5 mile perimeter preventing "undesirables" from entering the area & conversely only allowing the well behaved, dressed.

And what is far more likely, if this was a "postcard/propagandized/sanitized" idilic area (and it WAS).....which was "surrounded" by the "reality" of Russia, with many/most areas of people struggling, houses/buildings in disrepair, alcohohics, drug addicts in public, large # of poor inhabitants milling about in/amongst others in "most" parts of the city......then it would be impossible to keep that element entirely "out" & totally missing from the long video I saw! If, however, there were/was the open crime, lawlessness, robbing/mugging, homeless, hood criminals we in the US see, know and have come to expect......then you would certainly also see vestiges of it everywhere in Russia, just like we have in ALL of our major US cities!

But what I'm saying, and saw in the Russian people I observed, was something fundamentally, deeply different. I do not believe that the people, behavior I saw would tolerate/allow that anywhere within or around that city. If you are perceptive, aware.....you can "see" something entirely different "in" peoples faces, eyes, demeanor! Again, those people were not, are not "sequestered" in or around that several mile metro district area - living as if on another planet!

And not only do I think this was NOT some strictly controlled, exclusive "idealized" area where only civilized people were allowed to roam and be/feel safe & free......I think, like in the U.S.A., that it would be FAR MORE LIKELY, if it existed widespread outside this downtown area, that this is precisely, directly where the "undesirable", hoodlums, destitute would FLOCK to to prey upon those easy targets & those members of "high society" which have. Why would you hang around & risk being robbed, raped, mugged in the rest of the city....if you could go and hang out in a peaceful, nice part of the city and just mind your own business, be left alone!?! Or perhaps quietly seek out a generous handout?!

What would also be attractive & quite natural, if the majority of the city was very different, is that this "nice" area would be the exact area the criminals, desperate, degenerate masses would inject themselves to rob, steal, swindle, hustle, etc.

I did not "see" that, and think it unlikely that it "generally" exists in the larger cities of Russia. Could be wrong, but what I saw could not be faked or exist in isolation. It was part of Russia & Russian society!

Good for them!

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Because it’s a conservative Christian nation that is Caucasian.

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Never mind Moscow fights with Paris to be the most Muslim city in Europe with literally millions.

Had a good friend who worked for NASA who went TDY to Moscow back when the International Space Station was being built. This was only a few years after the Soviet Union collapsed. He told me the hotels lobbies were filled with beautiful Russian girls looking for foreign men to attached upon hoping to leave Russia. He was married, but he said it was mecca for the NASA nerds that traveled to Russia.

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Is this real or some AI BS. Those women sure don't look like the prototypical Russian lady ...

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It’s real. The voice over is AI. Lot’s of ignorance in this thread.