#russophobia

It doesn’t matter how explicitly and decidedly anti-Russian the narrative is, how unflatteringly Russia is depicted, there’s still a Russian on screen whom you are invited by the narrative to think of as human with human motivations and internality—and not just, but to also think of him as desirable, as good and sympathetic. To quote Judith Butler, to think of him as grievable—that alone flies in the face of their belief in the inherent subhumanity of russians, and thus might as well be propaganda as far as they are concerned. Propaganda designed to humanise the subhuman Russian to a mass audience. It’s the same logic behind French racists freaking tf out at the sight of a hijabi on screen and calling it religious indoctrination. It is an instantaneous racist gut-reaction of immediate and intense rejection, followed up by a post-hoc justification that sounds less ugly to readers who do not share in whatever the hell is wrong with you.

The ‘inferiority’ of Russians is explained by ‘excluding’ them from the Western/European civilization and exaggeration of Russian ‘non-Europeanness’ in history, culture and social reality. The uniqueness of Russophobia as a form of (cultural) racism is due to the following factors. First, in the dominant Western political and cultural narratives ‘Russians’ are positioned as ‘White’. Sometimes even the Russian ‘Europeanness’ is admitted. Thus, one can speak about the ‘Russian inferiority’ or ‘maliciousness’ without being exposed as a ‘racist’ and not fearing any negative consequences for his/her career and public image. This characteristic also contributes to the vitality and popularity of Russophobia and ‘legitimizes’ expression of strongest dehumanizing forms of anti-Russian sentiment. Thus, Russophobia can be attributed as a politically correct (!) (cultural) racism and hatred based on ethnocultural background. Existing Russophobic stereotypes and negative Russian stereotypes in general are reificated by the Western popular culture as Steven Kurutz points out: I suspect screenwriters and studio executives have deemed Russians to be politically safe villains. No advocacy group will protest. No foreign distribution deal will be nixed.

Of course, Russophobia is a complex phenomenon: other ‘dimensions’ of it can include xenophobia, anti-Russia(n) prejudice, fear of the ‘Russian threat’ (i.e. the ‘phobia’ part itself) and even (geo)political ideology. Moreover, Russophobia should not be confused with ‘regular’ Russian stereotypes. The distinction is thin but surely not every Russian stereotype is Russophobic: it can be a mere (confirmation) bias, mystification or klyukvification. Only the most crude, hateful and essentialized Russian stereotypes should be treated as Russophobic: calling any Russian stereotype or critical approach ‘Russophobic’ undermines the concept of ‘Russophobia’ and waters the boundaries of the term meanings down.

The fear of Russia(ns) heated during the Cold War was (used as) a political factor both in the domestic and foreign policies of the Western countries. Similarly, anti-Western sentiment was exploited in the Soviet propaganda. The difference of this anti-Other (where the ‘Other’ equals the ‘Enemy’) discourse in the West and in the Eastern Bloc was as follows. Despite the basic similiraties in the anti-Western and anti-Soviet discourse’ texture the former was targeted mainly at capitalism as a system, i.e. it didn’t target all Westerners but capitalists and the ‘good guys’ were the ethnic minorities and working class. But the Cold War era anti-Soviet discourse cannot be reduced to anti-communism only because it was also deeply anti-Russian: ‘Ruskies’ were seen as ‘dangerous’ and ‘barbarous’ themselves. For example, American General George S. Patton said: The difficulty in understanding the Russians is that we do not take cognizance of the fact that he is not a European, but an Asiatic, and therefore thinks deviously. We can no more understand a Russian than a Chinaman or a Japanese, and from what I have seen of them, I have no particular desire to understand them, except to ascertain how much lead or iron it takes to kill them. In addition to his other Asiatic characteristics, the Russian have no regard for human life and is an all out son of bitch, barbarian, and chronic drunk. [...]

Like with all due espect to them i think you ladies are extending undue solidarity to us slavic russians in russia haha.

fuck you. how dare you come crying to me about how pathetic and powerless you are? how it astonishes you that YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR PEOPLE are bombing kindergartens and ancient churches and killing civilians ON A DAILY BASIS?

вьі меня спросите виновата ли 15-летняя люська из хуйзалупинска грязьгубернии рф что россия совершает геноцид и уничтожает украину каждьій день и я вам скажу - да ето так

i'm not gonna thank you for your shriveling sprig of consciousness. you should be sorry and you should feel ashamed of what your country is doing. and i'm and the Ukrainian people are not obligated to acknowledge it or give you all an absolution of your sins.

you talk to a russian person, mention some genocide, war crime or ethnic cleansing, and they get so surprised and angry at you simply because they don't know or don't believe in these events