With a silent gesture of respect, I bow my head and heartily thank you all Co8 people from your great work. No better Christmas present could one have hoped for than the 7.0 NC. Dear Sergio and GA I thank you from the lively debates you have provided me with, I would be honored from the privilege to call you my friends. May your year 2012 be void from trouble and filled with prosper.
Rocktoy, I had had a good time during most of our debates, too. I didn't mean for my reply to your troll comment to hurt your feelings. Whether or not something is trolling is mainly perspective. I've been rather trollish a few times myself. If any of us get too far out of line, we will be corrected by the Gestapo...TROLL ALERT! :zap:... SOME rudeness keeps things lively. Some Americans find constant Anti-American rhetoric tiresome and boring. The United States, most of the time, recognizes it's responsibilities to the rest of the world and, I think, does a creditible job living up to them. This means HUGE sacrifices on the part of some individuals. Some countries are not noted for getting involved and are thus free of any criticism.
Thank you. Exactly. It was not hurt by your reply, but you calling me a troll that was hurtful. I may have been many things: controversial, sarcastic, ironical, anti-American but never have I sook troldom or been plainly mean. Sadly Gestapo went with all the other good things from the olden world and we have to settle with the contemporary equivalent: political correctness… No, my friend. The problem here is the mortal sin of envy. The US has the money and the means. So whenever someone is in trouble they call for the mighty US for help. No matter whether the US grant’s their help or not, they are to be blamed: either they didn’t help or helped the wrong side. Those who do not have will always envy those who do, no matter how much the latter will help the former. Neh? And the arrogant/ignorant attitude of Americans (not referring to you, but to those who I did met in my short five week visit in the US in 2009) will not help. Thanks, I guess. Do not be offended. In Finnish culture men do not hug other men; I have always thought same goes with Russians too? Actually Fins do not hug anyone else than their spouse/children. Some weird cultural thing, I guess. Anyways: Should I ever have the chance to visit the great states of Texas or Russia, you GA and Sergio would be my first choice to ask if someone could show me around.
In Russian culture men (and women, and mixed groups) hug each other, and kiss each other, and pat each other on the back without anything improper implied.
What? I should have known that, if not from nothing else but the olden movies. This is how higher education corrupts one’s mind. I read for some of my sociology class that the Russians (i.e. Ingrians/Karelians/Russians) etc. with Finnish/dual citizenship in Finnish schools differentiate themselves from the rest, by greeting each other with handshakes. Of course I stupidly generalized this to be the case of all Russians. Handshakes are clearly a cultural adaption, males kissing and hugging each other would be seen as gay as it gets, and to be seen as gay in Finland is almost as hellish as to be seen as a black man in Siberia. Shortly, that is even worse than to be labeled as a “xeno”. On the other hand my landlord invited me last Saturday to sauna and barbeque with his family. So I went to my landlord’s house, to eat some grilled beef and to sweat in a small room with my landlord, his wife, their eight and six years old daughters and five month old son, all butt naked without anything improper implied. On the contrary, it was the highest honor one could attain: no longer was I seen as a tenant, or even as a friend, but as a member of the family whom the children will ever since refer as an uncle. I guess the Russian way of hugging and kissing each other does not look that weird after all. btw. doesn’t Russians have somewhat similar sauna culture as we do?
I am not very knowledgeable on the Russian sauna culture. But it does not carry THAT much significance as far as I know. (Or maybe it does, I am incompetent!) Although it is common when a group of friends goes to sauna (or "banya") together as a kind of party. Handshakes are widespread and almost obligatory between equals.
Friends do sauna together, that is taken for granted, as do families’ sauna together. An invitation to sauna with friends is an invitation/confirmation for friendship as an invitation to sauna with one’s family is an invitation/confirmation to an even deeper social connection. Of the bastu or the banya cultures I cannot say for sure, but since both are derivates of the sauna culture, I would assume that the same goes there. No? If equals shake hands, who do the kisses and hugs? Lovers? Finns must seem like bores, we only nod and/or say hello to friends.
