Question by 下载 华军…what does this mean?: Did the alcoholic stereotype start with Boris Yeltsin?
I often wonder why people say that Russian drinks Vodka a lot but to be honest all of my Russian pen pals doesn’t drink compared to my french pen pals and the german exchange student in our school. Both the German and the French drink everyday.all of my pen pals in Russia doesn’t drink alcohol. Well, I don’t know about my friend in the big cities. We haven’t been in contact for a long time.I think the stereotype started with Boris Yeltsin when people saw him as a drunk.
Answers and Views:
Answer by Mike
There is a big problem in Russia with alcohol. There are more than 30000 alcohol related deaths in Russia each year. You could be correct in saying that Boris Yeltsin did create somewhat of a stereotype. It was particularly bad for Russians, since it is not often that the leader of your country is an alcoholic. People think that leaders reflect the people who chose them, therefore it is understandable that alot of people think Russians are all drunks. Of course they are not, but when Russians party, you definitely see the “closet alcoholic” in every Russian once the Vodka starts flowing.
Read all the answers in the comments.
Know better? Leave your own answer!
Alex N says
Russian not only DRINK vodka. Some drunks say they EAT vodka! Russian have a rich DRINKING CULTURE , including very long and very short toastes, 'drinking' rhymes and poems, many REASONS to drink (like moving to a new house, buying a new thing, victory and also loss, happiness and misery, hard problems, skipping a sleepless night, NEW friends equaintance and OLD friends meeting), drinking games, special drunk songs and jokes. Russian culture is not russian withut vodka. And a Russian teetolar wouldn't be a stereotypical russian.
But thank God teetolars live EVEN in Russia!