Question by Spirit: Is Novosibirsk is Siberia safe for a black person?
Would it be safe for a black person to visit this city? Is there a lot of racism in russia? I ask because I have read of many stories in the papers and also how they are openly not tolerant to gay people etc . ..
Would people be racist towards a biracial couple, like black and white?
Hey I am not gay, I was just saying I have seen russians on tv publicly being nasty to peter thatchell or whatever his name is.
My husband is white and I’m black, he might work there but he is worried that I might not be able to visit. We live in London and it’s VERY diverse. We have travelled around europe (west) and had no problems as well as the US – well main areas NYC, Florida, Cali, Nevada, CT, Seattle etc but obviously I don’t expect russia to be the same. I just want to be certain that I will feel safe should we decide to walk down the streets together. Would people be nasty to us or attack us.
Answers and Views:
Answer by free2bmilly
Y WOULD IT NOT BE SAFE? I think it would. If you visit the city and people stare at you dont be thinking their racist just dont do that. If russians look at you i think its because they are so not used to black people you know how theres barely any in russia right. It not like America were theres a lot you know wut i mean? they are really not used to it but most are not racists towards them.i do not think that they are racist towards blacks so dont worry. when i visited ukraine i went to black sea(thats jus a name of the sea) but anyways there was a african working at the beach. He was like one of a few n’ i thought it was pretty cool. people actually wanted to take pictures with him cause they barely see any and its soo unusual for them. dont be scared to visit russia jus act urself=)))
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≠ says
First two individuals answering above are obviously part of Western emigre and as such are the apparent product of Western cosmopolitan ideological infection and has adopted false and distorted views of the broader or overall reality in Russia. These people do not accurately represent the average Russian person. They are “worldly” and “well travelled” and tend to embrace a set of values and possess a certain mentality that is alien to that of the average Russian. The first two individuals answering also seem to exist in a perplexing fantasy world… one where all social strife and conflict is solved with a hug and at the end of the day all people of the world will walk out in unison, smiling, join hands and sing We Are The World. However, the aforementioned situation is not necessarily reality, it never was and never shall be. But you may choose to believe anything that anyone with internet access and a keyboard can concoct for you to read. I believe, though, from certain subtle indicators in your initial question that you are quite aware of the greater reality in Russia. I would urge you to seek information to the best of your ability and move forward based on that and you own instinct and judgement, not the rantings of Russian immigrants with ideologies and worldviews that are as realistically representative of the average Russian person as I am of the average Zimbabwean.
*PS – Not only are the vast majority of Russians not “openly tolerant” of homosexuality and other degenerate and deviant behaviors but eventa and activities centric to homosexuality are illegal, thus you will not find any homosexual “parades” that are so prominent in the West or anything of the such. It wasn’t long ago that some men in Ryazan were arrested for “promotion of homosexuality”.
lllllllllllll says
first answerer lives in a fantasy world but you can believe what you want
John says
PS A anonymous person who smeared me and another Yahoo answerer (without even knowing me) is clearly confused. In addition, he/she gives incorrect information about legality of homosexuality. There is no law against homosexuality. This law was eliminated over a decade ago with the fall of Communism and there are currently hundreds of open Gays and Lesbians on the streets and TV including many openly Gay artists and singers. And I am not a Western emigre. How in heck do you even know who I am?!
Here is my original answer.
The only place where people (blacks and whites) seem to keep making an issue out of race is the United States. And as you can see on Yahoo Answers, I am not the only person who thinks that way. Of course, there are bigots all around the world who may be bias toward race, religion, marital status, and what not, but the only thing you should normally expect from ordinary Russians is surprise. You might as well be the first Black person to be seen by many of them in Novosibirsk, so they might look at you with amusement. Regarding homophobia, well, it’s a problem that’s all around the world. You could get beaten up in some little town in the Deep South USA easily for behaving gay, so yes, treat Novosibirsk as such. Unless you are traveling to the Castro District in San Francisco or Manhattan in NYC, your best advice is to keep your sexual details where they belong – in your Bedroom.