Here's the Wikipedia article for "Patriarch Ponds" — "Patriarch's Ponds (Russian: Патриаршие пруды, Patriarshiye prudy) is park, pond and an affluent residential area in downtown Presnensky District of Moscow, Russia. For the last 200 years, there has been only one pond, although, as the name of Tryokhprudny Pereulok (Трёхпрудный переулок, lit. Three-Pond Lane) suggests, there used to be more."
Firer encounters the pond: "And here is a pond. One. Not plural. Where plural I do not know. Tall building in front most expensive apartments in Moscow.... Clothes big difference vulgar and cheap you see office plankton, drivers and such plebs walk around pond inhale airs of wealth."
Most interesting is his observation of the women. For example: "Groomed. Rock face. No emotions or feelings. Hidden deep inside. For special occasions. In private. Is rusky way."
Who is Misha Firer? I found this video:
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23 comments:
“Office plankton” is a much-underused term.
I'd have thought russian women would have been Much More Beautiful than that?
I must be thinking ukrainian women? is THAT what the war is about? Moscow Needs Women?
I suppose there is an insinuation here that Putin owes his political success to "the oligarchs" -- i.e. to "the one-percenters".
I suppose also that that insinuation is factually wrong.
In fact, Putin owes his political success to Russia's lower classes.
I'm enjoying the term "office plankton"! Though I reject the notion that office workers are nothing but fodder for the leviathan of capitalism, and though I wonder whether the writer's command of the language is sufficient to craft the whole metaphor in two words, it's a nice turn of phrase. Possibly by chance.
Putin is Russia's President because he wins elections there.
His percentages of the popular vote:
2000 = 53%
2004 = 71%
2012 = 64%
2018 = 77%
Of course, we here in the USA are allowed to say that those elections were "rigged" and "stolen". (We are not allowed to say that about our own US elections.)
However, I myself never have seen any evidence that Russia's elections were "rigged" and "stolen". Therefore, such accusations about Russia's elections might be dismissed, as being:
* baseless
* debunked
* lies
* a Big Lie
However, I never have seen any reporting where our US journalists have used those words in regard to accusations that Russia's elections have been "rigged" and "stolen".
Rather, such words are used by US journalists only -- are used always -- in regard to doubts about the correctness of the USA's 2020 Presidential election.
Ketchup with McDonald’s logo covered with the black sharpie. I imagine Tadjiks with black markers working in 12-hour shifts for 20 cents an hour deleting evidence that Point & No Joint not rebranded McDonald’s but reopened.
Immigrants doing the jobs Russians don't want to.
Correction to my above comment.
We here in the USA are indeed allowed to say that the USA's Presidential election was "rigged" and "stolen".
We are allowed to say it, but we are shamed and shouted down by our mass media.
Our situation is similar to Russia's situation. Russians too are allowed to say that their elections are "rigged" and "stolen", but they similarly are shamed and shouted down by their own country's mass media.
"Office plankton"? "Absolutely classic. I will insert that into my lexical phrasing.
This guy is terrific. What a great photo tour of the Best of Moscow. It looks so utterly Russian. Somehow Russians manage to make luxury look drab, industrial, and State developed. Great photos, humorous comments.
I looked at some of his other work, such as this comment on what it was like living in the Communist USSR. Misha Firer answers your questions.
Great post.
Mike Sylwester- good points on Russia, which I believe you know better than most of us here. I would say that we in the US typically look at dictatorships winning elections with percentages in the 70s and higher as a standard feature of dictatorships. We don't even bother to call them rigged. It's pretty much expected of a dictatorship.
But I don't see that in Russia. I could be wrong on this, but I see the Russian people as so numb, so beat down from so many decades of State control on every aspect of their lives, that they've settled into this acceptance of Whoever is on top, eh? I just want to get through my day, my life. Some may have more patriotism or nationalism than others, but most are just getting through their day. Putin wins again? No matter. Things staying the same are OK. They could be worse.
And Russia is not a dictatorship by definition. Only in action, reality. I mean- Putin is it until he dies, and of that there is no question. He's not royalty. He's just the bully with the most levers to pull when needed.
"Groomed. Rock face. No emotions or feelings. Hidden deep inside. For special occasions. In private. Is rusky way."
Sounds more like NYC or LA. Big cities are like that.
I have a feeling I might like Misha, but I don't have enough patience to get through the suave old Englishman's introduction.
All struggling for big potato. Is not fair.
Althouse is being very sexist when she attributes the description "Groomed. Rock face. No emotions or feelings. Hidden deep inside. For special occasions. In private. Is rusky way." to women. The "Russian Smile" is almost universal in Russian and Eastern Europe in both men and women.
I think Misha is trying to be satirical or sardonic. Patriarch's Ponds is hardly the home to the 1%. If you want to see where the real 1% lives Google Rubloyvka, Arbat or Golden Mile.
The people in the photos are mostly (Russian) tourists. Patriarch's Ponds was the setting for the book Master and Margarita and it's a huge draw for tourists.
@Lurker
Here at Meadhouse, we loved "the suave old Englishman."
But it's easy to go to Quora and click on his name and read his other posts. There's no need to see that he is a real person, which was something I wanted to check. The important thing is his work — writing and photographs.
As for free and fair elections let's look around:
Wikipedia-
"Elections in Russia have not been free and fair under Putin's rule. Political opponents are jailed and repressed, independent media are intimidated and suppressed, and electoral fraud is rampant."
Atlantic Council-
"The last remaining non-regime media outlets were muzzled, and the Russian internet purged of dissenting voices."
"The election itself was no better. Over the course of the three-day vote, thousands of individual violations were reported, while social media was flooded with incriminating polling station videos depicting everything from ballot-stuffing to the physical intimidation of election observers. In numerous instances, suspiciously delayed electronic voting results appear to have helped secure victory for struggling regime candidates."
OSCE-
"We are troubled by widespread reports of electoral abuses over the three days of voting, including ballot stuffing and coercion to vote. During these elections, the independent election monitor Golos found domestic election observers faced the highest level of threats and violence since at least 2016.
The Russian Government’s increasing restrictions on civil society organizations, independent journalists, and opposition groups over the past year and a half underscored its desire to unfairly advantage pro-Kremlin candidates and marginalize all independent political voices. Authorities took unprecedented steps against voices critical or independent of the government. They enforced repressive laws on so-called “foreign agents,” “undesirable organizations,” and “extremist organizations.” These laws carry onerous legal requirements and social stigma, and in some cases forced closures and involved serious criminal charges."
My girlfriend for the last 8 years was Russian. Beautiful and tough as nails. Came here in the early 2000’s with her very young daughter and started a life. She spent the entire time hammering on me to be…what she called normal. Didn’t work. Now it’s just me and the Hobie. We’re both much better off I’d you ask me. She definitely had the “Russian smile”.
I can't help but read the photo captions in a Boris Badenov 'Moose and Squirrel' voice...
"I'd have thought russian women would have been Much More Beautiful than that?"
Oh they are. Just take a walk down any random street in Moscow and you are likely to see women more beautiful than those in those pictures. But yes, they do have that Russian smile, which is pretty common across Central and Eastern Europe.
Hee...“office plankton”...gotta remember that one.
Bill, Republic of Texas at 10:15 AM
They enforced repressive laws on so-called “foreign agents,” “undesirable organizations,” and “extremist organizations.” These laws carry onerous legal requirements and social stigma, and in some cases forced closures and involved serious criminal charges."
The USA has a similar law, called the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
During the Trump Presidency, our country's own Deep State used our FARA to persecute Trump supporters -- most notoriously Michael Flynn.
"I have a feeling I might like Misha, but I don't have enough patience to get through the suave old Englishman's introduction."
What introduction? where is that?
Misha No Plankton, Misha Whale! Misha Insufferable.
Btw, no pics of drunken Russian man in a puddle of own bodily excreta. Used to be a staple.
Similar expose can be done around NY Central Park, except images of human depravity will be unavoidable.
What introduction? where is that?
Did you "click for more"? Good things can happen if you do. The video clip shows up at the bottom.
But beware, it is possible to be just too suave.
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