Are Russians considered Westerners? – Russian answers: Thank God we are NOT Western!

[Here is a question that was asked by someone and a Russian wrote the reply below. Note with pride how they founded a Jewish Republic (which we know of) and how they proudly fought against Hitler and how they proudly never did colonialism (in Africa). Jan]

Nope. We were recently excluded even from the Europeans.

Westerners share Catholic or Protestant religion, historically mono-national and mono-religious countries, share being conquered by the Romans, Napoleon and Hitler, share active involvement in black slavery, genocide of Natives in both the Americas, colonisation and continuing exploitation of Africa, slaughter of Natives in Australia and New Zealand.

Russians had non of that. Russia has had Muslim and Buddhist religions practiced on its territory for hundreds of years. Before the re-establishment of Israel, Soviet Russia founded a Jewish Republic also. The nations that joined Russia were not forced to give up their language and traditions, including all non-slavic nationalities. The second largest nationality in the Russian Federation is the Tatar, Muslim is the second religion, obviously. We have co-existed in one country for centuries, previously the Russians were under the Tatar – Mongolian rule, and the other way from the 16th century.

Russia was never involved in slave trade. There was one black boy who was given as a present (I’m sorry for that) to Peter the Great, the first Russian emperor and the emperor raised him among his own children gave him a title and education. The grandson of this black boy is Russia’s most favourite poet and writer, he had established norms for the Russian literary language.

But Russia had its own slaves – peasants who lost their freedom through poverty and the laws tightened to allow them less and less rights. The same was practiced in Scandinavian countries like Denmark, but Russia was the last to abolish this practice in 1861.

Russia thought against the joined army of Westerners in Napoleonic wars and WWII. Let me remind you that Spain, Italy, Hungary, Norway, Finland, Japan, Turkey all stood for Hitler and even the western countries that claimed to be neutral supported him financially or send troops arms and amunition or offered other support. For example Latvia organised a concentration camp for children, where they drained them of blood to send to German soldiers.

So, no. Thank you God, we are not Western. We are that inconvenient neighbour who witnessed Westerners with their hands bloody more often than needed.

Source: https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-bypass-Western-censorship-and-access-Russian-websites