Can anyone give me the website for the x-pat newspaper in Moscow. I read an article in it that I think Montel Williams would enjoy reading if I can find it in the archives. The article was entitled: "Are American Women Destined To Spend Friday and Saturday Nights With Their VCRs?"
An American woman wrote the article and talked about how shocked new American female workers were to see Russian women when they first came to Moscow. This "two week....drop jawed" phase was followed by confusion, and then outright "bitterness". She talked about how a group of American women would approach a Russian woman in the Boarshead bar, and try to run her out. She said her American friends called them "Bimbos", insuling their intellect and educations. She analyzed who asked her out and why, and came to one conclusion. It was Russian men who wanted her money! She felt she had never had any real interest shown to her. She analyzed the difference in conversations between American women in a social group and Russian women.
She had some observations that shocked me, because I thought the article was going to be feminist. She stated that most of the Russian friends she had were very educated, more even than the AW critics. She also said that the Russian women engaged in social conversation differently. They talked more in reference to issues of the group, or the more stimulating one on one engagement, rather than "my problems", "this is what I want", "this guy did this to me". She felt American women washed their laundry in public and showed less dignity. I think this is easy to observe if you have ever seen one of the "MOB" TV talk shows, what she meant about AW dignity. She pointed out that they were more feminine, less vocal, more sexy, and were a magnet that she and other AW just couldn't compete with. She said she first realized there was a problem when many of the AWs invited her over to their flats on the weekend to watch taped copies of American sitcoms. I think she mentioned that one lady had an entire bookshelf of one show - like 200 copies over the time she was in Moscow, that had been shipped to her at her request. Her closing statement: "Yes, American Women Are Destined To Spend Friday and Saturday Nights With Their VCRs!"
I thought it was shocking that an AW would be so up front. It was rather long, and somewhat whimsical at times to read. I wish I had printed it out or bookmarked it.
Steve
