Excerpts from Georgy Bovt writing in The Moscow Times:
With regard to the Pulkovo crash, I think that Russians' unwillingness and inability to follow rules is now becoming catastrophic -- literally. ...
Put simply, Russians are used to not making a connection between breaches of rules and laws and their tragic consequences. Breaking the rules has long been a flourishing subculture that can be witnessed everywhere you turn.
Where have this subculture and this demonstrative reluctance to follow the rules come from? Indeed, rather than trying to hide it, many Russians are actually proud. It seems to me that this carelessness is deeply social in nature.
The Russian historian Nikolai Karamzin once wrote: "The harshness of Russian laws is softened by the lack of necessity to put them into practice." I would add that this is actually extended to all laws, including those less harsh and even those that are quite reasonable in all respects.
The Russian state has for centuries striven to regiment the lives of its people, from industry and enterprise right down to strictly private matters. The average Russian has been treated like a brainless halfwit or malicious criminal to be restricted however possible. ...
The state has interfered everywhere, and continues to do so. It's only been 15 years since almost everything was banned, and you weren't allowed to do anything without permission from Party and state-security bodies. Of course, they couldn't keep track of every individual every minute of every day. People knew this and, while not breaking the laws that would land them in the most trouble, took every opportunity to bend rules that didn't threaten them with immediate punishment. Moreover, they became suspicious and careless with regard to all rules, which they thought were overly strict, unjustly harsh, and generally stupid.
Rules are followed as far as people see fit in specific situations, as far as they understand. And therefore, as soon as the possibility arises to bend the rules to suit, people will fly straight into a storm.
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