Aleksej, it’s really bold that you have finally let go of any pretense at being both Russian and Latvian. I’m not sorry if I upset you if it helped you face the truth. I encouraged you previously to come out of your Russian closet and openly declare your national preference.  I sensed it was tough faking affection for the opposite nationality. You were always ready to blurt out something to make your real feelings known, like about the decreased desire to feel close to Latvia simply because of something I said. You just can’t fake who you are.  I’m sure it’s a disappointment to your Latvian side that you won’t have Latvian babies and will not carry on the Latvian culture, tradition, and language, but in time they’ll get over it or forget that it ever was important when they see how happy you are to no longer have to bear the burden of a Latvieshu identity you don’t want, don’t like, don’t know much about. 

About your generations of ancestors living in Latvia - do you mean the Russian or Latvian or both?  You confuse me since I still think of you as bi-national.  My ancestors also have lived in Latvia for generations. I wonder if our ancestors were neighbors and maybe we’re cousins?  Seems a shame that you find it so impossible to be bi and your identity after all those generations of Latvians (?) in Latvia isn’t Latvian.  I hope in your new bi-liberation you don’t blurt out something hurtful like Latvia has always been Russia and still should be Russia.

About your statement: “...regardless of what I will do, this will always be a country where the titular nation takes the priority of this government and I – or at least the Russian me – will always feel like a guest, as if I don’t belong here.
I bet no new immigrant no matter whence he came feels the same way when they naturalize in the United States.”

I don’t understand why you just haven’t asked any of us plentiful LOL Latvian immigrants in the U.S. to answer that question.  I can tell you myself, being an immigrant, that Americans, the titular people, take the priority of the U.S. govt.  All of us Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Chinese, Japanese, Ethiopians, Nigerians, Vietnamese, Russians, etc., get to call ourselves Americans when we become citizens. It’s not regardless of what we do that we feel merely like disenfranchised guests, but only if we don’t apply for citizenship, don’t learn the language, don’t study the history and culture, don’t pass the citizenship test, and don’t pledge loyalty to our country, America.

Third Class nomination --

I sensed it was tough faking affection for the opposite nationality.

I’ve been weeping over Ambersun’s last post all afternoon. I mean, it seems to be really tough to be American in America. The titular Vespuccilanders must suffer so, compared to the Navajo say. It is so beautiful to prescribe quaint, delightfully limiting notions of cultural and linguistic preservation to the benighted Balts from such a position. Aleks is so horribly shrouded in primeval Slavic darkness that he’s not a citizen and doesn’t speak Latvian, maybe? To top it all off, he’s probably the archenemy of all things Latvian. It’s extremely unique. If only we could force everybody to speak Lettish at gunpoint, we’d all love Ulmanis and get rid of those subhuman subversives who don’t have forced orgasms at song festivals. Then we could really līgo. It is so, so sad that the rest of the world refuses to understand—it’s probably a Kremlin plot.

/P

I’m tired of explaining the difference between nationality and ethnicity. Many people on many different occasions, some fine people here chewed it into small bites so that some people with feeble minds could understand. Use Google. Search posts on this site. Read my and Peteris’ blogs to come to grasps with these two unrelated ideas.

And then, I’d encourage you to repeat after me: Ethnicity is not citizenship. I’d recommend writing it out in bright burgundy letters and placing it on the places of most prominence, so you’d always know.

In short – forgive me, I’m working in Vilnius on the NATO ministers meeting – the argument goes as follows:

1. According to the Constitution of Latvia, the power in the Republic of Latvia belongs to the People of Latvia (not to be confused with the Latvian people).

2. Laws set up procedures and requirements for Latvian residents who is or is not a citizen of Latvia and therefore who does or does not belong to the aforementioned people of Latvia, to whom the power, exhibited in the right to participate in the election, belongs.

3. No one, not once, do these important documents to the Republic of Latvia mention ethnicity or culture as a test.

Ambersun, I have never hidden my Russian origins. Russian is my native language and I’m not ashamed to admit it. My family (just browse through my blog) has lived in Latvia for centuries, but regardless of that, I’m a citizen of the Republic of Latvia. That is what we use in the English language with the obscure term of “Latvian.” When it comes to culture, I’m not Latvian at all. I find that signing tautasdziemas, or dancing folk dances has no use for me (not that there’s anything wrong with those activities). They’re not part of my upbringing and I don’t intent to pass them on to my children. Culturally, I’d say I’m more close to the West, mostly because I spent most of my forming years there. So in no way am I bearing the Lavieshu identity, but rather a Latvijas identity. I love this country in spite of its flaws and muttsiness.

The other culturally and ethnically Latvian activity in which I do not participate in is the notorious victim complex. I find nothing wrong with remembering the past, commemorating those who suffered under the Soviet and Nazi regimes. I’m sympathetic and I pray that none of those crimes would be repeated. However, I do not subscribe to the ridiculous idea espoused by Robciks here that ethnic Latvians deserve all the support of the Latvian government merely because they suffered so much. The Latvian government represents the people of Latvia, which are not only ethnic Latvians. Therefore, the government ought to represent the interests of the people of Latvia as a whole, rather than a portion who are ethnically Latvian. It’s fair and reasonable and no victim complex can justify a backlash 17 years following the Latvian independence from the Soviet Union.

Robciks writes, “Those folks who do not wish to make allegiance to the Latvian state really can’t be considered a minority.  Non-citizens aren’t really a minority, they are an ethnic group..”

A rightly the most amusing statement made on here as the citizenship law doesn’t discriminate based on ethnicity. It’s been proven here many times. I’m not arguing the citizenship issue here at all. The citizenship laws are fine in Latvia, but ethnically Russians, who are Latvian citizens, they are the national minority and they ought to get protection under the EU laws on national minorities together with Lithuanians, Poles and Ukrainians, who find their home in Latvia. And when we open our labor market to third-party countries, those workers from China or Mongolia ought to get the protection as well.

Robciks goes on: “Under the Occupation, the Soviet Union was a signatory to such documents as the UN Fundamental Declaration of Human Rights and the Helsinki Accords, which, among other things, ostensibly provided the Latvian people with human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief and equal rights and self-determination.  We all know how well that arrangement worked out.  Let’s just say, Aleksej, that the shoe is on the other foot now.”

Huh. So is it vengeance? Payback? Revenge? And then it’s got nothing to do with Latvia’s membership in NATO and the European Union. Then, Latvia is doing nothing but lip service to its close allies, including the United States, that it is a country which adheres to the rule of law, democracy and equality. Right? You must live in the parents’ basement not to see that the times have changed. The rules have also changed.

If it makes you feel better, we can change my illustration with the US to the UK. I bet Indian and Pakistani immigrants to the UK do not feel as outsiders once they obtain the British citizenship.

Now back to NATO.

Oh and guess what—I’m a citizen by descent. Oh the horror!!!

After reading Peteris’ nightmarish distortions of things written and hysterical rants about Ulmanis-fanatics, I was forced to eat almost the entire turkey for the tryptophan before going to bed so that I could sleep.  I was going to become a vegetarian again but that will have to wait until Peteris’ Ulmanis demon is exorcised and I awake to a new day and find that Peteris has written about his love of Latvia, the beauty of the Latvian language, and the inspiration he derives from Latvian culture and traditions.  This may help offset Aleksejs’ incessant whining about the poor Russian minority whiners. Between the two of them, the two-testicle-twins (I guess), and their ballsy Latvian slams, it’s enough to make good-natured, reasonable, fair-haired fair me become an Ulmanis-fanatic and Latvian-chauvinist.  It’s getting close.  I’m just hoping tomorrow isn’t “ground hog day” and I don’t have to endure another round of “Punish the Latvian Patriot, Reward the Russian Russophile Day.”

And for his mastery of the pot calling the kettle black, I award Peteris the “Order of the Pompous Pot:” Peteris instruction on the use of “tu quoque.”

How very Russian of you, Ambersun! This is exactly what the Lucas book brings up with regard to what I call tu quoque in my review—whenever you talk about the genocide of indigenous Siberian peoples, for example, your typical Kremlin apologist will point to the fate of Native Americans.

Peteris demonstration of his “subtle” art form use of “tu quoque:”

I’ve been weeping over Ambersun’s last post all afternoon. I mean, it seems to be really tough to be American in America. The titular Vespuccilanders must suffer so, compared to the Navajo say. It is so beautiful to prescribe quaint, delightfully limiting notions of cultural and linguistic preservation to the benighted Balts from such a position.

And Aleksejs’ has chosen to make it quite clear that he is not a Latvietis: “When it comes to culture, I’m not Latvian at all. I find that signing tautasdziemas, or dancing folk dances has no use for me (not that there’s anything wrong with those activities). They’re not part of my upbringing and I don’t intent to pass them on to my children. Culturally, I’d say I’m more close to the West, mostly because I spent most of my forming years there. So in no way am I bearing the Lavieshu identity, but rather a Latvijas identity.” So there, you folk-dancing, tautasdziesmu-singing, Lermontov-ignorant Latvians: What part of Russian-chauvinism don’t you get?  (If two-ballsy Russian chauvinism is good enough for Aleksejs, one-ballsy Latvian chauvinism should be okay for Karlis U., right Peteris?) Aleksejs is a Krievs in Latvija.  Dare I compare to my situation in the U.S., already evoked by Aleksejs himself, likes would it be like my going around in America and asserting to my fellow Americans that I am not an American (nor Vespuccilander) but a [b]Latvian in America?  Maybe that’s the lesson Aleksejs and Peteris can teach Latviieshi in Latvia, to go around asserting to all People of Latvia, that they are Latvieshi(and thank god unlike the poor Navajos in America - or Vespucciland) we are in Latvija.  You go! Latvian people, rah! rah! - not to be confused with the People of Latvia - per Aleksejs’ clarification to the “feeble” minded, “… People of Latvia (not to be confused with the Latvian people.)”

To Peteris: About your speed-reading misreading of what I write and confusion over quotes, I think my sarcasm is obviously dripping and my quotations marks appropriately mocking to not confuse me with the right-wing foil you’re looking for.

Though I am still weeping and hoping that everyone not yet singing Ulmanistically is lined up against the wall and whipped with wet ethnic foods, and though I hate to disappoint those who seem to have trouble with the idea that Aleks and I do not share four legs -- those workers from China or Mongolia ought to get the protection as well… no, they shouldn’t, don’t and won’t, at least not under the terms of the Framework Convention, and not in my view. A national minority is not defined, but most countries that actually protect them define them, and they don’t include immigrants, migrants, etc.—Turks in Germany and Arabs in Belgium are not minorities in terms of those protections, just as Soviets are not here.

Lermontovlessly,
/P

I’ve read ambersun’s drivel and I’m confused. Maybe all those 10 hours of work are finally getting to me. What are you on? What’d you put in that turkey?

Runāsim tad latviski. Ir liela atšķirība starp Latvijas un latviešu tautam. Es varbūt esmu krievs vai ebrejs vai kas cits, bet ja es esmu Latvijas pilsonis, Latvijas valdība ir arī mana valdība. Latvijas Satversmē tas skaidri ir teikts - Latvijā visa vara pieder Latvijas tautai (nevis latviešu). Un es, kā Latvijas krievs, cenšos cienīt Latvijas likumus, t.s. Satversmi un valsts valodas likumus. Varbūt es neesmu latvietis pēc tautības, bet man rūpj kas notiek manā valstī, Latvijā, jo citādāk es paliktu visskaistākā valstī pasaulē, un vispār nebūtu jēga rakstīt par pasaules centru – Latviju.

Wonderful comments about my testicles, Ambersun. They enjoyed it and sent their greetings.

About the US experience - the US is the nation of immigrants. Being an American doesn’t involve certain cultural aspects. You don’t have to like stake and still be an American. You don’t have to like baseball and still be an American. In fact, culturally, you can be whatever you want to be and – that’s right – still be an American.

What you’re pushing on me is exactly that – I’m supposed to like tautas dziesmas. I’m supposed to know tautas dejas. As if one has to pass the folk songs test on the naturalization exam....

I award a dozen ne kulturnij matryoshka dolls from the highest ORDER OF THE BRAZEN BALLS to Aleksejs for his contribution to the culture of Latvia (as opposed to Latvian culture):

When it comes to culture, I’m not Latvian at all. I find that signing tautasdziemas, or dancing folk dances has no use for me (not that there’s anything wrong with those activities). They’re not part of my upbringing and I don’t intent to pass them on to my children. Culturally, I’d say I’m more close to the West, mostly because I spent most of my forming years there. So in no way am I bearing the Lavieshu identity, but rather a Latvijas identity.

I’d like to accept the award, but I’m confused what it’s for. My balls perked up with questions: what did I say that was so deserving of this ball-bouncing award? What did you understand I meant?

Aleksej! 
Es sapratu Tavu teikto un priecajos par to, ka mili un cieni savu zemi, Latviju!

Tu esi krievu tautas izcelsmes bet varbut vairak mili Latviju ka viens, otrs latviesu tautas dels.

Apsveicami!

Aleksej, you ask, “...what did I say that was so deserving of this ball-bouncing award?”

Aleksej, imagine if I said to you:
“ ‘When it comes to culture, I’m not [Russian] at all.  I find singing ["Stenka Rasin"] or dancing [the kazachok] has no use for me (not that there’s anything wrong with those [useless] activities.’ Furthermore, balalaika music grates on me, eating pelmeni makes me sick, and my Latvian children don’t need to play with Russian matryoshka dolls.”

This is what you said:
“When it comes to culture, I’m not Latvian at all. I find that signing tautasdziemas, or dancing folk dances has no use for me (not that there’s anything wrong with those activities).”

Are you serious, or do you also deserve a free trip to the Latvian Institute, a full complement of its material for foreigners on Latvian Culture, along with the CLUELESS ABOUT LATVIAN CULTURE prize: a free steak and sauerkraut dinner.

I hope I was helpful in answering your question.

Sveika Ilze,
It’s great to see you give Aleksejs a pat on the back for his love of Latvia but maybe you can explain what exactly he means by love of Latvia if he is only embracing Russian culture and very specifically saying he has no use for Latvian culture, defined as singing Latvian tautasdziesmas or dancing Latvian folk dances?  Is he also rejecting the “usefullness” to his Russian-in the-country-of- Latvia-world of the other “minority” cultures in Latvia?  Would his isolation from Byelorussian, Ukrainian, Jewish, Polish, etc.(-Latvian) cultures be acceptable to you and also warrant a pat on the back as long as he still had “love for Latvia?” What if I also said I love Latvia but lived in an exclusively culturally Latvian, Latvian-speaking world in Latvia, and didn’t have any use for Russian, Byelorussian, Ukrainian, Polish, Jewish, etc. Latvians’ cultures, defined as their folk songs and folk dances?  Would I get a pat on the back? 

I’m glad Aleksejs as a citizen of Latvia has chosen to speak Latvian but my mother grew up in Latgale during the independence years among many Russians, Poles, Jews, and ethnic others who all loved their cultures and traditions and most spoke any number of languages.  My mother spoke Latgalian - and Latvian - because she was proud to be Latvian, not because the govt. made her - and Russian and Polish, etc. - because no one made a big deal about the hardship of learning a language.  No one carried on about being “a minority,” including my Latgalian mother. There was a sense of contributing to the whole. 

Is Aleksejs living in Riga in his Russian-chauvinist cultural isolation demanding “minority rights” the model for any Latvian citizen and the future for Latvia?  My ethnically Russian family members don’t feel and act like Aleksejs.  Do your relatives or friends?  I feel quite hopeless about Latvia’s future because I feel you do have to love being Latvian in a sense way beyond just loving the country of Latvia. My mother was introduced to a young Latvian woman the other day. My lovely, sweet, polite, Latgales skaistule-grown-old mother spoke in the young woman’s Russian language to learn that the young Latvian is “a Russian born in Riga but can’t speak a word of Latvian.” That’s just beyond depressing for my vision of the future Latvia.  What’s your vision?

Finally, I find the following statements by Aleksejs supremely insensitive, ill-informed, and inflamatory:

“The other culturally and ethnically Latvian activity in which I do not participate in is the notorious victim complex. I find nothing wrong with remembering the past, commemorating those who suffered under the Soviet and Nazi regimes...’

How offensive is this cavalier concession to a people’s tragedy?  With substitution: 

“The other culturally and ethnically [Jewish] activity in which I do not participate in is the notorious victim complex. I find nothing wrong with remembering the past...” (my italics, bold).

Thanks, Aleksejs, for finding nothing wrong with remembering the past. I just may sing some mournful tautasdziesmas in commemoration.

Wow. Are we whacky or what? Didn’t you, in your many travels to Latvia, ever happen to notice that many (and I mean many) Latvians (and I mean “Latvians,” you know—after DNA testing) think the same of your beloved völkisch culture? Also—My mother spoke Latgalian - and Latvian - because she was proud to be Latvian… yeah, I guess pride causes people to acquire a language, eh? So here’s this Russian guy who spent as much time in “the West” as I have in Latvia telling you that he has an attachment to Latvia and telling you that in Latvian—but it just ain’t good enough, is it, Dzintarsunīt? Those colonist oppressors ought to publicly repent, perhaps, for the sins of their third cousins’ uncles twice removed?

/P