Being a Slav: a blessing or a curse?

I just wonder what Slavs and non-Slavs think about this group of people which gathered and evolved historically predominantly in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and then spread through further migrations all over the world. If this group is unique in some features from the rest of homo sapiens, what are these features? And are these traits good or bad, or mix of both? Do you see any encompassing mentality that links Slavs together, what is it? and what are the specific elements that make you sick of Slavs or make you want to kiss the brains out of them? Do you have any stereotypes about them? Let it all out, please, with no restrain :)

blessing.

I have never doubted you, Crow. You are so laconic, but that's fine: sometimes admiration with Slavs cannot be fully expresses in words :)

We are all humans, and this specific group of humans had their contributions too for the development of human civilization in this planet.

Only that, of course.


It is of course a positive stereotype coming from a Slav. (I would include handsome (pretty), fearless, melancholic, warm, hedonistic, friendly....maybe chaotic)

Difficult. I tried to put together some typical 'Slavic' features, and for each and every one I could find a Slavic nation that didn't fit, and often a non-Slavic one that fitted. And all that within my limited range of Slavs that I am more or less familiar with. Shame, but I do not know much about Yugoslavians, and I remember being surprised to learn that Macedonians are a Slavic people.

There should be some negative and critical about Slavs even in Slavs' thinking about themselves. We are not that fluffy and yummy all the time :)


Ok, what were the most pronounced ones, besides the invention of a wheel? ;) I agree that Slavs are humans too, but what makes them unique, likeable and dispisable, funny and serious, talented or not that much capable?

A blessing, we're unique in looks in culture in mentality.

Once I happened to stumble on a Macedonian news channel and to my big suprise I understood about 50% of what they were talking about - amazing!


Again: not a concrete explanation. What are there unique in how Slavs look, think and live as a social group?

A test question: what do Czechs and Russians have in common?

Prague Spring in 1968?

Good effort :)

Edit: Still, there is that feeling that we Slavs are, well, we. Where does it come from, though. Just don't say that it's a result of the panslavic Russian propaganda.

its paradox but, its one of rare situations where Poles and Russians cooperated, i mean their regimes. But, on the other side, nor Russians were Russians, nor Poles were Poles. Idiotic communism ruled them

The stereotypes about Slavs here are:
1.Melancholic
2.Often nagging
3.Superstitious
4.Mental
5.Morally unstable
6.Generally passive lacking spine

From my experience Slavs are friendly and have some human quality which has largely eclipsed among us(some claim this is remnant from communist times) that is they are not so largely dehumanized.They also like to drink to party and have loose morals.In most sense the Slav is the opposite of the Germanic.They are very spontaneous and not calculated.They also show open their likes and desires.On the other hand they can keep secrets for years.Slavic soul has also a certain depth there is a disguise to superficiality(aka italian style etc).

Sounds good. Now I met a few Romanians in the UK, and I was amazed how Polish they were. I was catching myself on stray thoughts like 'why are we speaking English and not... aha'.

You can tell just by looking at someone that they're Slavic, I've had a Romanian girl once say to me "I know you're Slavic I'm just not sure from which country precisely". Most Americans know I'm foreign just by looking at me. We think differently from westerners , i think we act more on impulse or feeling. And tend to stick together, especially abroad. In the States Poles live with Ukrainians, Czechs, Slovaks and other Slavs too, socialize.

Interesting. I personally don't consider Russians Slavic, but it is a different topic. "We", probably, comes from having related mental construct, values, view on the world, behaviour of a survivor no matter what, similarity in liking Turkish sweaters :) and having women who beat the crap out of us with heavy kitchen pans. It is trans-national Slavic features I noticed and they are just a few.


Yes, I so much agree. And felt the same way.

I also noticed that Poles like to vaccate in the same places with Czechs,Russians,Slovaks and Serbs.They want exactly the same things in infrastructure.(for example english youth just prefer roads full of bars and clubs next to the beach but this is not the case with Slavs who often vaccate next to families).

when you mentioned. Did you ever contemplate, what could connects Poles with Romanians or to be more precise, Poles with the ancestors of modern day Romanians? Dacians. Dacians were Sarmatians. Just, Poles live in linguistic and cultural continuity with their Sarmatian ancestors, while Sarmats of modern day Romania, after the defeat, onslaught and genocide by Romans, deflected from their heritage (those who survived) and were forced to mix with foreigners who were settled in Dacia by Roman occupator.

Romanians are quite different.They are Balkan maybe sharing some similarites with southern Slavs but definitely not slavic.Not mediteranean either.They are like an island inside a sea of Slavs.

Great majority of Slavic people are cleverer, way more resourceful and physically stronger than their Anglo-Saxon cousins. I hope this answers your question you British pencil neck.

Ah well. So 'Slavic' is just a term we use for something rather popular in the area, although not necessarily defining the Slavic peoples in full nor with any real attempt on precision. I can live with it. Still, none of the features mentioned until now are, for me, neither specific to Slavs nor characterising all Slavs.

Ok, seems I can't live with it, actually. We do have that feeling of belonging, but it seems to me it's based on some kind of delusion.

In this planet, every individual is unique, just like you :)

The rest of the things you mentioned depends on the particular person and how they manage themselves, how much they can focus on their specific positive and creative inclinations.

Wow, I feel some excitement :) How thick is a British pencil? ;) I think British brought more into science than all Slavs combined did, though about resorcefulness and physical power on average, I wouldn't argue you, Ukrainian door handle arm :)

Sorry, Crow, I don't really believe that a specific, hypothetical common ancestry from before Slavs realised they were Slavs has any noticeable impact on modern nations. Must be some much more recent thing.


Quarter inch, now international standard. Except that the Ukrainian inch must be way bigger... :)

Do elaborate.

Honestly, I have no idea what the hell is that mysterious common feature bonding the Czechs, Poles, Macedonians, Serbs and Russians. I, especially, do not feel any kind of connection to the last two.

We speak similar languages, that's all.

Mentality as anything else is partially influenced by genes. Slavs have (though I am not really knowledgeable in that area) some common genetic background, unique to them. When I met someone of 3rd, 4th generation of let say Ukrainians abroad, they thought differently than I do (and I mean in general terms), were more resembling the culture they were brought in, but their physical features reminded me of what PennBoy said in post #16. You just know what are their roots. I am trying to figure this one out. What exactly we take into account when we correctly predict the origin.


Thanks, nott. Luckily, we use normal measuring system. We also usually die when we have above 44 degrees body temperature, British are more resilient and go over 100 and it is still considered OK ;)

I'm just messing with you, lol I wanted to see what your agenda is with thread. Stop pretending, you don't like some Polish on this forum and that’s all this is about.

Btw your subject is racist in nature.

Don't count Poles in, then. Mongrel nation, and it shows. I am being told 'And I thought you were British', and my friend is considered either French or 'maybe Greek'. I do recognize Poles in London, by looks, but it's more because of clothes and behaviour, than physical features. Polish girls, famously beautiful, are just more classy, or preoccupied, than the English.

Common genes, I am not convinced. Slavs are considered a quite mysterious group as comes to origins. There might have been several waves of migration, from different areas, and so on. Nobody knows, actually.


Now that is solid evidence, and experimentally testable :)

Hm, now we could heat people up, see who perishes, and then find their other common features, by way of strict mathematical analysis... brilliant, Nathan :)

No you can tell someone is Polish by looks alone, even if I dress American they still ask where you from. An Austrian man working here in the States stared at me once he knew right away I was European, it shows.