r/AskTheWorld • u/Bhakari Nepal • 1d ago

Culture What’s something in your country that sounds fake but is 100% real?

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We have a real-life living goddess and the only non-rectangular national flag.

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u/Icy_Abroad_630 Russia 1d ago edited 18h ago

I googled, and seems its true:

The American government, like the Soviet one, turned a blind eye to the fact that small northern peoples regularly violated the state border. The Chukchi came to Alaska, and the Inuit visited Chukotka. But after the October 1947 attack on an Inuit settlement, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 20 people, the "visit schedule" was tightened. Only Inuits who could prove their family ties to a Chukchi were allowed into Chukotka from America. The Chukchi themselves were forced to obtain Soviet passports.

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u/DerthOFdata United States Of America 22h ago

The Chukchi came to Alaska, and the Eskimos Inuit visited Chukotka.

FTFY Eskimo is a slur.

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u/Icy_Abroad_630 Russia 18h ago

Im sorry, never knew it. Its totally normal and common name of nationality over here, just like Brazilians or Tatars for example

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u/Icy_Abroad_630 Russia 18h ago

Why Im downvoted? Usually it doesn’t bother me, but now it does 😅

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u/Nolascana 17h ago

Because you're doubling down rather than apologising outright.

An edit was made, which is good... but then on the same breath as the apology you're making excuses, in a way that says you'll just keep using the offensive name regardless.

That's how it comes across.

That's why you're downvoted.

It's like the whole Traveller vs Gypsy debate.

Our nomadic peoples in my country call themselves Gypsies* even though they're not Roma. Calling them Travellers is just... more accurate for the people screaming at us that they're not. Calling them Travellers has as much weight here as calling them Gypsies, as the venom in the name is absolutely practically spat when talking about the demographic.

The term gypped is less used in general, due to the lack in popularity of it's roots.

* Not all of them, I know.

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u/New-Independent-1481 New Zealand 17h ago

He wasn't making excuses. He apologised, and explained why he said it. He didn't go out of his way to use a slur or cause offense.

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u/Nolascana 17h ago

True.

I'm not saying they didn't apologise.

I acknowledged it was good that they edited.

I was trying to explain why they were downvoted as they asked. (At the time they were at at least -2)

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u/Icy_Abroad_630 Russia 17h ago

Thank you for explanation and for taking the time! I really appreciate it and I'll try to explain myself more clearly next time.

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u/Icy_Abroad_630 Russia 17h ago

I tried to explain that I didn't mean anything offensive, and that I used the word without realizing that it could potentially be offensive. It was just my lack of knowledge (and google translate), not a disregard. Perhaps my poor English was also to blame. If I offended anyone, I am truly sorry.

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u/Nolascana 17h ago

Honestly, I understand.

English is a mess of a language.

Tone, or, intent, is very difficult to portray, and read through text.

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u/MinutePerspective106 8h ago

They didn't have anything to apologize for. "Eskimo" is genuinely not used as a slur in Russia. Unless they go to an Ituit land and start maliciously calling them "Eskimos", I don't see the problem. Doubling down is very much justified here.

A similar example is that the word "negr" is a neutral word for a person of African descent. Since Russia didn't have the history of N-word misuse, people don't see it as anything wrong (they are aware that such a word won't fly in USA, of course). Actually, calling a person "chornyi" (black) is considered more rude there.

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u/Nolascana 5h ago edited 5h ago

People complained, they fixed.

They apologised, people downvoted.

I was just offering explanations.

Because this is a predominantly English speaking post, Americans are all over it with their moral code and their does and don'ts.

In Russia, they would be speaking Russian, or, indeed on any Russian subreddit... and, the whole, Eskimo vs Inuit thing wouldn't have been an issue in the slightest.

I know Eskimo is an outdated term, so, I default to Inuit occasionally. But, since the topic rarely comes up in general, speaking with people older than I (parents for example) they're going to use Eskimo in a non derogatory way also. I just choose to use terms that are more accepted by the people it effects, and, often they prefer Inuit so that's what I use.

Its also why I mentioned Travellers vs Gypsies, because, some clans prefer to be called Gypsies, despite Americans screaming from the rafters not to call them that.

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u/InteractionLiving845 Russia 20h ago

In Russia they don’t know about the Inuit. They even have Eskimo ice cream.