This does not explain how supposedly democratic post-Soviet nationality laws got so hostile toward Russians but there were certainly moves to make the local language the official language and to require knowledge of that language for citizenship.
None of that explains why anyone thinks Riga is a shitty city, but I think it's more run-down, more Soviet to begin with that, say Tallinn,.
--As for saying "govno" on television, I haven't heard that, but Putin's "go get circumcised" comment didn't exactly get bleeped!
DC
In a message dated 5/25/2003 8:12:48 AM Pacific Daylight Time, itschris13 at hotmail.com writes:
> Subj:Re: [lbo-talk] tATu on TV in OZ.....
> Date:5/25/2003 8:12:48 AM Pacific Daylight Time
> From:<A HREF="mailto:itschris13 at hotmail.com">itschris13 at hotmail.com</A>
> Reply-to:<A HREF="mailto:lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org">lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org</A>
> To:<A HREF="mailto:lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org">lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org</A>
> Sent from the Internet
>
>
>
>
> >Chris Doss wrote:
> >
> >>When Volkova was asked "how do you like Riga?" in the TV interview she
> >>answered, "It's a pretty shitty city."
> >
> >I don't get this. You said Russians are prudish, and there's a whole
> >register of obscene speech that is seriously scandalous. But she can cuss
> >on TV?
> >
>
> She said "drab," actually. I was translating liberally. :) It was on Latvian
>
> TV anyway.
>
> In any case "shitty" (which would be "gavno") isn't that obscene in Russian.
>
> Don't think I've heard it on TV though.
>
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