Aggression & Protection

We got tickets to the СКА (St. Petersburg) v. Спартак (Moscow) hockey game Thursday night. For three more dollars than we paid last time, Rowan got us tickets down in the lower level, which seemed like a great idea. It started at 7, but my art class didn't get out until 6 and I had to run home, switch stuff, and haltingly explain the situation to my host mother before leaving, so I got there last and entered the stadium by myself.

I have more-or-less gotten used to seeing scary militsiya with weapons everywhere, in the streets and even in the hockey stadium, but imagine my surprise/mild terror when I found my section (section 208) and was greeted by these guys: 

photo by Michael Holderreed =]

Yep, that's my section entrance behind them. First thought - WHERE THE HECK ARE WE SITTING? followed shortly by ROWAN?!! Turns out that the 208-209 mid-section was where the Moscow fans were seated, and (just guessing here) the militsiya expected trouble. Well anyway they let me in after a through search of my bag, and we really did have awesome seats aside from the Moscow fans next door flipping us off after every goal from both sides (and of course CKA male fans flipping them off back).

It was a great game! CKA won 3-2, and to keep it exciting Moscow almost came back in the last two minutes but good ol' Nabokov kept us in good shape.


At the end, the scary SWAT guys lining the Moscow section held them back until the entire rest of the stadium had cleared, to prevent fights from breaking out. My first thought as an American - Can they really do that? But on second though, if they are taking it so seriously, maybe they have to.


 So a short note on aggression in Russian society -
In Soviet times (and probably still today), men in villages away from the center met typically on Sunday evenings and recreationally fought each other, to blow off steam or anti-State frustration perhaps. Sometimes there were rules and sometimes not. Like fight club. Our teacher Leonid says aggression has become part of the male mentality - guys always have to be ready to defend themselves. I don't know if it is because Russia has had a tough history, or has a tough climate, or something about Communism, but I don't think this aggression can be denied. He also drew parallels to speech mannerisms and shoving on the metro.

And conversely, protection -
Speaking of a rough history, Russian government has been far from stable. Instead of expecting the State or rule of law to protect them, Russians protect themselves. To get to the apartment, I have a magnetic key to open a heavy iron gate from the street. I pass through a courtyard where residents park their cars and approach a huge red metal door, which I unlock with a second magnetic key. I climb two flights to the big, thick iron padded door, which I unlock by means of a very long and fat key. Trust me, no one is getting through that door. Sometimes I can't even get through that door.

I don't know quite what to make of this yet, but I don't think of it as a horrible thing. It seems like Russians have adapted to what life is for them, and it works. I can't look at Russia and make judgments based on life in America, because this isn't America. Russia has its own past, characteristics, and its own future. I wonder what it will be!
Спокойной ночи (goodnight)
Эмили