MiserableFungi

A molecular biology professor of mine once jokingly referred to some of his students as gorillas. I'd just learned about coprophagy and thought it was a clever way of saying some students need to be taught the same things multiple times before they absorbed the material. Further into the semester, I learned he was talking about clumsy people who were not handy with micropipettes... and I was one of them.

I entered middle school in 1989. I didn't understand anything about the changing political situation in the Eastern Bloc. At the time I simply took for granted that many of my new schoolmates were Russian speaking ESL students. As younger children, I imagine they had a distinctly different assimilation experience from you, who've spent significantly more of your growing and maturing years in the Soviet Union. What differences do you observe, if any, in any younger fellow immigrants' attitude/outlook?

I regret missing this AMA when it was live and I had the chance to address the hosts. On the odd chance that the journalists might be revisiting this submission and looking at later comments such as mine, I'd like to ask what the survey shows about how accurately Americans know about contemporary issues and current conditions.

One of the most disappointing trends as of late has been how the general media has failed in its role to cultivate a well-informed public capable of making enlightened decisions during the political process. The polarization is exacerbated by extreme voices in outlets on both sides. Fox news has continued to be shameless in putting forth half-truths and spins. And I'm frankly embarrassed by the occasional thoughtlessly written piece at the Huffington Post and elsewhere. You can make the argument that the public themselves are ultimately responsible for digesting what they consume. But I wish to make the point that the field of journalism seems as if it has lost a sense of integrity.

The end result is has been a public that is largely ignorant or misinformed about much of the significant currents and developments affecting the lives of our countrymen. I believe articles such as the ones being promoted here are an important step in bringing important issues into the light. But I feel it is much more important to sound the alarm that citizens don't know nearly as much as they think. It would be enormously more interesting if you guys were to do a survey that tested American's true understanding of the US Constitution, the (actual) roles and responsibilities of their elected officials (ie. those civic duties that do not involve campaigning for elections and fund-raising), the facts of important current events such as nature/status of ISIS, the Panama papers, global trade agreements, Edward Snowden and privacy/surveillance, Planned Parenthood, etc.

Some time ago, it was reported that actual American citizens performed dismally in the naturalization exams that tested the civics knowledge of immigrants seeking citizenship. It really begs the question, what else are we failing to live up to the standards? These are the sorts of things that should really be a part of the national dialog right now as we head into the 2016 election. The key word here being dialog, as these days we seem to be more inclined to shout at one another rather than having civil conversations. Bernie might continue to fight an uphill battle, but his candor and integrity has been a breath of fresh air that is sorely needed in this current campaign cycle. My views on gun control, for example, has not changed. But I can respect how he chooses to talk about this divisive subject.

So how about it guys? Instead of asking Americans what makes a great nation, do a story about how much Americans really understand America. How many of us actually knows where our consumables, be it food, electronics, arts/literature/media, etc. come from? How does economic and fiscal policies affect who produces them and how those things are available to us? How does our country stack up against the rest of the world in terms of the infrastructure for transportation, communications, public health, etc.? Where do we stand on investments in science & research and those things that are the bedrock for the innovations vital to a robust economy? Just how great is America truly?

Okay, so you've touch upon a bit about the "generation gap" let me ask about something slightly different.

As a child, my elementary school teachers in China socialized us in a way where it was perfectly fine for anyone - boys or girls to hold hands with each other. This is in a culture where public displays of affection didn't exist. There is no casual kissing or hugging of they type we would see in news reports of foreign dignitaries when they greet each other for the cameras. Yet when I came to the US, gender roles emerge very early and prominently in places like the school playground. It was often difficult and embarrassing for me during my first year when I did something others thought odd. Did you or your fellow Russian immigrants who were younger have to adjust to different standards of what is socially appropriate?

Another thing: the food! I had a horrible fear of cheese early on as dairy is (was) not at all a common staple in most parts of Asian. Things are changing now, but lactose intolerance among Asians is a very telling illustration of how our culture has historically not developed a use for milk (products) in our diet.

These are 2 examples of situations where I think maybe the situation is different between whites and non-whites.

What do I think? I was an awkward dorky kid at that age who felt everyone else was cooler than me - especially the incredibly pretty Russian girls. The fact that I was clueless about what they often talked among themselves about in Russian meant I have no insights into what their experience was in their perspective.

As a 1.5 gen immigrant from another large communist country, my cultural experience was distinct from my older sisters. That is why I wondered if Russian immigrants like you had similar experience. It is a bit strange because as White Caucasians, you guys are still "Western" in a way from an East Asian perspective. So is it more similar or more different compared to me?