Real Life On Happy Planet Estonia
Lovely, off-the-shoulder Estonian, Svetlana, a wallpaper consultant, would like to meet any man from absolutely anywhere else. Foto from Estonian Personals.
So. what’s the real deal in Estonia? Honestly. Anyone ever been there?
First of all, it’s always good to do desk research. And here you’ll discover that Estonia is one of the world’s most unhappy countries.
Currently it ranks 173 out of 178 countries on the (Un) Happy Planet Index. Hey, think we can blame that on the Soviets?
Unfortunately, Estonian blogger, Juri Jakjundi, rather blitzes that one. Last year, when considering the (Un) Happy Planet Index, he wrote:
Many people in post-communist countries say that they were happier in Soviet times. This is true for many of them, free fast-growing capitalist society does not equal happiness.
What absolute heresy! If his blog isn’t current, it’s probably because he’s been dismantled and re-buried along with the Bronze Soldier for entertaining such un-Estonian thoughts. But the (Un) Happy Planet Index findings remain.
You know, it’s a hallmark of miserable people that their only joy in life is to make other people more miserable than they are. Which may explain the Estonian attitude to the even more miserable Russian minority. No one’s a happy bunny in Estonia and now it’s only going to get worse.
Have I been to Estonia? Yes, of course, many times. And since I don’t speak Estonian, I can vouch for the inadvisability of speaking even a few words of Russian. I thought, all Estonians speak Russian, surely? Well, they might understand it fluently. But open your mouth in Russian and you won’t get served in many shops. If you ask directions, they’ll send you the wrong way round. The best you can hope for is that Estonians will answer, in fluent Russian, that they don’t speak a word of Russian.
So, it’s truly wonderful to be a tourist in Estonia. If they learned anything from Russians, it’s how not to attract tourists. Which is pretty stupid for a country which is dependent on revenue from tourism.
My favourite town in Estonia is Narva, a sick joke of town characterised by concrete and barbed wire. Because it’s mostly a Russian speakers town, EU funding does not penetrate here. And thanks to the Language Directorate, much of the workforce is either unemployed or leaving for the UK to join the jobless and soon-to-be exploited, cheap labour Poles in British chicken-packing plants. Narva is another living tribute to the EU’s seedier agenda.
But that’s not the point, is it. It’s unfortunate that Estonians haven’t quite been able to gas all remaining Russians yet but, the main thing is that the Estonian language and culture is now safe and protected. And you can really see that working in Tallinn, with its Irish Pubs, Sushi bars, Pizza Huts and German Bierkellers. (All menus and prices in English.) What a tribute to the Estonian national heritage!
So why are they all still such a miserable bunch?
how are “riots” like these are going to improve the situation ?
http://tuvasta.politsei.ee/est/0427000000_0186.html
It’s been like that for a long time about the inadvisability of speaking Russian in Estonia. When I was there in 1967, I clearly got the message, which was unfortunate as in those days no one needed to speak English.
But older people do crack. Meetings of the three Baltic countries always have a common language of English, but when they get to the bar, it turns to Russian.
hey I just noticed I’ve been promoted to being the Milton Keynes correspondent. Just off to Bosnia so the blog might be a bit more interesting soon. Does anyone except Brits get the MK joke?
I’ve been to Estonia many times, too, but it didn’t resemble your description at all. In part, you can blame what gloom what there is on the Soviets, of course; prior to the occupation, Estonia and Latvia had standards of living similar to Finland’s, and there is every reason to assume that we’d be as happy and well-organized as the Nordic countries are if it hadn’t been for Stalin’s invasion. But Fennic cultures aren’t given to McSmiles — the people are rather dour by nature, it seems, or don’t feel the urge to giggle all the time.
The main cause for unhappinness is doubtless the transition, to be sure — dramatic transitions are not easy, and the transition from totalitarian subjugation and a planned economy to liberal democracy and a free market has been difficult.
I have never had a problem being served in Russian in Estonia, and nobody I know has — but many young Estonians and Latvians aren’t interested in learning Russian. Finnish and English are far more useful. In fact, so are other languages, often — everybody I know who’s learned Swedish has found many an opportunity.
Because it’s mostly a Russian speakers town, EU funding does not penetrate here — huh? The distribution of EU funding is not especially fair in Latvia, but I don’t there’s no causal relationship with language, and I highly doubt that this is so in Estonia. The main reason dingy industrial towns (which are often where more Russophones live because of how our countries were colonized) don’t get much investment is the same reason there’s a Rust Belt in the US. There are other reasons, such as their alienation from the rest of the country. But as far as funding goes — one has to apply for it and come up with worthy projects.
It’s unfortunate that Estonians haven’t quite been able to gas all remaining Russians yet… Ha, ha, ha. Such humor. I’m afraid that unlike Russia, we’re not into mass murder along ethnic lines. Instead of gassing the Russians, Estonia and Latvia would like to teach them Estonian and Latvian and integrate them into our increasingly civilized and prosperous societies.
” It’s unfortunate that Estonians haven’t quite been able to gas all remaining Russians yet but, the main thing is that the Estonian language and culture is now safe and protected.”
Copydude: I used to enjoy your blog, but after this comment I think I’ll go waste my time somewhere else.
Bye.
To Peteris Cedrins:
Ha, ha, ha. Such humor. I’m afraid that unlike Russia, we’re not into mass murder along ethnic lines.
Just remind me - what exactly happened to Baltic Jewish people? Germans didn’t get them, the whole Jewish population was happily erased from the face of Earth by local ‘civilized’ people.
Sorry, can’t add ‘ha,ha, ha,’ here. Far too nasty.
Well, at least these Estonians still have women with creamy white skin and soft, gently sloping shoulders, even if the heads atop the beautiful, petite, feminine bodies are a bit froggy. Here in the United States we have a lot of women with squarish, blocky, and/or bony shoulders. A lot of them have nice faces, but a nice face can only take you so far when you have shoulders like Charles Bronson, at least as far as I’m concerned.
And it seems to be a generational thing. Women used to look like women in this country too. Never mind global warming, will someone please do something about the epidemic of man-shouldered women in the United States? Ban bovine growth hormone, or whatever the culprit is…
Starting quote:
My favourite town in Estonia is Narva, a sick joke of town characterised by concrete and barbed wire. Because it’s mostly a Russian speakers town, EU funding does not penetrate here. And thanks to the Language Directorate, much of the workforce is either unemployed or leaving for the UK to join the jobless and soon-to-be exploited, cheap labour Poles in British chicken-packing plants. Narva is another living tribute to the EU’s seedier agenda.
end of quote.
That is funny, that you bring up Narva. You really believe, that a full town of people is being discriminated for being russian?
Narva after the war is a Soviet town yes, but you honestly believe that a whole city of people couldn’t even employ themselves? Because they are shunned in some mystical way? Driven off from ‘pot of gold’? From where do you get your false info?
And for speaking russian you get sent wrong way round?
You genrealize this to all people living here (except russians)?
Al your sarcasm and irony is just lost, for you try to show out an illusion of something that is not actually present.
But you have your right to your opinion and your view of the world. Here we generally do not shun people for thinking different, so have your way.