Russian youth are young Russians, including natives, (e)migrative immigrants, and refugees; definable as being the younger generation relative to their Russian elders. The term "Russian youth" refers to both young native inhabitants of Russia and the young Russian diaspora, although "Russian youth" usually is used chiefly in reference to the former instead of the latter.
Although unique in its own right, modern Russian youth shares many characteristics with other of the world's youth cultures, e.g. counterculture and revolution. The state of modern Russian youth culture has been influenced by several factors, including, but not limited to, the reign of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1991 and the 2023 Russian invasion. Music is a facet of Russian youth culture, and bands such as Pussy riot are an example of Russian youth culture in Russian music. The music genre "drift phonk" (which stemmed from the phonk genre, which was in turn inspired by Memphis rap) purportedly emerged from Russian youth culture in the early 2010s after being popularized by Russian street drifters on TikTok, a claim that was supported by Rolling Stone magazine in 2021, where it was quoted as being the "Russian version" of phonk music by YouTuber Ryan Celsius.[2]
Characteristics
A defining characteristic of modern Russian youth culture is they are the first post-Soviet Russian generation. As a result of being both the first generation to grow up with access to the internet and also from the largest country in the world, modern present-day extant Russian youth have been (and are) influenced by globalization due to the advent of social media which gives them access to Western music, fashion, and trends, which have had a significant impact on their lifestyles.[3] A source of division between modern young Russians is about their opinion on Vladimir Putin and his authoritarian leadership of Russia, which has resulted in a "Sovietization" of Russia.[4] The source of contention is over whether Russian ideals should change or stay the same.[5] According to Rosalind J. Marsh, the notion of national identity is "highly contested in post-Soviet Russia".[6]
A stereotype about Russian youth is that they commonly drink vodka, but this is a cliched misconception, as young people in Russia tend to drink cheap beer and fizzy alcoholic cocktails, such as alcopop or hard soda, rather than the stronger alcohols like vodka and cognac that are only sold to those over 21.[7]
Some observers noted what they described as a "generational struggle" among Russians over perception of Putin's rule, with younger Russians more likely to be against Putin and his policies and older Russians more likely to accept the narrative presented by state-controlled media in Russia. Putin's approval rating among young Russians was 32% in January 2019, according to the Levada Center.[8] Another poll from the organization placed Putin's support among Russians aged 18–24 at 20% in December 2020.[9] Since 2022, some Russian students and their parents have been investigated by the police, or threatened with expulsion, for refusing to attend the Kremlin-promoted Important Conversations lessons.[10][11]
References
- ^ Although the term "Russian youth" is used in the present day to refer to contemporary young Russians natives, the concept and culture is as old as Russia itself, and hence the term "Russian youth" can (therefore) have an ambiguous meaning depending on the linguistic context historically-speaking, as it can refer to either historically to pre-Soviet Russian youth or post-Soviet Russian youth now.
- ^ Leight, Elias (2021-04-29). "Russian Producers Obsessed With Three 6 Mafia Can't Stop Going Viral". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ Pilkington, Hilary (2002). Looking West?: Cultural Globalization and Russian Youth Cultures. Penn State Press. ISBN 978-0-271-02186-7.
- ^ Kryshtanovskaya, Ol'ga; White, Stephen (October 2009). "The Sovietization of Russian Politics". Post-Soviet Affairs. 25 (4): 283–309. doi:10.2747/1060-586X.24.4.283. ISSN 1060-586X. S2CID 154854227.
- ^ Foy, Henry (2020-01-09). "Generation Putin: young Russians on the only leader they've ever known". Financial Times. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ Marsh, Rosalind J. (2007). Literature, History and Identity in Post-Soviet Russia, 1991–2006. Peter Lang. ISBN 978-3-03911-069-8.
- ^ "Russia's drinking habits today – still hooked on vodka, or do they prefer vino?". openDemocracy. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ "Opinion: How Putin and the Kremlin lost Russian youths". The Washington Post. 17 June 2019. Archived from the original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ "Vladimir Putin's popularity with young Russians plummeting, opinion poll finds". The Times. 11 December 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ Satanovskiy, Sergey (9 November 2022). "Mandatory patriotism classes in Russian schools". DW News. Bonn: Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Russian TV Airs Wartime 'Patriotism' Lessons for Schoolchildren". The Moscow Times. Amsterdam: Alexander Gubsky. 17 February 2023. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023.
This page was last edited on 27 April 2024, at 19:38