Question: what other way is there to be a Slav? Linguistically, by adoption?
Hmm, that's an interesting question that I don't really know how to answer. I guess there are other ways, but perhaps I should not have used the word "ethnically" when referring to myself. I'm a Slav by birth, clear and simple. On a related note, I assume that you meant "adoption" as in adoption by foster parents, but, being semi-well-acquainted with a couple of Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox parishes in Canada, I came across a few examples of people trying to adopt not only the religious practices and regulations established by the Church, but also going one step further and trying to completely adopt the language, culture and even the political views that the Church, or at least some of its members, hold. Perhaps it sounds kind of harsh when I put it this way, but the results are usually a little bit comical, with people "going in" for religion (whatever your view on religion is) and instead being led to believe, or allowing themselves to believe, that the goal is to learn a little bit of Russian, talk about nothing but Russian politics (while only holding the views that are, by pure coincidence, of course, the views of the First Channel, Kremlin's mouthpiece), and putting everyone else down for not being "Slav enough". A year or two back one such woman, having heard me read something, decided to passionately criticize the way I pronounced a couple of words. When I asked her to illustrate, she, very proud of herself, read the same passage in a way that can only be described as rape of my native language, then turned back to me and repeated it again, slowly, as if speaking to a being of lower intelligence. I mean it when I say it, it's great when people decide to step outside their own comfort zone, and, instead of forever knowing nothing but what they were brought up with, start learning something about a country halfway across the globe. But don't let them hear you speak your language, and don't let them hear you say anything bad about the place they venerate. You'll be torn to shreds by these people who now consider themselves to be Slavs. So yeah, I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's hard to be part of an ethnic group without being raised in it, but it's easy to delude yourself into believing the very same thing.
I mean it when I say it, it's great when people decide to step outside their own comfort zone, and, instead of forever knowing nothing but what they were brought up with, start learning something about a country halfway across the globe. But don't let them hear you speak your language, and don't let them hear you say anything bad about the place they venerate. You'll be torn to shreds by these people who now consider themselves to be Slavs. It's things like this that make me feel like no matter where someone is in the world, their life is gonna be a little weird.A year or two back one such woman, having heard me read something, decided to passionately criticize the way I pronounced a couple of words. When I asked her to illustrate, she, very proud of herself, read the same passage in a way that can only be described as rape of my native language, then turned back to me and repeated it again, slowly, as if speaking to a being of lower intelligence.
Oh, absolutely, it's in no way restricted to Eastern European culture. In fact, it's a common thing for any culture exotic enough as compared to the one the person in question grew up in. I am just more aware of the problems (if you could even call them that) within this particular community.