21.febr.99

Americans

I have never talk with Americans in real life. But I have seen Russian girls, which worked in the foreign companies. They were awful. No, they were pretty but their manners jarred upon me. They smiled at me and their smiles were special, such smiles, which are designed to sell. They don't say "Hi" but their greeting would give the same impression. When they say they like to gesticulate by their hands. I wonder, if you tied their hands they would loose their eloquence. When they listen to you they always feel indulgently about you. If they want to show their interest in conversation, (not in you,) they getting started to nod as if they are partaking TV-Shop Show. Some of them like to half shut their eyes. And some of them wishing to show their false surprise begin to flutter by their eyelids. Especially they like hand shaking and often they saw my futile attempts to hide my right hand. They like jeans and other sorts of trousers but they can wear extremely decollete. One thing in which they feel uncomfortable is usual knee-deep dress. Every one of them has a very serious opinion about her job, (work,) and can talk about it with pluck and don't smiling. Usually such girls like to smoke but they take care about their physical condition. But when you think of it, you can easily imagine them taking 10 miles morning run or drilling on the step-trainer or with the dumbbells. As a rule they don't give you impression of fragility and ivy flexibility of a girl who can take the split or ballroom dances. They give you impression of their invulnerability. They don't shy of beer and would prefer cocktail instead of vine or cognac. They pretend to have initiative and lack managerial abilities concerning recreation arrangements. They don't afraid of strict themes. They can talk about their age easily. They like to explain everything and sincerely and think one can explain everything by words. They like to evaluate you and themselves in right your eyes: "Yes, I can see it;" "It was good from your part;" "Do you know what your problem is?" and favorite one - "Why do you think I (unable to) ..." They like to remind you from time to time from their own mouths: "I am a woman, after all."

And I say about stereotypes. Every one American block-buster, showed on our TV, has such girl, not, not a girl but woman. She unceasingly says: "What's wrong?" "I've got it" and "Everything is under control." They like to hold guns by two hands. (I wonder cops hold their guns in two hands too. When I was taught to shoot I in no time understood: you can have good results using only one hand with your six-shooter). In modern movies they often sit at the computers with infallibly clever appearance. I have seen real guys who worked with computers, (I don't talk about myself of course). And they never could reach such profound expression as you can see from movie-girls.

So I want to make it clear to you, I didn't talk about Americans above. I talked about an endless stream of Ads, new movies, TV-shows and management innovations of American type. And the worst of it is the fact that some girls began adapting to this system. It is true one of them could have seen "The Flat," (starring Jack Lemon as clerk Baxter). (I'm not certain about accuracy of name because I was late to record title and credits. And actor was the same as in the "One likes it hot" (again I'm not certain about title because some rum guys translated this as "There are only girls in jazz")). But they, (girls, (not all of them, I hope)), brought nothing of old classic movies to their recent deportment.

On the same reason I don't like to look at Oprah and MTV's girls. I have nothing against them. I only don't want to have anything in common with them. You can say: "But are men better?" And I'll answer: "I haven't intention in marrying one of them. So lets leave them in peace."

But especially I don't like their manners. This smiling and nodding. I know I like good Westerns where men don't talk too much, ("if you came to shoot - shoot, don't talk"). And I concede girls should be different. But mind you America has admass culture for a long time. But we have got it only a few years ago. Once Jerom K. Jerom has sad that women combine effrontery and affectation by nature. But when you have to do with only effrontery women this is much worse. And there is one more catch. You can never say definitely about them. For example I know many emancipated girls would refuse from help when they are alighting from bus. And I was eye-witness, and then I became condemned culprit for not giving hand to "young lady" alighting from the bus. I guess they must have manual, how to handle with them, on their backs.

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