The Russian Doping Scandal

[Nicktendo]

Pestneb hits the nail on the head. Corruption is inherent in the Russian system. The building of the new stadium in St. Petersburg is a perfect example of this. It was started 10 years ago and still isn't finished, it has cost millions and millions of pounds, yet they periodically complain there is no money left, and get given more. More than half of the money is uncounted for, i.e. it's found it's way into someone's pocket.

 

I've bribed police officers on a few occasions in order to evade punishment for minor crimes, such as drinking in the street or not having the correct documents with me. Nothing major, but £15 or so is better than being taken to jail or officially fined. Traffic law violations are almost exclusively delt with by bribes, but usually upwards of £100. Punishments for speeding in Russia include year long bans, so it's much better for people to just pay a hefty bribe. The fact that the police get such a low wage doesn't help, but corruption is widely accepted and is seen as the norm. Can you imagine even offering a police officer a bribe in the U.K?!

 

Having a "white salary" is also seen in Russia as prestigious, and is usually found in the big ineternational companies. Most regular jobs pay a "black salary" where the majority of your wages are paid in cash in an envelope and maybe a small, token amount will be paid into your bank. The tax laws are so regressive and anti-business that for smaller companies, this is the only way they can survive. So tax evasion is also considered normal.

 

Apart from the influece of the French upper classes in the 18th Century (The Russian elite even took on French as the political language), Russia has had almost no influence of European civilization, especially if we talk about the peasents at the time. Peter the I saw Europe as something which Russia could work towards, as something that could help Russia become stronger if it tried to emulate Europe, hence why St. Petersburg was built to look like a European city, but in reality this never found it's way outside the upper classes and royal family, who of course were eventually overthrown in 1917.

 

Again Pestneb is right that this will be turned into a political victory for Russia and I already have heard people talking about it in this way, how it's the fault of the USA, that WADA is based in Canada and is biased... But it was always going to be this way because "cheating the system" is accepted here. Now, I'm not making excuses for what Russia has done, not at all, but the way they see it is that everyone else is just as corrupt as they are, they just don't like to admit it. The USA is corrupt, just not in the same ways. And when they present themselves as the clean, honest, and fair leaders of free society, the Russians know they are being fed a load of lies and take particular offence to being dictated to by this kind of self-righteous people. Hence partially the general dislike of America and/or the West.