She's In Russia

This week’s episode is all about Russian-language rap: the history, how to think about race in a non-American paradigm, and a nice set of samples from some Russian artists.

Telegram channel: https://t.me/shesinrussia

This episode we discuss three things with Lily’s dear friend Maksim: a NYT op-ed that posits Russia as America’s foil, the recent rap battle between Oxxxymiron and Gnoyniy, and the dubious arrest of theater director Kirill Serebrennikov.

This episode we discuss three things with Lily’s dear friend Maksim: a NYT op-ed that posits Russia as America’s foil, the recent rap battle between Oxxxymiron and Gnoyniy, and the dubious arrest of theater director Kirill Serebrennikov.

On this episode we switch it up a bit and bring you a menagerie of clips; from special CIA movies made for Reagan, to the second-hand embarrassment of HRC’s “reset” button moment, to the voice of the Soviet Union in America, we give our analysis and hot takes. We discuss the hypocrisy of American exceptionalism, struggle through a clip of 2016’s final presidential debate (who’s the puppet? -__-), and get a little into how race influences how we see Russia and Russians.

Also, the infamous airplane guy of episode 11 leaves a message, much to our glee.

On this episode we switch it up a bit and bring you a menagerie of clips; from special CIA movies made for Reagan, to the second-hand embarrassment of HRC’s “reset” button moment, to the voice of the Soviet Union in America, we give our analysis and hot takes. We discuss the hypocrisy of American exceptionalism, struggle through a clip of 2016’s final presidential debate (who’s the puppet? -__-), and get a little into how race influences how we see Russia and Russians.

Also, the infamous airplane guy of episode 11 leaves a message, much to our glee.

It's 1905 and this is the story of how a Siberian peasant mystic w/ apparently real healing powers and a propensity for debauchery and assault befriended the last royal family of Russia (and contributed to their demise). Scandal, intrigue, murder - and all because the heir to the Russian throne was a 'bleeder'. Also, Lily is outed as a decadent cosmopolitan and Smith intercepts an unrequited love/catcall.

It's 1905 and this is the story of how a Siberian peasant mystic w/ apparently real healing powers and a propensity for debauchery and assault befriended the last royal family of Russia (and contributed to their demise). Scandal, intrigue, murder - and all because the heir to the Russian throne was a 'bleeder'. Also, Lily is outed as a decadent cosmopolitan and Smith intercepts an unrequited love/catcall.

Wait, was the annexation of Crimea illegal per international law? To answer this question, we start at the beginning -- the 15th century, when Crimea was ruled by the ottoman empire and was the center for the Slavic slave trade -- and end at present day. The Ukrainian crisis and the annexation of Crimea mark the beginning of the so-called Cold War II. On this week’s episode we answer the questions: What laws did the Russian government break in annexing Crimea? How do we balance the will of the Crimean people against opposing international legality? And how does Putin use rhetoric to re-interpret international precedents as emotional rather than legal?

Also Smith asserts that there are only 4 types of people, much to Lily’s chagrin.

Wait, was the annexation of Crimea illegal per international law? To answer this question, we start at the beginning -- the 15th century, when Crimea was ruled by the ottoman empire and was the center for the Slavic slave trade -- and end at present day. The Ukrainian crisis and the annexation of Crimea mark the beginning of the so-called Cold War II. On this week’s episode we answer the questions: What laws did the Russian government break in annexing Crimea? How do we balance the will of the Crimean people against opposing international legality? And how does Putin use rhetoric to re-interpret international precedents as emotional rather than legal?

Also Smith asserts that there are only 4 types of people, much to Lily’s chagrin.

The topic for this week is writer/journalist Masha Gessen’s 2016 book Where the Jews Aren't: The Sad and Absurd Story of Birobidzhan, Russia's Jewish Autonomous Region (despite our nitpicking in the episode, we very much recommend reading this book). Via our discussion of Gessen’s text, Soviet Jews and Jewish identity, we try to connect and articulate a larger theme in Soviet/Russian history of absence and the unfinished, unreal, and failed positive projections that attempt to fill these absences.

Theme music is "Shit Happens" by Tierra Whack