July 25, 2006

• Why worry about getting kicked to the curb by some snotty gal Ukraine? Bah... In Soviet Russia you never have to worry
• Yeah, if I were some hot Ukrainian chick, I would totally be into a balding, fat, frothing-at-the-corners-of-his-mouth-while-he-talks domestic abuser.
• Yeah every guy in that article pretty much repulsed me. The racial slurs only accentuated my contempt for them. Thinking some of these girls may have slept with these asshats makes me cringe.
• This is a fantastic article.
• The article at least settles the makeup debate for Ukraine. "Heavy makeup, especially around the eyes and cheekbones, was de rigueur" And yes, that article is a damn good read.
• I found that article quite depressing; the social collapse in post-soviet countries is disheartening. Sure, those 'losers with money' don't sound like a good choice for a young, educated woman, but they are sometimes their only perceived way out from their bleak realities of economic dead-ends and unsuitable, alcoholic men. Just now I've been reading some of the articles on Viceland Magazine's Russia Issue. via Mefi. NSFW. Gosh.
• Several things ran through my mind as I was reading. 1. This is a really well-written, fascinating article. Thanks, pete! 2. They were right all along - the Russians really ARE the enemy! (Just kidding. Miru-mir and all that.) 3. I knew a guy who'd married a "mail-order Natasha." They were married for a couple of years, then she left him for another, much-younger, better-off American man. 3. Which is worse for the ego: Staying single, dating an aggressive American woman, or marrying a submissive woman who you know would never, never give you a second look if she wasn't desperately poor? 4. What's the best country for an American woman to get a mail-order husband from? 4. Mm, vodka! 5. Are a lot of these gals going to have health problems, growing up so close to Chernobyl?
• Riveting article. I am reminded of Jackson Browne's The Pretender, which is essentially about giving up on the notion of romantic love, and striving simply to find someone you can tolerate and lie to yourself about enough to stay together. I am also reminded of an article (I think from MeFi, I looked but couldn't find it) by an American woman in Russia who was miserable because neither Russian nor American men would have anything to do with her. As I recall, she ended up throwing herself at men to get any attention. Finally, I second, "Mm, vodka!"
• I feel that it's less that American women are "agressive" and more that most of these men are living in some 50's sitcom fantasy world. Where does this "agressive" come from anyway? And while it is very sad that many of these women feel that this is a good escape route, surely some of them have extra plans up their sleeves for after they escape.
• "Aggressive' as in 'she's got a mind of her own...', I guess. Forget the 50s; on many countries, in all social strata, women being equal to men is still much an unwelcomed theory today. The idea that a woman should defer to her husband is still 'taught' to the younger generations.
• It is a good article, etc,but i can't help but notice the typical patronizing tone. It's perfectly clear that the author considers himself above the losers he's hanging out with, and that their social, moral and intellectual defects are supposed to amuse us. Which isn't to say he isn't better than they are, but it's pretty annoying to read supposedly unbiased, documentary-style journalism with all the moral judgements built in. But that's Harper's for you. On another note, these women are all lovely and submissive, but wait until they get their citizenship and see how long they stick around.
• Thankyou - it is an insightful article - however.... the women are on the look out and so are the men! It would be interesting to have a break down of percentage of 'divorced and disenfranchised' on the tour. Some of the comments seem to suggest that more than a few. Sometimes you make bad decisions that are economic ones. Maybe some of these women will (cough) 'love' their men eventually? The women are not blind - please don't tell me the men are! Actually i feel sorry for the men - sometimes - seems to me the women don't have blinkers and the men are being 'sold' even if they know or recognise it.Negate feeling sorry for the blokes - they know what they are going for
• It depends on what you mean blind, fly. Blind in the sense that they seem unaware that a marriage does not imply ownership of a woman, then yes, these men are completely blind.
• Blind in the sense that they recognise the women have agendas but still feel a sense of superiority - except for the ones that are on the second or third tour (they recognise desparation) - then again i would like to see the 'success statistics'. In these cases what constitutes success' ????? bet you it is differently marketed in the US versus the ex USSR 'catchment' area? Nicht wahr?
• Attractive women who will do anything for better economic circumstances vs. men who will give anything for an attractive woman to serve & service them. I'm not sure if there are no victims here, or if there are only victims here.
• “See you Sunday,” he replied, waggling his sausage of a finger and speaking in a weird, coquettish singsong. “You’d better be here or you’ll be in trouble. I’ll have the handcuffs; if you’re not here, the handcuffs will be out.”
• well said, R88.
• I suppose the problem is that there are victims.
• I think I got burned by a scam like this not too long ago. They took my money, she never arrived, and whenever I called them, they'd just say the Czech's in the mail.
• The number of such marriages has more than doubled since an often-cited 1999 INS report. Based on 2004 statistics (the most recent available), it is now estimated that 9,500-14,500 marriages a year—a number that reflects one third to one half of all foreign fiancés who enter the US—take place between foreign women and American men as a result of “marriage broker” agency introductions.1 While no official national statistics exist on the incidence of abuse in such marriages, experts agree it is “higher in this population than for the nation as a whole.”2 One study of women in an analogous circumstance—immigrant women whose legal status depends on their US citizen or legal permanent resident spouse—found the rate of domestic violence to be as high as 77%.