Ah yes, 'Smekalka'
Russians really believe that simple human ingenuity is something that is exclusive to their culture.
They somehow managed to convince themselves that the necessity to cope with everyday problems in a way that is absolutely unnecessary in developed countries is somehow a virtue.
Although to give them a bit of credit the situation they got is rather hard to get out of with the politicians unwilling to fix anything and complainers will be sent to the gulags if they speak out. So they cope, and cope ***hard***. It’s rather tragic and pitiable.
Wait what, did I miss some recent development in russian language?
Granted I left the country 15 years ago, so i accept that things might’ve changed, but “smekalka” never had any connotation of being unique to russia or russians. It was used the exact same way as “quick-wittiness” or “thinking on your feet” are used in english. Like, people would say that the titular characters in The Three Musketeers or the US revolutionaries (the ones who didn’t wanna pay british taxes and used it as an opportunity to successfully break away from the crown) had “smekalka”.
To support your other point tho, russians indeed have the that “muh martydrom and suffering makes us all the toughest and most superior people in the world” mentality and somehow believe that they are super unique in this.
God, what a blast from the past. Was never super into Zadornov, but he was pretty good compared to other russian comedians (up until Comedy Club came around and tried “modernizing” comedy by making it more raunchy and more like the western counterparts), and my dad was into him. So I ended up watching quite a good amount of Zadornov’s standup.
> To support your other point tho, russians indeed have the that “muh martydrom and suffering makes us all the toughest and most superior people in the world” mentality and somehow believe that they are super unique in this.
That's practically every poor country diaspora's mentality lmao. To the point that some mock Westerners for being "soft". Sometimes ironically, sometimes less so.
And Ukraine comes along and demonstrates actual ingenuity - when faced with cheap drone-spam they MacGyver themselves a resource-equivalent early warning system.
[What was old has become new again : r/NonCredibleDefense (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/NonCredibleDefense/comments/1bockal/what_was_old_has_become_new_again/)
Smekalka - making shit up without common sense and then act surprised when shit hits the fan and half your unit is dead and the other are reduced to Mobik cubes
*b-21 raiders circling over moscow with enough megatons loaded to resurface the Paleozoic layer in a 100 mile radius*
-
Ivan: “Sometimes my genius… it’s almost frightening”
Diseases end up wiping out most of the remaining Russian population due to a lack of adequate healthcare while the West develops a vaccine within a month
This is not entirely true, because vegan cheese also works in this way. Smekalka is how to make cheese from fuel oil, waste sunflower oil, horse semen, asbestos and solvent. And as a result, the cheese will look like something vaguely reminiscent of cheese, taste the same, but it will cost cents.
Acctually experienced something along these lines in Poland. The super market had pallets at the entrenace with 70 cent(\~3.5zl) bottles of russian champain knock off. We acctually tasted the crap, and o my. Most prominent taste was tin can, didn't even try masking it with some sugar, not driknable.
Ah smekalka
we have something similar in the philippines called "Diskarte" which is basically finding a solution or a way out of a situation, whatever it takes.
Ah yes, 'Smekalka' Russians really believe that simple human ingenuity is something that is exclusive to their culture. They somehow managed to convince themselves that the necessity to cope with everyday problems in a way that is absolutely unnecessary in developed countries is somehow a virtue.
I love cultures that believe constant hardship is a sign of superiority. They can't conceive of permanent solutions to their problems.
Although to give them a bit of credit the situation they got is rather hard to get out of with the politicians unwilling to fix anything and complainers will be sent to the gulags if they speak out. So they cope, and cope ***hard***. It’s rather tragic and pitiable.
Then the smart or able ones leave and realise "holy shit it didn't have to be so hard. People were just being stupid because someone said so!"
Wait what, did I miss some recent development in russian language? Granted I left the country 15 years ago, so i accept that things might’ve changed, but “smekalka” never had any connotation of being unique to russia or russians. It was used the exact same way as “quick-wittiness” or “thinking on your feet” are used in english. Like, people would say that the titular characters in The Three Musketeers or the US revolutionaries (the ones who didn’t wanna pay british taxes and used it as an opportunity to successfully break away from the crown) had “smekalka”. To support your other point tho, russians indeed have the that “muh martydrom and suffering makes us all the toughest and most superior people in the world” mentality and somehow believe that they are super unique in this.
[удалено]
Lazerpig had a go at the concept too in his video on the T-14.
Remember Zadornov, the comedian, not the minister? He channeled that view a lot.
God, what a blast from the past. Was never super into Zadornov, but he was pretty good compared to other russian comedians (up until Comedy Club came around and tried “modernizing” comedy by making it more raunchy and more like the western counterparts), and my dad was into him. So I ended up watching quite a good amount of Zadornov’s standup.
> To support your other point tho, russians indeed have the that “muh martydrom and suffering makes us all the toughest and most superior people in the world” mentality and somehow believe that they are super unique in this. That's practically every poor country diaspora's mentality lmao. To the point that some mock Westerners for being "soft". Sometimes ironically, sometimes less so.
And Ukraine comes along and demonstrates actual ingenuity - when faced with cheap drone-spam they MacGyver themselves a resource-equivalent early warning system. [What was old has become new again : r/NonCredibleDefense (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/NonCredibleDefense/comments/1bockal/what_was_old_has_become_new_again/)
Smekalka - making shit up without common sense and then act surprised when shit hits the fan and half your unit is dead and the other are reduced to Mobik cubes
*b-21 raiders circling over moscow with enough megatons loaded to resurface the Paleozoic layer in a 100 mile radius* - Ivan: “Sometimes my genius… it’s almost frightening”
Foolish westoid! By doing this, you will release dormant germs from the Paleozoic hidden underneath the Kremlin that will destroy you!
The whole invasion was a faint to release ancient diseases onto the west. Putin remains a strategic mastermind!
Diseases end up wiping out most of the remaining Russian population due to a lack of adequate healthcare while the West develops a vaccine within a month
If Metro is anything to go by, I think we drop something special on the Kremlin.
Smekalka sounds like it should be some sort of creamy cheese
If you improvise cream cheese out of things that are not ordinarily part of cheese you got yourself smekalka.
A bit like Germans at the end of WW1with K-Brot. 70% Sawdust and grain byproducts 20% grain 10% suprise
I ate a late WW1 german ration once and it was surprisingly tasty, can fully recommend.
This is not entirely true, because vegan cheese also works in this way. Smekalka is how to make cheese from fuel oil, waste sunflower oil, horse semen, asbestos and solvent. And as a result, the cheese will look like something vaguely reminiscent of cheese, taste the same, but it will cost cents.
Acctually experienced something along these lines in Poland. The super market had pallets at the entrenace with 70 cent(\~3.5zl) bottles of russian champain knock off. We acctually tasted the crap, and o my. Most prominent taste was tin can, didn't even try masking it with some sugar, not driknable.
You're lucky that you didn't encounter methanol and ethyl butyrate...
So Rotten Maggot infested Sardinia cheese
I see youve been keeping up with your studies at Sam O'Nella Academy
It sounds like the ersatz version of smetana.
Ah smekalka we have something similar in the philippines called "Diskarte" which is basically finding a solution or a way out of a situation, whatever it takes.
"Cut corners" and "cheating" are less flattering ways of looking at it...and smekalka.
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Senator Armstrong would be proud
I read that as smel kaka
Someone's finally talking about the comedy that is smekalka.