One of my neighbors is a diplomat for the Russian Embassy, and we talk a lot (he likes that it lets him practice English, and I like to hear his perspective on things; not to mention he tells incredibly interesting stories about commanding Russian destroyers).
He told me once that the biggest difference he saw so far between Russians and American's is that if you ask an average Russian if they can do something, they'll say something like "Probably not, but I'll do my best.", whereas if you ask an average American, they'll say "Absolutely, I'm great at this." irrespective of their actual abilities.
That's a pretty broad generalization, but I think there's definitely a cultural difference between a more cynical Russian culture and a more optimistic American one.
People believe when you can do "Anything" because that idea of empowerment is ingrained here. Somebody who questions their own skill isn't good because they don't believe it.
I'm a Hoosier, and I see it here all the time. You have to look like that it's not a problem whatsoever. Admitting ignorance on part of a given topic is seen as sheer stupidity.
It's like a job position that I interviewed for. The District manager asked a weird situational question. I don't remember the particulars, but it was something that was pretty much 0% chance of happening. I said that I would not have a clue how to handle it on paper, but I would know if it actually occurred. Their response was that "It was not the answer we were looking for".
You can sometimes get away with admitting ignorance if you promise to follow up with action. As in "I don't know the exact particulars of Y, but I'll look into it later today and get back to you tonight." This is one of the things that students getting their first job who have spent all their lives in school don't get. They are so used to the academic environment and its expectations of always knowing on the spot, that they don't realize it's sometimes permissible not to know -- you just have to state it appropriately.
He told me once that the biggest difference he saw so far between Russians and American's is that if you ask an average Russian if they can do something, they'll say something like "Probably not, but I'll do my best.", whereas if you ask an average American, they'll say "Absolutely, I'm great at this." irrespective of their actual abilities.
That's a pretty broad generalization, but I think there's definitely a cultural difference between a more cynical Russian culture and a more optimistic American one.
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