r/AskEasternEurope

I'm from Russia, and an interesting fact: I wrote all this through a translator.

Hi, wanted to ask what certain things: vibes, symbols, for example the colorful grandmas carpets, give you that easter european/slavic aesthetic?

Hey everyone. I’m working on a video essay focusing on Eastern European societal attitudes;specifically regarding women’s roles, misogyny, and LGBTQ+ acceptance. ​I don't want textbook statistics, I want your lived experience and honest opinions: ​–Where do you think Eastern European society currently draws the line between "traditional family values" and plain, aggressive misogyny? –​How do people in your country actually react when someone comes out or presents alternative/queer, versus how politicians claim "the public" reacts? ​–What is a specific societal bias people in our region hold that they refuse to admit is toxic? ​–For women living in Eastern Europe: what’s one thing about gender dynamics here that Westerners completely misunderstand?

For the "what bias do you hold?" Idk man, I'm a feminist young lady from Moldova from a conservative traditional family who believes in equality and love is love.

Stay safe out there, yall <3

Hi everyone,

Lucia here from EUobserver, and as a Slovak, this one caught my attention personally.

We’ve just published an opinion that makes a pretty bold argument: despite all the problems we talk about in Central and Eastern Europe, this may actually be one of the best periods our region has ever experienced.

CEE countries are closer to Western Europe than ever in terms of income and quality of life. Estonia and Lithuania are now ranking among some of the most attractive countries to live in, and countries across the region have seen huge improvements since joining the EU.

But there’s a catch.

That rapid convergence may be coming to an end. Ageing populations, emigration, weaker universities, low R&D and investment could mean that some countries never fully catch up with Western Europe.

Being from the region myself, I’m really curious how people here feel about this.

Do you think life in Central/Eastern Europe is better than we sometimes give it credit for? And are we still catching up with the West — or has that process started to stall?

I have always wondered about the term " slavic" anyway. There is no such thing for germanics or latins. But conveniently for slavs? I also noticed the people who are all about being "slavic" usually try to claim all achievements and the culture of authentic slavic nations as something moskal. And lets be honest muscovys claim of being slavic is questionable at best. Slavs are european. How european can you be if 80% plus of your territory is outside of europe, a signifikant part of your population identifies as asian and you are basically europes eternal enemy?

I'm genuinely curious, I have only ever heard extremes, either someone absolutely dislikes it or the opposite, and as a polish person myself I want to know how it sounds like for foreigners! Honesty appreciated