It's not "Russians", it's Putin fanatics and "TV fans".
There are a lot of Russians that are quite liberal in their points of view.
It runs deeper than that. There are so many deep internal conflicts, it's not even funny.
Some examples:
They DO LOVE Motherland. Especially do so ethnic Russians abroad. At the same time, very few of the latter actually would want to return. Because, frankly, they do know, they are doing better in countries of their residence.
They do get the idea of being liberators, defeaters of nazism, winners of WW2 with their mother's milk. Russian media is reinforcing that mental image daily.
At the same time, general Russian outlook to the world is utterly Byzantine. You are master or slave. You cannot really be an equal. Their attitudes about other countries and nationalities are pervaded by attitude of "are we mightier than "country/nation x" or not?". Militarily. Which logically should run opposite the attitude of a liberator but somehow controversy really fails to register on them.
Wasn't that far back when Russian media tried to figure out how many nuclear-tipped missiles would it take to destroy Western-Europe's capitals. Russian man you are drinking with, could brag about Russian conquests and military might for hours and then get pissed when you suggest that it does not seem to make them any better than nazis. You don't even have to bring in the historical tidbit of pre-WW2 USSR being ally of IIIrd Reich and co-starter of a Great Patriotic War (invasion of Poland). THAT would get you a fistfight right there. Because it was and still is excluded from official histories of USSR and present-day RF. So it has to be a lie.
I could go on here couple A4's worth but I doubt anyone would care to read through that much ramblings..
not all westerners are "fat and stupid".
