RusCan2013
Active member
Thought I'd post about this, just to rant and vent, if nothing else :sorry:
I have this aunt back in Russia, Aunt Natalia. Well, she isn't exactly my aunt, since that would make her my mom's sister, whereas she is, in fact, her cousin. But, she has always been like an aunt to me, babysat me when I was little, I recall. Always been close to our family, so I call her "aunt".
Anyway, she had to have eye surgery recently. Now, this is Moscow, not some provincial shithole, keep in mind. Her initial surgery went alright, and, as is the custom in Russia, she wanted to "thank" her doctor, with a gift. The thing is, normally, the "gift" would be either an envelope full of cash, or, at least, some nice alcohol in a bottle (or two, two is better; and three is even more so
). But my dear aunt, an eccentric woman that she is, figured, well, he'll just drink the booze, and spend the money, and then he'll forget all about me. I should give him something unique instead and something that will last a long time.
She did. She brought him two enormous ceramic roosters, not sure where she even got them from. But, here is the thing, my aunt perhaps didn't realize, being from a very sheltered, intelligentsia-type upbringing, but the term "rooster", petukh, in Russian prison slang, is the jail *****, usually - a former rapist, molester, or such subhuman scum, who becomes the sexual slave to other prisoners once enters the prison colony. No longer a man, or even a human being, just property, which can be traded between cells or gangs for cigarettes, alcohol, narcotics, weapons, etc, has no more value than those non-human objects. It is a great insult to call a man a rooster over there, and given that, by low estimates, one third and by high - as much as half, of all adult men in Russia have been to prison, and the popularization, through music, TV, and film, of the prison culture among the population, most know this. Our fine doctor was no exception. He assumed that was exactly what her gift implied. Supposedly, some other doctors at the hospital made fun of him over the roosters too. So now, Aunt Natalia is having complications from the surgery, she cannot see with that eye, her retina is literally coming off... and her doctor has decided to go on vacation. He is openly withholding treatment on her, because he doesn't like her anymore, because she called him a petukh, or at least, so he thinks.
And, in Russia, she has basically no recourse, there is no College of Physicians or such to take action against him. She tried to complain to the healthy ministry, but they said it's a private clinic, not under their authority. Now, she can go to police, but
A. she'd have to pay them a bribe too, to do anything
and
B. the doctor can just say it is his medical opinion she doesn't need treatment and the police will then have to find another doctor who would dispute this assertion, which won't be easy, even if she bribes them into doing the work: doctors there are a "thin white line", so to speak, reluctant to speak against their brothers in the white coat, they tend to look out for each other.
Meanwhile, she could go blind in that eye, if this continues any longer...
I have this aunt back in Russia, Aunt Natalia. Well, she isn't exactly my aunt, since that would make her my mom's sister, whereas she is, in fact, her cousin. But, she has always been like an aunt to me, babysat me when I was little, I recall. Always been close to our family, so I call her "aunt".
Anyway, she had to have eye surgery recently. Now, this is Moscow, not some provincial shithole, keep in mind. Her initial surgery went alright, and, as is the custom in Russia, she wanted to "thank" her doctor, with a gift. The thing is, normally, the "gift" would be either an envelope full of cash, or, at least, some nice alcohol in a bottle (or two, two is better; and three is even more so
). But my dear aunt, an eccentric woman that she is, figured, well, he'll just drink the booze, and spend the money, and then he'll forget all about me. I should give him something unique instead and something that will last a long time. She did. She brought him two enormous ceramic roosters, not sure where she even got them from. But, here is the thing, my aunt perhaps didn't realize, being from a very sheltered, intelligentsia-type upbringing, but the term "rooster", petukh, in Russian prison slang, is the jail *****, usually - a former rapist, molester, or such subhuman scum, who becomes the sexual slave to other prisoners once enters the prison colony. No longer a man, or even a human being, just property, which can be traded between cells or gangs for cigarettes, alcohol, narcotics, weapons, etc, has no more value than those non-human objects. It is a great insult to call a man a rooster over there, and given that, by low estimates, one third and by high - as much as half, of all adult men in Russia have been to prison, and the popularization, through music, TV, and film, of the prison culture among the population, most know this. Our fine doctor was no exception. He assumed that was exactly what her gift implied. Supposedly, some other doctors at the hospital made fun of him over the roosters too. So now, Aunt Natalia is having complications from the surgery, she cannot see with that eye, her retina is literally coming off... and her doctor has decided to go on vacation. He is openly withholding treatment on her, because he doesn't like her anymore, because she called him a petukh, or at least, so he thinks.
And, in Russia, she has basically no recourse, there is no College of Physicians or such to take action against him. She tried to complain to the healthy ministry, but they said it's a private clinic, not under their authority. Now, she can go to police, but
A. she'd have to pay them a bribe too, to do anything
and
B. the doctor can just say it is his medical opinion she doesn't need treatment and the police will then have to find another doctor who would dispute this assertion, which won't be easy, even if she bribes them into doing the work: doctors there are a "thin white line", so to speak, reluctant to speak against their brothers in the white coat, they tend to look out for each other.
Meanwhile, she could go blind in that eye, if this continues any longer...
