God grants us the freedom and liberty to attract whatever we focus on — which is both a gift and a warning. If you fixate on racism, you’ll eventually find it, even if you have to manufacture the circumstances. In many cases, people don’t find problems — they create them by looking too hard.
As Christians, we’re told to seek the Kingdom of God first, and in doing so, we start to better understand how the laws of the land work — not just spiritually, but politically and socially.
Now, I recently stumbled across a video titled:
“Black woman who left US for Russia to escape ‘discrimination’ is beaten by racist neighbors.”
Let me be clear: maybe those neighbors were racists. Maybe they weren’t. I don’t know — I wasn’t there. But what did catch my attention was this: she was a renter. And anyone who has ever dealt with rental laws — in Russia or in the West — knows how weird things can get.
So, when I heard the Russians in the video ask, “Are you registered at this address?” my mind went straight to a familiar thought: Communists hate property rights.
Bureaucracy Is a Feature, Not a Bug
See, in socialist systems, markets don’t function without a good dose of red tape. You can’t just live somewhere in peace — you’ve got to register with the government like you’re checking in at a hotel run by Stalin’s ghost. I don’t know if this is a federal rule in Russia or some kind of local law, but based on my digging, it seems you have to be officially registered even to rent a place.
Why? Probably to control prices, enforce oversight, or simply to feel like they’re in control. Naturally, humans adapt. Let’s say I’ve got a rent-controlled apartment I no longer need — I might find some naïve American to sublease it to. Why waste an opportunity to leverage a broken system?
Russia Isn’t Disneyland — It’s More Like the Bronx, But in Winter
Let’s be real — Russians are rugged. Even the women. In fact, in some places, a woman might consider a man weak if he doesn’t have the courage to punch her back (not that I condone it — just stating cultural observations). I’m not sure who hit the woman in the video, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was a joint effort. Good luck suing anyone. Russia doesn’t hand out emotional damages like coupons.
And that’s part of the point. In communist or heavily state-controlled societies, the government is selective in what it enforces. Laws that are popular? They get enforced. Laws that aren’t? Well, you’re on your own, comrade.
Nanny States and Noisy Neighbors
Imagine living next to someone who plays loud music at 3 a.m. every night. In the West, you call the cops. In Russia, the cops might laugh at you. Or worse — they might ask you to pay them to handle it. And if you’re standing next to your girlfriend while complaining? Good luck keeping her. She might leave with the cop.
After enough of this, people in these systems stop relying on the law and start handling things themselves. Bureaucracy takes too long. If someone’s living in the building unregistered and causing problems, the neighbors might just turn up the pressure — not legally, but personally. Intimidation is cheaper than lawyers.
But Why Would the Neighbors Care?
Here’s where the socialism part really kicks in.
In some Russian buildings, utilities like heating and electricity are shared costs — one bill divided equally. If a tenant secretly brings in an extra person, or worse, a noisy baby, that cost gets spread to everyone. The more people living there, the higher the collective usage. But since the person isn’t registered, the cost isn’t distributed fairly. People talk. And if someone figures out there’s an unregistered tenant in the mix, they may take matters into their own hands.
So yes — maybe the neighbors were racists.
Or maybe they were just pragmatic cheapskates, tired of paying more because someone refused to register.
To them, she wasn’t just a foreigner. She was an unregistered liability.
Final Thoughts
When you’re in a system where the government is both landlord and hall monitor, every choice is a gamble. Subleasing without registering? That’s playing with fire.
And when things go sideways, don’t expect justice — especially if you’re the outsider. Cultural misalignment + government apathy = chaos.
So before moving to a country where the power bill is a group project, ask yourself:
- Do I understand the rules?
- Can I trust the neighbors?
- Will the police flirt with my girlfriend while I’m filing a report?
If not, maybe just stay home, learn the system you know — and above all, consider making Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior. That’s the only registration that matters in the long run.