# край непуганых идиотов



## Setwale_Charm

One of our observers writes an account on his experience in monitoring Russia's presidential elections and describes the are to which he was assigned as: Это вообще край непуганных идиотов!!

What is implied here really?


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## Kolan

Setwale_Charm said:


> One of our observers writes an account on his experience in monitoring Russia's presidential elections and describes the are to which he was assigned as: Это вообще *край непуганных идиотов*!!
> 
> What is implied here really?


Extremely offensive, talking about people's mental capacities in case they populate a certain place and act together (i.e., citizens of Russia in the example above).

Actually, I guess, it is reciprocal, if someone personally dislikes the government elected in another country.

Literally, it stands for a hypothetical tribe of peaceful aboriginals showing no human intelligence who have never ever met foreigners on their land (who could scare them).


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## Setwale_Charm

Kolan said:


> Extremely offensive, talking about people's mental capacities in case they populate a certain place and act together (i.e., citizens of Russia in the example above).
> 
> Actually, I guess, it is reciprocal, if someone personally dislikes the government elected in another country.
> 
> Literally, it stands for a hypothetical tribe of peaceful aboriginals showing no human intelleligence who have never ever met foreigners on their land (who could scare them).


 
Well, I am not sure. He is only talking about Chertanovo where he was assigned to. Is the meaning you are suggesting still valid then?


I am providing a link to his account on the web here. Maybe it will make things clearer. http://www.voinenet.ru/index.php?aid=14970


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## tram-pam-pam

Out of the above (political) context, just about the expression itself:

*край непуганых идиотов*
Из «Записных книжек» (опубл. 1966) советского писателя Ильи Ильфа (1897—1937): _Край непуганых идиотов. Самое время пугнуть._

Предположительно первоисточник выражения — название книги Михаила Пришвина «В краю непуганых птиц. Онего-Беломорский край» (1930).

Иронически - о странных, нелепых, недалеких (с точки зрения говорящего) людях.

http://www.bibliotekar.ru/encSlov/10/156.htm


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## Kolan

Setwale_Charm said:


> Well, I am not sure. He is only talking about Chertanovo where he was assigned to. Is the meaning you are suggesting still valid then?
> 
> I am providing a link to his account on the web here. Maybe it will make things clearer. http://www.voinenet.ru/index.php?aid=14970


Yes, that's exactly what it is. A young guy talks about mental capacities of "Тётечки из комиссии" who presumable obstructed his activity. At the end of the day, after he submitted multiple written claims about violations, the election committee chairperson (woman) fainted away, and an emergency ambulance was called on site.


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## Setwale_Charm

Kolan said:


> Yes, that's exactly what it is. A young guy talks about mental capacities of "Тётечки из комиссии" who presumable obstructed his activity. At the end of the day, after he submitted multiple written claims about violations, the election committee chairperson (woman) fainted away, and an emergency ambulance was called on site.


 

Which means that she has finally become a пуганный one?


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## Kolan

Setwale_Charm said:


> Which means that she has finally become a пуганный one?


Literally, he had been scaring her all day long and, since she was not prepared to...

But you can't say "_край пуганных идиотов_", unless ironically, talking about the same election committee the next day in connection with the article.


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## kvvic

a land of tame idiots (who aren't afraid of the law because they don't know it and are used to taking and giving bribes)


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## kvvic

_пуганный идиот_ is called _стрелянный воробей_, _тертый калач_ (old bird)


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## Kolan

kvvic said:


> _пуганный идиот_ is called _стрелянный воробей_, _тертый калач_ (old bird)


I guess - not, because the last two refer to smart people, while _пуганные идиоты_ stand for the same idiots.


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## kvvic

_пуга*н*ый_ and _идиот_ don't fit together. If an idiot becomes _пуганый_, he's no longer an idiot



> *tram-pam-pam*
> *край непуганых идиотов*
> Из «Записных книжек» (опубл. 1966) советского писателя Ильи Ильфа (1897—1937): Край непуганых идиотов. Самое время пугнуть.
> 
> Предположительно первоисточник выражения — название книги Михаила Пришвина «В краю непуганых птиц. Онего-Беломорский край» (1930).
> 
> Иронически - о странных, нелепых, недалеких (с точки зрения говорящего) людях.



by the way, a very useful remark for understanding the phrase in the subject


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## Kolan

kvvic said:


> _пуга*н*ый_ and _идиот_ don't fit together. If an idiot becomes _пуганый_, he's no longer an idiot


How scaring may affect idiot's mental capacity which is supposed to be a permanent feature for the life term?


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## kvvic

As I understand "непуганые идиоты" and the article itself, the author doesn't mean that "тетечки" are mentally ill or have a low level of intelligence. He is just angry with them and so he calls them stupid persons, but he doesn't imply their mental capacity. "Идиоты" expresses his anger.
As for "непуганые", I think it implies smth similar to "inexperienced". What are these people he is talking about? They are like tame animals (I mean animals that aren't afraid of humans because humans have never hunted them). These people are persons who are used to break the law because they feel that nobody will ever punish them and they expect everyone to behave like this. But suddenly this young man starts to threaten them and they get scared. This situation will make them wiser, more experienced and next time they will be more cautious. They will become 'old birds' (maybe there's a better word?), i.e., wary and astute persons. And this is what I mean by


> пуганный идиот is called стрелянный воробей, тертый калач (old bird)


 and


> If an idiot becomes пуганый, he's no longer an idiot


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## Setwale_Charm

Well, here is a point then which may be more 'ideological' than actually linguistic but I just fail to grasp the sous-entendu. Is it implied that these women are actually consciously deliberately malicious and violating the law (which I would assume) or that they are just naively implementing the instructions?


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## Kolan

Setwale_Charm said:


> Well, here is a point then which may be more 'ideological' than actually linguistic but I just fail to grasp the sous-entendu. Is it implied that these women are actually consciously deliberately malicious and violating the law (which I would assume) or that they are just naively implementing the instructions?


Your second assumption looks more realistic to me. They just did not want any trouble, and the communist party's observer was too zealous.


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## kvvic

I'd say these women (according to the observer) are deliberately violating the law because they were instructed to do so and probably paid.


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