On Differences in Conter-Culture Between Russia and The West

I was thinking recently that counterculture in Russia and the West is rather different from one another.

It is rather long post but I would appreciate if anyone can help me make more sense here. It is a soul-searching of sorts, but I think it can encourage an interesting discussion.

Official government endorsed culture in Russia revolves around serving the country. Anthem literally calls country 'holy'. Propaganda further calls it motherland, as if the country gave birth to you. It tried to equate country and family.

It encourages patriotism and unquestionable loyalty as well as unquestionable believes in government approved dogmas.

It is fervently anti-individualistic and tries to make everyone the same. It looks down on individual, says he is less than a bigger and more important country and society.

It also encourages spartan endurance of hardships and privation. Praises sacrifices for the country. It is anti-materialistic in that regard.

Overall, it attempts to mold a person as a small cogwheel in the system. A disposable cannon fodder and labor force for the system.

Russian counter-culture in contrast is stanchly individualist. It affirms individual will, individual needs and feelings. It celebrates freedom, individual freedom. It is almost libertarian.

It opposes government culture which it calls propaganda and values truth. It encourages to seek and speak truth to resist government lies. To not be yet another brick in the wall, cogwheel in the system.

It fights against being a cogwheel in the system which it calls being a slave. It looks down on people who follow the official culture, calling the cattle (bydlo) or zombie (zombified).

It is in tune with individual subjective feelings. It seeks individual happiness and fulfilment. Being true to yourself. Finding your voice among the noise government and normies push on you. True feelings.

It is often reflective and introspective. It constantly seeks ways to be free, to be yourself. To be genuine.

Because it likes foreign non-Russian stuff that it views as free and individualistic.

To the extend it is hedonistic or epicurean. It seeks to find true and good things and often rejects popular mass culture. It is hipster-ish to the extend.

Possibly Johnny Silverhand from Cyberpunk 2077 video game is a good example of Russian style counter-cultural rebel against the system. He is rock musician too.

I personally strongly relate to Russian counter-culture. Recently I realized that my worldview heavily influenced by that counter-culture. Because of that I instinctively gravitate towards different forms of counter-culture.

Considering how Russian counter-culture is, it it easy to think that all counter-culture is like that. That Western counter-culture is same. However recently I noticed that it is not necessary the case.

A least some of Western counter-culture is not individualistic anti-system but rather somewhat anti-materialistic. It rejects material wellbeing and seeks some spiritual cause, some sort of crazy social justice idea to serve. In that regard it resembles Russian official government culture more than Russian counter-culture.

On the other hand hard work ethics of normal Western culture is also similar to Russian official culture.

Things like individualism and personal individual needs do not fall clearly to one side or another.

This kind of dilemma puts me in rather confused position: where do I stand here in the West?

I ended up in anime community here on MAL because it is kind of counter-cultural but also hedonistic. It caters to individual needs and feelings. However is it all.

I staunchly guard my freedom and dodge all and every attempt to put a yoke on me.

However, is it all, maybe there is something more somewhere out there for me? Greater freedom and greater prosperity.

Summary

In simpler terms, counterculture in Russia is individualist and libertarian and mostly leaning towards Lib-Right, but Lib-Left is also there.

In contrast Russian mainstream is mostly authoritarian and statist, somewhat leaning left.

In the West however counterculture is mostly left and often lean towards authoritarian left at that.

That means Western mainstream is libertarian enough to the point where individualism will become countercultural.

In general, if politics in the West work mostly on left-right axis, politics in post-Soviet states are on authoritarian-libertarian axis. That is why pro-Putin United Russia is often described as centrist party, it has elements of both Western left and right. 

In post-soviet states it is a fight between individual needs and freedoms against those of the nation.

In the Western world it is intead between employers (right) and employees (left).