In Soviet Russia

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2011 demonstration in Wisconsin

In Soviet Russia, also called the Russian reversal[1][2][3] is a joke template taking the general form "In America you do X to/with Y; in Soviet Russia Y does X to/with you". Typically the American clause describes a harmless ordinary activity and the inverted Soviet form something menacing or dysfunctional, satirizing life under a communist dictatorship, or in the "old country". Sometimes the first clause is omitted, and the second (or both) are often deliberately rendered with English grammatical errors stereotypical of Russians.[4]

Although the exact origin of the joke form is uncertain, an early example is from the 1938 Cole Porter musical Leave It to Me! ("In Soviet Russia, messenger tips you.").[3] Bob Hope used the form at the 1958 Academy Awards.[3] In the 1968–1973 television show Laugh-In, a recurring character, "Piotr Rosmenko the Eastern European Man" (played by Arte Johnson), delivered short jokes such as "Here in America, is very good, everyone watch television. In old country, television watch you!".[5] This joke alludes[citation needed] to "telescreens" from George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four which both reproduce images and monitor the citizenry.

The joke form is often credited to the Soviet émigré American comedian Yakov Smirnoff; an example is a Miller Lite commercial in which he appeared in 1985, wherein he stated: "In America, there's plenty of light beer and you can always find a party. In Russia, Party always finds you".[4][6] Another example is by Garry Kasparov: "Every country has its own mafia; In Russia, the mafia has its own country."[7]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Scranton, Roy (July 16, 2018). "Russian Reversal: Performing Class and Power on Victory Day". Guernica. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  2. ^ Yegorov, Oleg (December 28, 2017). "Absurdity in an upside down world: Where did 'Russian reversal' jokes come from?". Russia Beyond. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c Rothman, Lily (February 23, 2015). "In Soviet Russia, the Oscars Host You". Time. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Liberman, Mark (January 29, 2004). "In Soviet Russia, snowclones overuse you". Language Log. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  5. ^ "Rowan & Martin's Laugh In". www.webpan.com. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  6. ^ "Yakov Smirnoff Miller Lite Commercial (1985)". YouTube. November 11, 2007.
  7. ^ Stableford, Dylan (May 21, 2018). "Garry Kasparov: I told you Putin would attack U.S. election — and he will again". Yahoo! News.
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