WHAT DOES A RUSSIAN JOKE ABOUT?

     Even the Kremlin can't stop up a peoples' sense of humor!
     The common view of Communism is that there is nothing funny about it. But the average person in Russia is really not like the American-imagined stereotype, according to Gene Sosin, an expatriot Russian who does guest speaking sessions for American dollars. He says the average Russian citizen  is no more ignorant of what is going on there than the American citizen is ignorant of the ills of his society. So, what they cannot change they poke fun it, the same as American do.
     Russian jokes are their way to protest the system and the problems it has brought them, without getting them arrested. For example, Sosin says, they may define the difference between Communism and capitalism this way: In capitalism you have the exploitation of man by man; in Communism you have just the opposite!
     Sometimes the humor is in a riddle. Example: "What is the transitional stage between socialism and Communism?" Answer: "Alcoholism."
     Of course no one actually speaks out about the government, because the secret police are still everywhere. But a joke gets a point across nearly as well. Here is one Sosin tells:
     "All the great Egyptologists of the world were gathered in Egypt where a great new tomb was found and opened. Inside was a mummy, and they were all trying to decide what pharaoh it might be. Several countries' experts tried modern techniques and failed in the identification. Finally the Russians sent in their experts. After three days they came out and stated, "It is Ramses the 14th."
     "How did you find out? everyone wanted to know.
     "He confessed of his own accord," they said.
    And, just as jokes are made of the political situation in the U.S., so are they made in Russia. For example:      "Mr Putin, I have some good news and some bad news for you," the party secretary announced.
     "Tell me the bad news first then."
     "The bad news is that the Chinese have landed on the moon."
     "Oh, no! What is the good news then?"
     "ALL of them have landed on the moon!"
     One of the newer riddle-jokes Sosn reported was this:
     "What is the Russian definition of a string trio?"
     Answer: "A quartet that has just returned from a tour of western Europe."
     Even the lack of Russian freedom itself can still be joked about. Example:
     A group of Russian students were discussing how different nationalities would behave in unusual situations, like two men and a woman being shipwrecked together on a desert island.
     "If they were Italian," one student stated, "they would be very emotional about it. The two men would have a duel and the survivor would live with the woman."
     ""How would the English handle it?" another student asked the knowledgeable one.
     "They would be very sporting about it. The men would draw straws and the loser would say, 'Good show, old sport!' and walk off into the ocean."
     "What would Americans do?" another asked.
     "Easy," the self-proclaimed expert replied. "The two men would form a corporation and exploit the woman's labor."
     "And how would we Russians handle it?"
     "The Russians would run around the island waiting for a phone call from the Kremlin to give them instructions."
     With that, Sosin raised his glass for a toast. "Let us drink," he said, "to the time the Russian people do not need to wait for that phone call!"