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CIA Declassified Coldwar Russian Jokes [pdf]

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Re: CIA Declassified Coldwar Russian Jokes [pdf]

#171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you've seen Russian wives you now this is not a joke (ducks).

Unless you refer to old(er) working class women with a hard life I don't see how any reasonable person can think that's even remotely a basis for a joke, given how much more beautiful Russian women look on average. Just walk around Russian cities. Having lived in the US for a decade and having been to Russia and Ukraine several times, sometimes for months living in a rented apartment, I know which country I'd choose…

Sounds like bias to me. We're genetically hard-wired to be attracted to those different to us.

For example, I don't think that (on average) the locals where I live are particularly beautiful in comparison to other countries, but a lot of foreigners seem to disagree with me.

Re: CIA Declassified Coldwar Russian Jokes [pdf]

#172
post #73

A bit different but here's my favorite European joke: An Italian politician invites his Greek politician friend over for a visit. The Greek pulls up in front of an elegant manor house and is welcomed by the staff. He walks in through a foyer with marble floors and a huge marble staircase with ornamental banisters and a crystal chandelier. They walk through to a lovely veranda overlooking the river, and sit down to ea…

A Brazillian similar joke.

Italy government was choosing who to build the bridge (maybe the one in the previous joke).

3 contractors made bids, a German, an US, and a Brazillian one.

The German bid that for 40 million he could make a near indestructible steel bridge with perfect tolerances.

The US company tried to do the opposite, they offered to make a cheap concrete bridge, with "just enough" within the requirements of the law, for 10 million.

The Brazillian then, offered to make the best concrete bridge ever, for 30 million, 10 for the US company, 10 for the Italian politician, and 10 for themselves, and as a bonus they would help the Italian politician to convince the population that the US-made bridge was better than the German one.

Re: CIA Declassified Coldwar Russian Jokes [pdf]

#173
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lived in Poland for a while. I've heard at least one of these from people who lived there before solidarity.

My parents always said that bad politics creates the best comedy. There's a lot of comedy shows filmed in socialist Poland and they're amazing. Both really clever and funny. Even though they had to be reviewed by censors first, the things that got through were still very much about politics. Some so pointed, I still don't know if the censors were too lazy to read the script, or ignored the rules...

As far as I understand anything could be had or done with the right quality and quantity of vodka slipped to somone as a "gift."

Re: CIA Declassified Coldwar Russian Jokes [pdf]

#175
post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Didn't work for me because in joke world it's perfectly ok for dogs to talk even without training. The joke needs to be improved to manage expectations more effectively. The violation of expectations is what makes most jokes funny, so expectations need to be set up carefully.

The default expectation is for dogs to not speak, also in "joke world".

See for example:

A man walks into a bar with a small dog under his arm and sits down at the counter, placing the dog on the stool next to him.

The bartender says, "Sorry, pal. No dogs allowed."

The man says, "But this is a special dog -- he talks!"

"Yeah, right," says the bartender. "Now get out of here before I throw you out."

"No, wait," says the man. "I'll prove it." He turns to the dog and asks, "What do you normally find on top of a house?"

"Roof!" says the dog, wagging his tail.

"Listen, pal..." says the bartender. "Wait," says the man, "I'll ask another question." He turns to the dog again and asks, "What's the opposite of soft?"

"Ruff!" exclaims the dog.

"Quit wasting my time and get out of here," says the bartender.

"One more chance," pleads the man. Turning to the dog again, he asks, "Who was the greatest baseball player that ever lived?"

"Ruth!" barked the dog.

"Okay, that's it!" says the bartender, and physically throws both man and dog out the door and onto the street.

Turning to the man, the dogs shrugs and says, "Maybe I should have said Joe Dimaggio?"

Re: CIA Declassified Coldwar Russian Jokes [pdf]

#176
post #97
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you seen the news coverage of the protests and rioting in the US? Every other has a sign that says, "Fuck Trump"

Sorry, I don't think there's any evidence of rioting in the US recently.

What about at Berkeley?

Re: CIA Declassified Coldwar Russian Jokes [pdf]

#178

Yes, the USSR was so secret, that it took decades for CIA to declassify its mortally dangerous jokes. However, the "war of jokes" was integral part of the Cold War and do not underestimate one. There is terrific Russian novel about this battle, it took off in the late 60-ies. Very important to know that a class of jokes about Russian Civil War heroes, Petyka and Vassily Ivanovich Chapaev was a viral campaign set off…

Yeah, USSR was so weak, so it was child play to kill it with just a joke.

You are missing the point. Most of "political jokes" were psychological vaccination, produced by KGB for a reason completely different from being a provocation.

Re: CIA Declassified Coldwar Russian Jokes [pdf]

#179

Three men in a platzkart train are telling political jokes on their way to Moscow. The fourth is coming in and he hisses "Oh my, do not tell those, you'll be taken". "Oh, come on, man, says one of the three". The alerting guy than goes to the stewardess and asks for four cups of tea delivered to that platzkart seats in exactly 4 minutes. Four minutes later he continues to hiss on his travel companions "Guys, if you w…

Group of CIA agents are thinking about how to invent a joke for Russian communists. With great struggle they invented a joke about butter. Now, to test their joke, they secretly landed near a city in Siberia and told their joke to a men. Men does not laugh. CIA asking — «Are you understanding the joke? — Yeah, I understand the joke, but what is „butter“?».

This is classy "foreign design", something to counter with a good internally produced one.

Re: CIA Declassified Coldwar Russian Jokes [pdf]

#180
post #97
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you seen the news coverage of the protests and rioting in the US? Every other has a sign that says, "Fuck Trump"

Sorry, I don't think there's any evidence of rioting in the US recently.

This is a classic example of how tyranny changes a nation's sense of humour. This joke could just as well have been made under Stalin.
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