In Soviet Russia, Trope Mocks You: Difference between revisions
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{{trope|wppage=Russian reversal}}
[[File:russianreversal.jpg|link=Tropes for Dummies|frame]]
{{quote|''"In America
''In Russia, [[Big Brother Is Watching|
|'''[[Yakov Smirnoff]]''', [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}AbP1DVeJCT0 Miller Lite commercial, 1985]}}
{{quote|[[Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue|Roses are red
Violets are blue,]]
In Soviet Russia
Poem writes you!
|'''Anonymous'''}}
In Soviet Russia, [[Describe Topic Here|topic describes YOU]]''!!''
A type of joke, commonly called a [[Russian Reversal]] (but technically called the [[transpositional pun]]), popularized by Ukranian comedian [[Yakov
{{quote|
In Soviet Russia, [[Sinister Surveillance|television watches YOU]]! }}
The joke originated on ''[[
{{quote|
Long after the fall of Soviet Russia, this joke underwent [[Memetic Mutation]]. The Internet being what it is, these jokes ignored any attempts to make it seem Orwellian in favour of non-sequiturs like "In Soviet Russia, motorcycle rides YOU!" or [[This Trope Name References Itself|the trope name]]. Now a [[Discredited Meme]] in some parts of the Net because of overuse.<ref>Although, in Soviet Russia, meme discredits YOU!</ref>
The source of many trope names, including [[Ass Kicks You]], [[Dog Walks You]], [[Bullet Dodges You]],<ref>which actually had "In Soviet Russia Bullet Dodges You" as a redirect for a while</ref>
See also [[Glorious Mother Russia]] for the [[Hollywood Atlas]] version of Soviet Russia that inspired the jokes.
=== In Soviet Russia, examples post YOU! ===▼
== [[Trope Namer]] ==
* The [[Trope Namer]] is, of course Yakov Smirnoff <ref>although in Soviet Russia the trope made him</ref> who made jokes about how the U.S.S.R. had a [[Big Brother Is Watching]] regime. It's also a case of [[Beam Me Up, Scotty]]; his most famous line was simply "In Russia...", not "In Soviet Russia..."
** Half of his jokes were this. The other half were jokes about ''being'' a [[Funny Foreigner]] (e.g he goes into a a restaurant and gets asked how many are in his party, whereupon he replies "100 million")
** He shifted his comedy after starting his theater in Branson back in 1992 (where he is still playing,) which means he quit using this joke long before it became an internet meme.
▲== Anime & Manga ==
* [[Recycled in Space|In Space]], [[Planetes|garbage disposes of YOU]]!
*
* In most ''[[Gundam]]'' series, Earth lords over the space colonies. In ''[[G Gundam]]'', the colonies lord over Earth.
* In Soviet [[Fullmetal Alchemist|Amestris]], arm loses you!
Line 41:
*** In Soviet Amestris, soul loses YOU!
** In Soviet Amestris, pride swallows you!
* In real life, you eat meat. In [[Bio
* [[Rozen Maiden|Rozen]]
* In [[Memetic Mutation|Soviet Japan]], [[Chobits
* In ''[[
* [[Solty Rei|In the city, the Matrix enters you!]]
*
* In America, [[Sarah Palin]] can see Russia from her house. In Soviet Russia, [[Axis Powers Hetalia|Ivan Braginski]] [http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/007/8/7/In_Soviet_Russia_Shirt_Wears_U_by_rogueymu.jpg can see Alaska from his house.]
** Note also that in Soviet [[Axis Powers Hetalia]], Russia is in YOU!
* [[Last Exile: Fam,
* In America, [[Yu-Gi-Oh!
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho5T1zYccU8 In Soviet Russia, the war begins you]``▼
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Pickton In Port Coquitlam, pork eats you!]▼
* Inverted with the text your question company in the United States, KGB. Thus, "in mother Russia the KGB ask you the questions, in the United States you ask the KGB the questions."▼
* In Soviet Russia [http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/File:MPost11503-sov-cthulhu.jpg you eat] [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|Cthulhu]] (text on a label: <ref> Innsmouthian Cthulhus, 400 roubles</ref>).▼
** On the other hand, in Soviet Kanto, [[Pokémon]] [http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/183621/Pokemon+catch+YOU/ catches YOU!!].▼
* [[Heads I Win, Tails You Lose|In ... everywhere, your ass is kicked by badass. In Soviet Russia, badass kicks the ass of YOU!!]]▼
* In Soviet Russia environment destroys YOU!▼
** Germany learned this the hard way (twice - apparently Hitler didn't take heed of what happened to the Teutonic knights). As did Napoleon beforehand.▼
** Charles XII of Sweden also fell for it about a century before Napoleon. They never learn...▼
*** And many, many miners.▼
**** Played straight in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_sea#Impact_on_environment.2C_economy_and_public_health the Aral Sea region.]▼
* In Soviet Russia, [[Iron Curtain|Curtain Irons]] you!▼
** In [[East Germany|Soviet Germany]], [[Berlin Wall|Berlin walls]] YOU!▼
* Subverted by writer Emil Vrabie: ''"Don't you know the difference between the two economic systems? Under capitalism man exploits man. But, under communism, it's just the other way around."''▼
== Comic Books ==
* [[Watchmen (
* [[Heads I Win, Tails You Lose|In America, you're scared of Batman]]. [[Superman: Red Son|In Soviet Russia]], [[Heads I Win, Tails You Lose|Batman scares you!]]
== Fan
* A piece of the ''[[Stargate]]''/''[[X-COM]]'' crossover ''[[XSGCOM|XSGCOM: Goa'uld Defense]]'':
{{quote|
'In Soviet Russia MALP watches you' Andianov declared as they headed up the ramp.
Teal'c couldn't understand why O'Neill, Major Carter and Daniel Jackson were in hysterics as they stepped through the gate. }}
* Another ''[[Stargate]]'' fanfiction spends several pages detailing the operation of a Soviet-run SGC, all to set up the punchline when a KGB major mocks a captured goa'uld: "In Soviet Russia, Gods bow to you!".
* From "It's a small world after all" the characters get kidnapped by fangirls. [[Axis Powers Hetalia|Russia]] responds "In Russia, fangirls don't kidnap chibis, chibis kidnap them, da?"
== Film ==
* One of the first examples, and a contemporary with Yakov Smirnoff's standup comedy, comes from the movie ''[[
{{quote|
* In ''[[Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back]]'', Jay imagines a ''[[Planet of the
* ''[[Teeth]]'' In Soviet Russia, Pussy eats you!
* In [[Van Helsing]] Igor says this, when the the hot female ally and the Q of the hero try to force Igor into givinjg them the Werewolf antidote:
{{quote|
* [
** This is a glorious example from the 2004 ''Punisher'' movie. There's a scene in which a massive hitman known only as the Russian shows up at the Punisher's apartment and proceeds to kick his ass. Like the comic series from which it was adapted (Welcome Back, Frank), the Russian (played by pro wrestler Kevin Nash) is wearing a very distinctive horizontally striped red and white shirt. This prompted fans into proclaiming "In Soviet Russia, [[Where's Waldo|Waldo]] finds you!"
* [[The Big Lebowski|"Sometimes you eat the bar and sometimes the bar, well, eats you."]]
* In Soviet Russia, [[Rocky IV|I must break you!]]
* [[Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue|Blood is red,
* The 4th theme of the ''Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol'''s soundtrack is named "In Russia, phone dials you".
* In ''[[
{{quote|
* [[Horror Films|Horror satire]] ''The Stuff'' concerns a yogurt-like, addictive food that turns out to be a parasite. It eventually makes those who eat too much of it into zombies. One of the last lines is an investigator asking pointedly, "Are ''you'' eating ''it''...or is '''''it''''' eating '''''YOU'''''?"
== Literature ==
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** That's weird, because NO ONE WATCHES BIG BROTHER!
** Even in [[Real Life]], [[Paranoia Fuel|Big Brother Is Watching You]].
* A popular phrase from the ''[[Havemercy]]'' fandom: "In Soviet Volstov, Dragon ride you!" This is because Volstov is generally accepted as a fantasy parallel to Russia.
* From ''Ye Gods!'' by Tom Holt:
{{quote|
"Let me guess," he said, "this is a No Smoking carriage."
"On the contrary," Virgil replied. "Only here, the train smokes the people." }}
* [[Mad Magazine]] in an 1962 issue: "Russian politics can best be understood by comparing them with American politics. For instance, in America, politicians have to kiss babies, and if they don't, the mothers can take their offices away from them. In Russia, the system is somewhat different. To get food, mothers have to kiss politicians and if they don't, the politicians can take their babies away from them."
* Subverted in the philosophy book ''Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar'', when describing the difference between capitalism and communism.
{{quote|
** This is a pretty common joke in the old Eastern Bloc. I've most often heard it cited as an [[East Germany|East German]] "[[German Humour|Fritzchen]]" joke, although it's been told as a Russian/Soviet "Vovochka" joke, as well.
** Mike Myers parodies this on a behind-the-scenes feature on the DVD for The Cat In The Hat, combining it with a running joke. "Under capitalism, man exploits his fellow man. Under communism, it's the complete opposite. *pause* Because of the sand which is there."
* ''[[City of Thieves]]'' mentions this:
{{quote|We couldn't feed our pets, so our pets fed us.}}
* In ''[[Humanx Commonwealth|Mid-Flinx]]'', Teal warns Aimee about the flower in her hair: "You do not wear the cristif, the cristif wears you." Unfortunately for Aimee, Teal's not making a Yakov Smirnoff reference: {{spoiler|The "flower" is an invasive parasite, which sends its tendrils fatally bursting from Aimee's flesh seconds later.}}
* [[Roger Zelazny]]'s ''[[Anti-Villain|Jack]] [[Villain Protagonist|of Shadows]]'' turned the tables on a vampire when she was too weakened by hunger to bite him first. He later made "I drank the blood of a vampire" part of his [[Badass Boast]].
== Live-Action TV ==
* ''[[Mystery Science
** [[Hilarious in Hindsight]]: guess what movie the Gulag level in ''[[Modern Warfare]] 2'' [[Whole-Plot Reference|ripped off]].
* This is kind of the point of [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]. In other horror works the girl, or child, will look under the bed for monsters. Here...here the monster checks under the bed for [[Badass|Buffy]].
* [[Deadliest Catch
== Music ==
* [[Older Than Television]]: The [[Ur Example]] is a line in [[Cole Porter]]'s song "Anything Goes" (1934):
{{quote|
* [[Of Montreal]] has a song titled ''The Party's Crashing Us'' (Do they mean [[Dirty Communists|the]] party?)
* A line in the [[Muse (
* Lyric from "Boom" by [[P.O.D.]]: "'Cause if you know these streets, then these streets know you"
== Mythology ==
* In a strange sort of [[Fridge Brilliance]] / [[Hilarious in Hindsight]] example, the [[Amazon Brigade|Amazons]] from [[Classical Mythology]]. In the myths, they were just about the only civilization at the time where women oppressed men instead of the other way around. (And, as chance would have it, according to [[
== Recorded and Stand-up Comedy ==
▲* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho5T1zYccU8 In Soviet Russia, the war begins you]``
▲* Inverted with the text your question company in the United States, KGB. Thus, "in mother Russia the KGB ask you the questions, in the United States you ask the KGB the questions."
▲* In Soviet Russia [http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/File:MPost11503-sov-cthulhu.jpg you eat] [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|Cthulhu]] (text on a label:
▲** On the other hand, in Soviet Kanto, [[Pokémon]] [http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/183621/Pokemon+catch+YOU/ catches YOU!!].
▲* [[Heads I Win, Tails You Lose|In ... everywhere, your ass is kicked by badass. In Soviet Russia, badass kicks the ass of YOU!!]]
▲* In Soviet Russia environment destroys YOU!
▲** Germany learned this the hard way (twice - apparently Hitler didn't take heed of what happened to the Teutonic knights). As did Napoleon beforehand.
▲** Charles XII of Sweden also fell for it about a century before Napoleon. They never learn...
▲*** And many, many miners.
▲**** Played straight in [
▲* In Soviet Russia, [[Iron Curtain|Curtain Irons]] you!
▲** In [[East Germany|Soviet Germany]], [[Berlin Wall|Berlin walls]] YOU!
▲* Subverted by writer Emil Vrabie: ''"Don't you know the difference between the two economic systems? Under capitalism man exploits man. But, under communism, it's just the other way around."''
== Tabletop Games ==
* In ''[[Exalted]]'', Autochthonian civilization has a decidedly communist aesthetic, and is unique in that the Alchemical Exalted are not the rulers of the civilization, but heroes in service to it. Thus, [[Memetic Mutation|in Soviet Autochthonia, Exalted serve YOU!!]]
* In ''[[Rifts]]'', the standard cyborg presented in the main book is pretty underwhelming. However, in the Russia splatbook, there are numerous cyborg variants that can be some of the more powerful options. Thus in America, you defeat cyborgs; in Soviet Russia, cyborg defeats you!
* One collection of epic monsters for ''[[Dungeons
== Theatre ==
* In the musical ''Leave It to Me!'' ([[Older Than They Think|1938]]), set largely in Soviet Russia, journalist Buck Thomas is handed a telegram by a messenger. He reaches in his pocket for a tip, but the messenger tells him:
{{quote|
'''Thomas''': Propaganda.
'''Graustein''': Correct. }}
* ''[[Anything Goes]]'', the title song:
{{quote|
''And we've often rewound the clock
''Since the Puritans got a shock
''When they landed on Plymouth Rock.
''If today any shock they should try to stem
''{{'}}Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock
''Plymouth Rock would land on them. }}
* In "Monica" from ''[[I Love My Wife]]'', the effects the eponymous girl has on people include "Men go ape/Apes go man."
== Video Games ==
* In [[Final Fantasy XI]] there was the Republic of Bastok, the only one of the three starting nations that was not a Monarchy, jokes soon followed.
** In Soviet Bastok, party looks for you!
* ''[[
{{quote|
'''Ghost 2:''' You don't fuck Fontaine. Fontaine fucks you! }}
* In ''[[Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth]]'', this is one of several memes spouted by [[Otaku|Sal Manella]] curing his brief cameo in case 2.
{{quote|
* In [[
* From ''[[
{{quote|
* A certain mod of ''[[
** Robotnik monitors break Sonic too!
* In ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', when you attack a monster named Lurk, he says "In Nagrand, food hunt ogre!"
==
* ''[[Gorgeous Princess Creamy Beamy]]'': "In Russian East Stereotypia, prostitute pays YOU! ... Why did I ever leave Russian East Stereotypia?"
* In nearly all [[Hentai]] featuring [[Naughty Tentacles]], tentacle monsters rape schoolgirls. In [[Questionable Content|Pintsize]]'s [[Doujinshi]], [http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1524 it's the schoolgirls raping the tentacle monsters] (see the similar example under "Web Original").
* When [[
* ''[[
▲* When [[Mulberry (Webcomic)|Mulberry]] and her friends visit Russia in one comic, Jack claims to have trouble believing they're really there, since "the movies aren't watching people, the hamburgers aren't eating people, [and] the pants aren't wearing people". Mulberry explains that things have changed since the Soviets lost power. {{spoiler|However, [[Brick Joke|a later panel shows an anthropomorphic burger threatening to eat a Russian.]]}}
* ''[[
▲* ''[[Dead Winter (Webcomic)|Dead Winter]]'' has it's resident Badass Russian say a version of [http://deadwinter.cc/page/338.htm this.]
▲* ''[[Schlock Mercenary (Webcomic)|Schlock Mercenary]]'' had the eponymous amorph remind local frat boys that "[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2003-04-07 Sometimes you have fun, and sometimes the fun has you.]"
== Web Original ==
* Despair.inc advertised a t-shirt which mocked the bail-out General Motors received with the text: 'In Soviet America, the car drives you... bankrupt'
* ''[[Rock Paper Cynic]]'' gave us ''In Capitalist America, Hope Loses You''. [[Running Joke|Next]] ''In Capitalist America, Money Makes You''. [[Up to Eleven|Next they]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20140723215147/http://www.rockpapercynic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=664 made a contest about it!]
** [http://www.rockpapercynic.com/index.php?date=2010-05-24 One of the contest winners.]
* [http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/107744 Roses are red, violets are blue...]
** ...
* During [[
* Invoked in the ''[[
* "[[The Nostalgia Chick
* In the second season of ''Game Dogs'' they're called "game makes you" when they meet the new Russian owners.
* [http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=§ion=&global=1&q=In+Soviet+Russia#/d27uwij Courtesy of DeviantArt]: In Soviet Russia, [[Black Comedy Rape|Tentacle Monster gets raped...by you]].
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** In Soviet [[Final Fantasy X|Spira, ze shoopuf]] [[Squick|rides you]].
* [http://www.xkcdb.com/?5293 The best] (so far) Yakov Smirnoff [[Russian Humour|metajoke]].
* From ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!:
* ''Twice'' in [[SF Debris]]'s review of the [[Star Trek:
{{quote|
''Well, looks like they're screwed; unable to muck with the tractor beam that can only pull things...it looks like that ship seeking boulder is going to take out the ''Enterprise'' and ''Tsiolkovsky'', which won't make them happy back in Soviet Russia. Wait, that's it! In Soviet Russia, tractor beam will PUSH!'' }}
* Weebl's [[Glorious Mother Russia|"Russian Dancing Men"]] has an image of a Whac-a-Mole machine with the caption, "Do not whack Russian, Russian whaks [sic] you."
* [[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Special Edition|IN SOVIET RUSSIA MICHELLE GOROBOCHOP]]
* [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Deletionist_Wikipedians In Soviet Wikipedia, bad article delete YOU!]
== Western Animation ==
* An episode of ''[[Family Guy]]'' involved a car with a GPS system, and one of its voice settings was "Yakov Smirnoff".
{{quote|
* In one episode of ''[[Futurama]]'', Zoidberg's brief career as a stand-up comedian consisted solely of this type of joke.
{{quote|
''([[Chirping Crickets|glass clinking]])'' }}
{{quote|
'''Leela:''' No he didn't. }}
{{quote|
'''Fry and Leela:''' SHUT! UP! }}
* There was ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode with a revue of stars of [[The Eighties]]. There is the line "So sit back, relax, and watch our revue," and Yakov slides in and says, "In Soviet Union, revue watches you!" This probably had a hand in revitalizing the meme for the Internet crowd.
Line 226 ⟶ 216:
* The ''[[King of the Hill]]'' episode guest starring Smirnoff has him buying one of these jokes from Bobby, despite the comedian's protestations that he has abandoned this type of material in favor of relationship humor.
** But give Bobby credit, at least he plays with the trope. "In America, you put 'In God We Trust' on the money. In Russia, we ''have'' no money!"
*** And Yakov pays Bobby for the joke and says "keep them coming."
* In ''[[Transformers Generation 1
* From an episode of ''[[Rick and Morty]]'': In order to escape the Council of Ricks, the duo enters a dimension populated by Pizza-People who eat humans, evidenced by the fact that two of them are ordering one for delivery on the phone. Then they switch to another dimension populated by Phone-People who use pizza as chairs and eat chairs, ordering one on a human-shaped phone. Finally, they find refuge in a dimension full of chair-people who use humans as chairs, and eat phones, ordering one on a pizza-shaped phone. Fortunately, they're non-hostile, despite being a little curious. The duo is later able to throw the pursuers off again by using two of the people-chairs that look like them as decoys.
== Other ==
* [http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/unisex/sciencemath/de50/ This t-shirt.] In Soviet Russia, zero divides by you! [http://www.deviantart.com/?order=9&q=soviet+russia+zero#/dsxy60 But it's bad for your health.]
* [
* [http://rainbowjerk.deviantart.com/art/In-Soviet-Russia-48462156?offset=0 In America, You Break Law. In Soviet Russia, Law Breaks You!]
* [[World War Two|"In Soviet Russia, Russia invades GERMANY!"]]
* The [[Dirty Communists|Party is red]],
* [http://www.motifake.com/in-soviet-russia-soviet-russia-sins-sin-commit-tattoo-prison-demotivational-posters-72384.html In Soviet Russia, sin commits YOU!!]
* In Soviet Russia, [[Josef Stalin|president]] [[The Purge|assassinates]] YOU!!
** In [[The New Russia|Former Soviet Russia]], [[Vladimir Putin|president still assassinates]] [
* [http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu330/cthulhu19887/82916b56.jpg In Soviet Russia, english learns YOU!!]
* In America, you consume vodka. In [[Soviet Russia]], [[The Alcoholic|vodka consumes YOU]]!
Line 244 ⟶ 234:
* In Soviet Russia, [[Masochist's Meal|pepper eats you!]]
* In Soviet Russia, [[Yuri Gagarin|rocket launches you!]]
* In Soviet Russia, [[Human Cannonball|cannon]] [[Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3|fires you!]]
* A [[Star Trek|Ferengi]] Rule (Probably Nr. 190) which is equally true in [[Real Life]]: Drive your business or it will drive you.
* Inverted example: in Soviet Russia, [[Axis Powers Hetalia|you break Busby's Chair]]; in England, Busby's Chair breaks you!
* Another inversion: In Soviet Russia, [[Josef Stalin|leader]] [[The Purge|purges military brass]]; in America, [[Government Conspiracy|military brass purges]] [[John F. Kennedy|leader]].
* [[Darker and Edgier|Darker and Edgier:]] In Soviet Russia,
*
** ...which could be played the other way around: "In Soviet gulag, you trap and eat mice to survive. In American Disney theme park, Mouse Trap YOU!"
* When Tropes Collide: In Soviet Russia, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHtE3nuxlY8 shark jumps you]!
* In Soviet Russia, STF U!
Line 256 ⟶ 247:
* In America, [[NASA]] fires rockets. In Soviet Russia, [http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/11/27/russian-president-threatens-to-punish-officials-for-space-failures/?test=latestnews#comment rocket fires you!]
* [[Older Than They Think]] non-comedic example:
{{quote|
* In America, you can travel river by boat. In Russia, [[wikipedia:Barge Haulers on the Volga|boat can travel river by YOU
----
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Memetic Mutation]]
[[Category:Cold War]]
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[[Category:Trope Names From Memes]]
[[Category:Older Than Television]]
[[Category:Self
|