In Soviet Russia, Trope Mocks You: Difference between revisions

[[File:russianreversal.jpg|link=Tropes for Dummies|frame]]

 

 

 

In Soviet Russia, [[Describe Topic Here|topic describes YOU]]''!!''

 

In Soviet Russia, [[Sinister Surveillance|television watches YOU]]! }}

 

 

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>

 

 

See also [[Glorious Mother Russia]] for the [[Hollywood Atlas]] version of Soviet Russia that inspired the jokes.

 

== [[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")

 

* [[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!

*** In Soviet Amestris, soul loses YOU!

** In Soviet Amestris, pride swallows you!

* In [[Memetic Mutation|Soviet Japan]], [[Chobits|persocom]] [[Grail in the Garbage|finds YOU]]!

* In ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'', {{spoiler|cake eats ''you!''}}

* [[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!

 

== Comic Books ==

* [[Watchmen (comics)|"I'm not locked up in here with you...you're locked up in here with ME!"]]

 

 

* A piece of the ''[[Stargate]]''/''[[X-COM]]'' crossover ''[[XSGCOM|XSGCOM: Goa'uld Defense]]'':

Teal'c couldn't understand why O'Neill, Major Carter and Daniel Jackson were in hysterics as they stepped through the gate. }}

* 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 ''[[Spaceballs]]'', when the henchman of galactic gangster "Pizza the Hut" warns Lone Starr...

* ''[[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:

** 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!]]

* The 4th theme of the ''Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol'''s soundtrack is named "In Russia, phone dials you".

 

== Literature ==

** That's weird, because NO ONE WATCHES BIG BROTHER!

** Even in [[Real Life]], [[Paranoia Fuel|Big Brother Is Watching You]].

* From ''Ye Gods!'' by Tom Holt:

"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.

** 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."

{{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.}}

 

== Live-Action TV ==

 

== Music ==

* [[Older Than Television]]: The [[Ur Example]] is a line in [[Cole Porter]]'s song "Anything Goes" (1934):

* [[Of Montreal]] has a song titled ''The Party's Crashing Us'' (Do they mean [[Dirty Communists|the]] party?)

* A line in the [[Muse (band)|Muse]] song "Knights of Cydonia" goes, "Don't waste your time or time will waste 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 [[The Histories|Herodotus]] they inhabited parts of what is now Ukraine and Russia.)

 

 

== 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!

 

== 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:

'''Graustein''': Correct. }}

* ''[[Anything Goes]]'', the title song:

* In "Monica" from ''[[I Love My Wife]]'', the effects the eponymous girl has on people include "Men go ape/Apes go man."

 

* 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!

'''Ghost 2:''' You don't fuck Fontaine. Fontaine fucks you! }}

* In [[Guilty Gear]], Hair cuts YOU! (bonus points- the character whose hair cuts you is russian)

* From ''[[Touhou]] Imperishable Night'':

* A certain mod of ''[[Sonic Robo Blast 2]]'' contains an extra difficulty known as "Soviet Russia Mode". You know how Sonic breaks monitors by jumping on them? Well, in Soviet Russia, [[Poison Mushroom|monitors break Sonic!]]

** Robotnik monitors break Sonic too!

 

* 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 [[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]]'' has it's resident Badass Russian say a version of [http://deadwinter.cc/page/338.htm this.]

* ''[[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'

** [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...]

* "[[The Nostalgia Chick|In Soviet Russia, Chick remembers you!]]". C'mon, she was reviewing ''[[Anastasia]]'', she had to.

* In the second season of ''Game Dogs'' they're called "game makes you" when they meet the new Russian owners.

** 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]].

* ''Twice'' in [[SF Debris]]'s review of the [[Star Trek: The Next Generation|ST:TNG]] episode "The Naked Now", referring to the Soviet-built ship ''Tsiolkovsky''

''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".

* In one episode of ''[[Futurama]]'', Zoidberg's brief career as a stand-up comedian consisted solely of this type of joke.

''([[Chirping Crickets|glass clinking]])'' }}

'''Leela:''' No he didn't. }}

'''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.

* 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!"

 

== 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!"]]

* [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 Soviet Russia, [[Masochist's Meal|pepper eats you!]]

* In Soviet Russia, [[Yuri Gagarin|rocket launches 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!

* [[Darker and Edgier|Darker and Edgier:]] In Soviet Russia, [http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:EDi_eQzfjQcJ:www.top-monitor.com/forum/index.php%3Faction%3Dprintpage%3Btopic%3D48113.0+www.the-mainboard.com/forum/index.php%3Faction%3Dprintpage%3Btopic%3D84149.0&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=de&client=ubuntu&source=www.google.de baggage claims you].

* When Tropes Collide: In Soviet Russia, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHtE3nuxlY8 shark jumps you]!

* In Soviet Russia, STF U!

* 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:

 

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{{reflist}}

[[Category:Memetic Mutation]]

[[Category:Cold War]]

[[Category:Trope Names From Memes]]

[[Category:Older Than Television]]