In Soviet Russia, Trope Mocks You: Difference between revisions

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

 

''In Russia, [[Big Brother Is Watching|the Party]] always finds YOU!!''|[[Yakov Smirnoff]]<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbP1DVeJCT0 Miller Lite Commercial, 1985]</ref>}}

 

 

A type of joke, commonly called a Russian Reversal (but technically called the transpositional pun), popularized by Ukranian comedian Yakov Smirnof. It is based on taking a statement about capitalist America and inverting it to describe the then-Communist Russia as an [[Nineteen Eighty-Four (Literature)|Orwellian]] hellhole. Smirnoff later added the prefix Soviet, to indicate the jokes were meant to target the past regime, as opposed to [[The New Russia]]. For instance:

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

 

The joke originated on ''[[Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In]]'', where [[Arte Johnson]]'s ambiguously [[Eastern European]] character Rosmenko simply refers to "Old Country."

 

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>

== Fan Fiction ==

* 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. }}

* 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!".

== 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...

* In ''[[Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back]]'', Jay imagines a ''[[Planet of the Apes]]''-style dystopian world where "[[A Date with Rosie Palms|we will not spank the monkey]]; the monkey will spank us!"

* ''[[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:

* [[http://s660.photobucket.com/albums/uu330/cthulhu19887/movie%20and%20tv/?action=view¤t=a0db1579.jpg In Mother Russia, Waldo finds ''you''!]

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

* In ''[[Tropic Thunder]]'', though not Soviet :

 

 

* 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:

"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."

== 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".

== 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:

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."

** In Soviet Bastok, party looks for you!

* ''[[Bioshock]]'' has this trope between two ghosts the player encounters:

'''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.

* 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!

* From [[Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series]] episode 52: In Soviet Cyber World [[Screw the Rules, I Have Money|rules screw you.]]

* ''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."

== 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]])'' }}

** From the episode "Crimes Of The Hot":

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

*** Yet another Futurama example: In a comic I can't remember the name of right now, an entire race of aliens speak like this.

'''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.

* 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:

* In America, you can travel river by boat. In Russia, boat can travel river by YOU! [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burlak\]