Discussion initiated here at GL’s
Well, in terms of Monty Python-esque samples, “Russians” and especially women are humorless. We can’t find anything worth a smile in a barely ever rhymed flat idea, especially if chewn so long. Odessites, who claim humor to be their “city trademark”, would call this childish effort “smearing white porridge over a clean table“, or “soldier joke” if it were shorter.
American humor (= piss & ass gags, or baboonery for recoil’s sake) is viewed in the Eastern Europe as the most disgraceful example of poor taste and weakness of mind.
I can’t say Russian humor lacks the topics “below the belt” (to the contrary!), but in the Russian culture even raunchiest jokes should boast the minimum requirements of what’s considered quality humor: sense-dense play of words or parallels, some paradoxical collision, and the unexpected resolution of the initial thought or situation, that give the piece the worth of an aphorism.
I can’t say there’s no flat Russian humour, but it seems to exist only for blowing off irritation. The lower quality of life, the more popular such shows are. Thinkers debunk them as a new leverage of the contemporary Russian state and society to prevent revolts.
Historically, Russian humor has been the national tool of survival in absurdity, a means of protest against repression and hardships. And decades of censorship by the political forces, who were imposing those absurdities and causing daily hardships (and could send you to prison camps for an awkward joke associated with Soviet life) have stimulated creativity as intensive as refined.
We love parody songs, too. But hey, may art be art! Recently, an ugly sex scandal with Russian “oligarch” Prokhorov at Courchevel was retold in verse impeccably mimicking old Russian romantic poets. And this is not elitist manner but an example of the common down-to-earth way to make people laugh: Skill, Style, Contrast.
A peculiar genre for Russian folks to laugh, while their aesthetes frown, is something like a fugue played masterly on spoons and pans, or a gangster song in opera arrangement and performance by a self-ironic, formerly swashing tenor. In the Kiev version of “Dancing with the Stars”, a folk-rock guy was beating better dancers with bringing Ukrainian folk knack to the ballroom, but due to his authenticity, good vibes, and variety of power tricks.
I can’t say “Russian women are opposed to salty / pepper jokes”; it takes a certain degree of familiarity to ever start telling them, trrremmmmendous reefiiiinement of recipe, and God forbid any degradation of a female character.
Let alone fu(n)king with religion. Wanna an example of elegant irony?
A Jew comes to the Rabbi for advice: his son is converted into Christianity. The Rabbi asks for a night to consult with God. Next morning he tells the desperate father:
“I’ve spoken with God… He has the same problem!”
Relax. We are no prudes nor literary critics. Here is a couple of jokes I could tell to my Mom (and she laughed like a girl).
American joke.
It’s about that famous optimizer of manufacturing & business processes (I forget his name). As if he got shipwrecked at the tropical island, and, as an alternative to being eaten by the savages, had to prove himself. The chief of the tribe gave him three minutes to tie his shoelaces, to have sex, and to write a will.
The guy sets the tropicaine into a position which allows her to help him with the laces, settles the paper upon her back, and here he is…
(Caution: the Canadian joke about an ideal wife – TV-stand-high, to leave hockey visible, with a square head, to keep the beer jug at – would help you find out if there is Lynch trial in the East.)
…The chief is impressed by such efficiency. The manager is not.
“If you gave me a saw, I could also fell you a palm tree!”
Russian joke.
Following the topic of tropical shipwrecks. Now the island is uninhabited, and cast ashore are Pamela Anderson and a Russian man.
The romantic setting works out, they have fantastic sex, but the man turns more and more depressed.
Pam doesn’t know what to do. Finally he tells her to put on his clothes. To put on his hat. Attaches mock moustache to her face. Seats her in front of him. Sits down, too, and says:
“Dude!!! Can you imagine! I’m here with Pamela Anderson!! And we’re raising SUCH a hell!!!”
Can you figure out the safety net? If you are a physiology fan, you probably need explanation…
These jokes are actually not so much about sex ;)
Have fun!
© Comrade Natalia
(…please link to this page when using some information from it! ;)
Related post: “Adapting your English to her Russian (or Ukrainian)“
May 11, 2007 at 1:15 am
Thank you big time, Natalia!
I’ll either have to read many Russian books or have a good memory in order to repeat the jokes told to me.
I know that already my accent seems to make people laugh the fastest. I don’t mind[doesn't bother me]. In fact, I can only imagine how funny I sound.
I could always sit at a table with a black suit and tie, with body guards at my left and right and read Putin’s state of the nation speeches. lol
May 11, 2007 at 10:42 am
Man, That’s Gonna Be Funny!! )
May 12, 2007 at 2:32 am
Thanks, Natalia. You just saved me from considerable future embarassment if I do go to Russia and/or the Ukraine.
At least we both agree that Sponge Bob and the Teletubbies are dumb.
July 26, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Please get some writing lessons, I do not understand a shit about
what you are trying to convey. Far too many smart assed metaphors. Although I am convinced you know what you are writing about!.
Nigel
August 4, 2007 at 7:17 pm
I will keep learning. How can I thank you, Nigel? If only with a reading lesson? See the title of the blog? Hope it would help understand a bit more than a shit.)
Natalia
Attention, Everyone!
Here is a MUST-READ collection of well-known Russian jokes: classified, explained, brilliantly translated.
And here would follow another handfull of blood-red flags on American ways to a Russian Woman’s heart…
August 5, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Natalia… Please allow me to thank you, on behalf of all the men who appreciate your very excellent effort in helping the men who need your precious help. You are typically wonderful. Your fine and elegant background shows itself clearly.
Nigel… Russian and English are two extremely different languages. It is not easy to move from one to the other.
Yes, it can be a little confusing. However, what is sometimes missed is that the “source” of this very valuable information is from within the Soviet culture.
“Far too many smart assed metaphors.” This is not a good way to respond to the effort and good-hearted nature of our host.
In my experience those who complain most loudly about misunderstanding of English; have the least amount of expertise within their own language.
Although there will continue to be Russian girls who will agree to come to the West, the trend is for men to move to them. And this means that we men must learn Russian. And if you tried to learn it; then you’d be giving Natalia compliments instead of extremely rude criticisms.
In either case, I can tell you that these girls are smart enough to know an intolerant person who has little control of his emotions when they encounter one.
You see, when you communicate in such a way, the very smart Russian girl can glean many aspects of a male’s character. She may ask herself many questions, such as, “If he is so intolerant about my English, then would he be very intolerant of what I am, a Russian girl whose background is so very different? Would he become so easily upset that he would beat me? Why is he seeking a Russian girl, if he doesn’t understand what is a Russian? Is he so arrogant to think that I spent my entire life dreaming about becoming a Westener? Why is he so ungrateful?”
Then, if you met online, the letters would suddenly stop without explanation. And if it’s in person, she would find an elegant way to remove you from her life.
Rexpat
August 10, 2007 at 10:40 pm
Thank you, dear Knight of the Round Table!
Actually, I was rather flattered about “smart-assed metaphors”. Writing for local business press and men’s glossy magazines for some past years, I received little editing. And smart-assed metaphors would be the exact description of their standard style. Only that business press requires shorter sentences and allows more legalese. ) I confess that, in my fascination with the sleek and multifaceted English words, I may forget that word orders may read in multiple ways more often than in Russian. And, of course, Web reading sets a higher tempo than my bookish expatiations here.
I think even hard-assed is funny (in the literal sense, even sexy)), and my commitment is to be sometimes bad-assed in the best interests of my fellow women. Someone has to, for them to relax in the company of better men.
You are totally right sending Nigel to school for tolerance and culture. I prepared this post to forewarn all Westerners against some serious blunders that even a fine man may run into:
Swear a Sure Way to Screw a Relationship with a Russian Woman