Irish Joke 4 – Ghost

1) 

“On St. Patrick’s Day, what does a ghost drink?”

“Boos!” 

2) My Irish grandmother first heard this riddle during college in 1967 when drinking at a pub the night of St. Patrick’s Day. She shared this with me because she said the camaraderie she felt that day was unlike anything she’d ever experienced and that she wanted to share this memory with me. 

3) This riddle was shared with me by my grandmother, amongst a set of 3 other riddles, over a zoom call that I had with her. 

4) Based on the riddle, one can clearly see that there is a celebratory nature tied to alcohol consumption in Ireland. There are practices such as “wetting the baby’s head,” which embodies a joyful drinking celebration when a baby is born to spontaneous meetups at a local pub. Although Ireland has a complex relationship with alcohol – indicated by rates of alcohol abuse, it is undeniable that alcohol has an almost communal, even spiritual effect that enhances kinship to great lengths. This riddle’s association of alcohol with ghosts shows that alcohol is almost tied to a deeper cultural and superstitious framework. 

Russian Joke 1 – Strings

1) “What’s the definition of a Russian string quartet? A Soviet orchestra back from a US tour.”

2) My Russian friend from high school told me this joke when I was at his house a couple weeks ago. He told me he chose this joke because as an international student he feels more critical of Russia than many of his peers and he wanted to express that through humor. 

3) This joke was told to me in a set of four while my Russian friend and I were playing video games at his house. 

4) This joke has satirical elements that highlight Cold War tensions between the US and USSR during the late 20th century. Both the USSR and US used musical artists as a form of propaganda and chose to facilitate performances which they believed to fit their countries ideological agendas. The idea of a “tour” fits this concept perfectly – the dissemination of thought. 

Russian Joke 2 – Tie

1) “Two Russians meet in Moscow at night… one says, ‘Hey look at this tie I bought last week for $200!’ The other man responded, ‘You’re an idiot. You could have bought that tie yesterday for $500’”

2) My Russian friend told me this joke because he explained to me that he is very passionate about Russia’s economy, and that the reference to inflation in this ties into some of the issues that he wants to contribute to solving through Russian politics.

3) This joke was told to me in a set of four while my Russian friend and I were playing video games. 

4) This joke is essentially implying that at a point, inflation in Russia was so severe that $500 became worth less than $200 within the span of a few days. This ties into Russia’s economic conditions. After the days of collectivization and transition through the Cold War era now to the regime of Putin, Russia has struggled with economic identity. The link between communism, desires for small market openings, massive bribes and corruption have created an economic condition where trust between individuals is diminished, and when trust is diminished, so is currency. 

Russian Joke 3 – List

1) “Do you know Putin’s plan for Russia’s new economy? It’s to make people rich and happy. The list of people is attached!” 

2) My Russian friend told me this joke because he said he really wants Putin out of office, although he doesn’t see that happening until he dies. He used this joke as an opportunity to critique Russia’s president. 

3) This joke was told to me in a set of four while my Russian friend and I were playing video games. 

4) This joke seems to be getting at the idea that Putin, and Russian big government as a whole, largely tends to the interests of those within an elite network, as opposed to the Russian people as a whole. Wealth is highly centralized amongst government officials, and the prevalence of bribery allows for blackmarkets to facilitate without crackdown (bribery likely circles back to the Russian government). 

Russian Joke 4 – rabbits and camels

1) “So there are two rabbits on a road during Stalin’s 1937 Purge… the first rabbit asks the second, ‘why are you in such a hurry?’ The second responds, ‘you haven’t heard? There’s a rumor circulating… apparently all camels are to be castrated.’ The first replies, ‘But you’re not a camel.’ So the second explains, ‘After they catch you and castrate you, try proving you’re not a camel.’

2) My Russian friend told me this joke because he wanted to make a point. He believes that socialism or communism have potential under the right leaders and environment, but he believes Stalin’s method was utterly immoral and a failure. He told me that he shared this joke because he believes critique is prior to proper reformation in society. 

3) This joke was told to me in a set of four while my Russian friend and I were playing video games. 

4) This joke is referencing Stalin’s Great Purge in 1937. This event was the culmination of Stalin’s reign in which he had various political and military figures executed or removed from the USSR, as well as Russia’s intelligentsia, and ultimately conducted a witch hunt in which people who displayed any marginal signs of anti-soviet sentiments would be imprisoned or executed without fair due process. The Great Purge is estimated to have led to nearly 700,000 deaths.