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.