A little known fact about Stalin is that he started out as a “shutnik” , a kind of comedian. In Siberia there is a tradition of shutniks going from town to town and performing during festivities, relating stories and performing pranks. It is believed that the shutnik is derived originally from the shaman traditions of Siberia.
Under the new glasnost regime in Russia, it is now possible to access some of his favourite jokes, which he collected throughout his life. It is important to note that these jokes were never treated lightly by his audience, and it was not uncommon for a political officer to offer an appropriate commentary to illustrate the high moral point of the joke.
We are pleased to introduce a selection of some of Stalin’s favourite jokes, with a brief commentary by Chomráid Smirnoff-Boland, our ethnic officer.
Joke No 1
A wife says to her husband : “Go to the shops and get some meat”. Even though it is winter, the man obeys and walks to the butchers. He joins the queue and waits for over eight hours. Eventually, the butcher comes out and says to the queue “ Go home. WE have run out of meat. There is no meat left !”. The man becomes angry and starts to shout “ How dare you treat me this way ! I am a veteran of the 1917 revolution and have been a socialist all my life. You cannot treat me this way !” A man in hat and long coat approached him and led him to one side. This man said : “ Comrade, you must be careful with your talk like that. Things are not so bad now. If you had spoken like that in the old days you know what would have happened.” He pointed his forefinger to his forehead, and pulled an imaginary trigger.
The man went home to his wife and said “ Things are really really bad!”
She asked “ Do you mean they have run out of meat ?”
“It’s worse than that”, he said. “ They’ve run out of bullets! “
Commentary :
In this joke Comrade Stalin makes the point that while revolutionaries march on their stomachs, in is only through the bullet that peace can be maintained.
Under the new glasnost regime in Russia, it is now possible to access some of his favourite jokes, which he collected throughout his life. It is important to note that these jokes were never treated lightly by his audience, and it was not uncommon for a political officer to offer an appropriate commentary to illustrate the high moral point of the joke.
We are pleased to introduce a selection of some of Stalin’s favourite jokes, with a brief commentary by Chomráid Smirnoff-Boland, our ethnic officer.
Joke No 1
A wife says to her husband : “Go to the shops and get some meat”. Even though it is winter, the man obeys and walks to the butchers. He joins the queue and waits for over eight hours. Eventually, the butcher comes out and says to the queue “ Go home. WE have run out of meat. There is no meat left !”. The man becomes angry and starts to shout “ How dare you treat me this way ! I am a veteran of the 1917 revolution and have been a socialist all my life. You cannot treat me this way !” A man in hat and long coat approached him and led him to one side. This man said : “ Comrade, you must be careful with your talk like that. Things are not so bad now. If you had spoken like that in the old days you know what would have happened.” He pointed his forefinger to his forehead, and pulled an imaginary trigger.
The man went home to his wife and said “ Things are really really bad!”
She asked “ Do you mean they have run out of meat ?”
“It’s worse than that”, he said. “ They’ve run out of bullets! “
Commentary :
In this joke Comrade Stalin makes the point that while revolutionaries march on their stomachs, in is only through the bullet that peace can be maintained.
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