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Russian Discussion Board Conversations
The September 11 Digital Archive gathers and presents these items for the purposes of preserving the historical record only. Accordingly, these digital creations do not reflect the opinions and views of The September 11 Digital Archive or its staff.
The Soviet Union provided a striking example of how humor becomes a vehicle for popular political expression in societies where free speech is threatened or suppressed. As freedom of speech has increased in the post-Soviet era, Russian humor may have lost some of its political bite, but jokes can still convey and arouse political passions. One need look no further for proof than the reaction to the September 11 terrorist attacks as reflected in the jokes and discussion on www.anekdot.ru, Russia's most popular internet humor site. Anekdot.ru acted as a barometer of Russian reactions to 9/11, publishing without censorship jokes and commentary in a special thematic section. The jokes were not long in coming. The site's creator, Dmitrii Verner, said in a September 17 interview, "Not a single event since the site was created generated such a response." The jokes reflect both the resentment that has resulted from Russia's reduced status in the post-Cold War world and the anti-Americanism it has fueled. A recurring theme is a desire to "get back" at America: Putin calls President Bush to express his sympathy and solidarity in connection with the terrible tragedy that has befallen America; Bush is surprised, asking "What tragedy?" Putin, abashed, says he'll call back in 15 minutes. (Putin was, in fact, the first world leader to call with condolences.) Many of the jokes reference Brat-2, a stridently nationalistic action film that topped Russian box office returns in 2000. In the film, an American businessman who is exploiting a Russian hockey-player gets his comeuppance at the hands of a Russian hit-man, who lays waste to large sections of Chicago in the process. In the jokes, the makers of Brat-2 apologize to Americans for any inconveniences they may have experienced during the shooting of Brat-3 on location in New York. The free-wheeling, obscenity-laced discussion centers on two main themes: whether America "had it coming," and the debate between those who now live in America and those who stayed in Russia over life in America versus life in Russia. Exchanges are heated on both counts and negative views of America predominate. Asked in an interview whether the raucous tone surprised him, the site's creator replied, "I expected this level of anti-Americanism. If five years ago virtually any unmoderated discussion in the Russian internet boiled down to the fact that it's all the Jews' fault, over the last year or two it's all the Americans' fault."
Discussions: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Jokes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Interviews: Dmitrii Verner, September 17, 2001
Surveys: Survey
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