Radio Yerevan
Encyclopedia
Radio Yerevan
, or Armenia
n Radio joke
s have been very popular in the Soviet Union
and in other Communist countries of the ex-Eastern bloc
since the second half of the 20th century.
These jokes of Q&A type are allegedly from the Question & Answer series of the Armenian Radio. A typical format of a joke was:
Once established, this "headline" became a standard format of many Q&A jokes, and it is often difficult to recognize what was the original format of the joke. A further problem, or asset, with these jokes is that as many were passed from ear to mouth, they changed accordingly over time. Often the first step was affirming with "In principle yes" and then adding an explanation after the famous "but".
Examples of different structured Radio Yerevan
jokes:
Outside the Soviet Union, mostly jokes of the political kind were known. Within the Soviet Union, the range of jokes covered all standard matters subject to humorous interpretation: mothers-in-law
, sex
, national stereotypes, etc.
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
, or Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n Radio joke
Joke
A joke is a phrase or a paragraph with a humorous twist. It can be in many different forms, such as a question or short story. To achieve this end, jokes may employ irony, sarcasm, word play and other devices...
s have been very popular in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and in other Communist countries of the ex-Eastern bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
since the second half of the 20th century.
These jokes of Q&A type are allegedly from the Question & Answer series of the Armenian Radio. A typical format of a joke was:
- The Armenian Radio was asked: "<...>"
- The Armenian Radio answers: "<...>".
Once established, this "headline" became a standard format of many Q&A jokes, and it is often difficult to recognize what was the original format of the joke. A further problem, or asset, with these jokes is that as many were passed from ear to mouth, they changed accordingly over time. Often the first step was affirming with "In principle yes" and then adding an explanation after the famous "but".
Examples of different structured Radio Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
jokes:
- no but (living standards)
- The Armenian Radio was asked: "Is it possible to enjoy life to the fullest in the Soviet Union?"
- The Armenian Radio answers: "Yes, if you like crowded trains."
- with the famous but (sex)
- The Armenian Radio was asked: "Is it good to sleep with an open window?"
- The Armenian Radio answers: "Yes, but with a woman it is better."
- typical formulation (censorship)
- The Armenian Radio was asked: "Is it true that in Moscow, Mercedes carsMercedes (car)Mercedes was a brand of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft . DMG which began to develop in 1900, after the death of its co-founder, Gottlieb Daimler...
are being given to citizens?" - The Armenian Radio answers: "Yes, but it is not Moscow but Leningrad, not Mercedes but LadaLadaLada is a trademark of AvtoVAZ, a Russian car manufacturer in Tolyatti, Samara Oblast. All AvtoVAZ vehicles are currently sold under the Lada brand, though this was not always so; Lada was originally AvtoVAZ's export brand for models it sold under the Zhiguli name in the domestic Soviet market...
s, and not given to but stolen from."
- The Armenian Radio was asked: "Is it true that comrade cosmonaut Yuri GagarinYuri GagarinYuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
's car was stolen in Moscow during the celebrations?" - The Armenian Radio answers: "In principle yes, but it was not in Moscow, rather in Kiev, and it was not his car, but his bike and it was not comrade cosmonaut Yuri GagarinYuri GagarinYuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
, but comrade highschool teacher Gagarin and his first name was not Yuri, but Leonid..."- political jokes
- The Armenian Radio was asked: "Has poet MayakovskyVladimir MayakovskyVladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky was a Russian and Soviet poet and playwright, among the foremost representatives of early-20th century Russian Futurism.- Early life :...
committed suicideSuicideSuicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
?" - The Armenian Radio answers: "We don't know, but his last words were Don't shoot, comrades!".
Outside the Soviet Union, mostly jokes of the political kind were known. Within the Soviet Union, the range of jokes covered all standard matters subject to humorous interpretation: mothers-in-law
Mother-in-law joke
Humour and jokes about one's mother-in-law are a mainstay of comedy. The humour is based on the premise that the average mother-in-law often considers her son-in-law to be unsuitable for her daughter , and usually includes the stereotype that mothers-in-law are generally overbearing, obnoxious, or...
, sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
, national stereotypes, etc.
- Q: Is it true that in RomaniaRomanian humourRomanian humour, like all of Romanian culture, has many affinities with five other groups: the Latins , the Balkan people , the Germanic peoples and the Hungarians.-Characters:...
... - A: (barging in) Yes, it is.
- Q: Why do we need two central newspapers, Pravda (Truth) and Izvestiya (News) if both are organs of the same Party?
- A: Because in Pravda there is no news, and in Izvestiya there is no truth.
- Q: Why some people say that Hungarians love the Russians and hate the Americans?
- A: Because Russians helped Hungarians to get rid of one totalitarian rule, but Americans don't help to get rid of the other.
- Q: Why Solzhenitsyn, Brodsky, Bukovsky, and other dissidents have been exiled from the country?”
- A: Don't you know that the best products are always selected for export?
- Q: We are told that the communism is already seen at the horizon.” Then, what is a horizon?
- A: Horizon is an imaginary line which moves away each time you approach it.
- Q: Why do we have to carry the ID booklet to the grocery to be given the baloney quota ?
- A: So you can keep the quota of salami in it until you get home.
- Q: Why is our government not in a hurry to land our men on the moon?
- A: What if they refuse to return?
- Q: Got married today. Can you give me some advice ?
- A: Too late.
- Q: Is it possible to build socialism in Switzerland?
- A: It's possible, but why? Did Switzerland really do something wrong to you?
- Q: A recent European poll says that 20% of men would cheat on their wives in Germany. Is this true ?
- A: Yes, the remaining 80% live in the other European countries.
- Q: Whenever we go on vacation, my husband keeps chasing skirts. What can I do ?
- A: Take your next vacation in Scotland.
- Q: What is communism?
- A: It's when everything will be available in stores. In other words, like it was under the Tsar Nicholas the Second.