911 Russian Jokes
description: 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 sectionThe 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.