When the Soviet Union existed — 1917 to 1991 — its hapless citizens resorted to dark humor in the face of constant lies.

Open defiance could land them in the Siberian gulag or a KGB torture chamber in a dank basement near the Kremlin. So they learned to joke among themselves about absurd government claims, such as Pravda insisting that the economy was surging and the collective farms overflowing with food.

Here are a couple of typical Soviet jests:

Q: How does every Russian joke start?… Continue Reading

Written by Zachary Jonathan Jacobson

Bernie Sanders’ lock on young people has been a constant throughout the Democratic presidential primaries. Exit polling shows he won 83% of voters under 30 in Pennsylvania last month, 74% in Indiana last week and 71% in West Virginia on Tuesday.

Why are Millennials so enamored of Sanders? Most hypotheses credit their enthusiasm for sweeping moral goals such as transparency, fairness and justice. Perhaps young voters prefer Sanders’ call for “revolution” over Hillary Clinton’s more pragmatic incrementalism. … Continue Reading