Basic Trope: A joke that goes along the lines of, "X usually does Y. Here, Y does X." "X" is usually, though not always, "you."
- Straight: "In America, you can always find a party. In Soviet Russia, the Party finds you!"
- Exaggerated:
- "In Soviet Russia, (Disaster Dominoes) you!"
- "In Soviet Russia, Food Eats You!"
- "In Soviet Russia, life lives you!"
- Downplayed: "In America, you joke about Russia. In Soviet Russia, it jokes about you!"
- Justified: The joke is a commentary on a real aspect of Soviet Russia that the teller dislikes.
- Inverted:
- "In Russia, you can always find a party. In capitalist America, the Party finds you!"
- "In Russia, you might rob a bank. In capitalist America, the bank robs you!"
- The joke may be complimentary, for example: "In Russia, you serve the government. In democratic America, the government serves you!"
- Subverted: The line begins, "In Soviet Russia..." but then comes a non-humorous observation that doesn't follow the format of the joke.
- Double Subverted: "...but in Red China, (noun) (verbs) you!"
- Parodied:
- "In Soviet Russia, A Winner Is You!"
- Alice tells the joke to Bob. "In America, you joke about Russia. In Soviet Russia, it jokes about you!" Then a sentient USSR flag enters, saying "In Alice, you joke about me. In Bob, I joke about you!"
- Zig-Zagged:
- Someone makes a variety of observations related to Soviet Russia — only some of which are humorous Russian Reversals.
- "...and in capitalist America, (verb) (nouns) you! And in North Korea, (noun) yous (verb)! And in Great Britain, you (noun) (verb)! And in Cuba, (noun) (adjectives) (verb)! And in South Korea, (adjective) you (verbs)! And in..."
- In Tsarist Russia, nobles rob you, in Communist Russia, government robs you, and in The New Russia, oligarchs rob you.
- Averted: A Soviet citizen speaks positively about America or an allied nation and leaves it at that.
- Enforced: "That Yakov Smirnoff guy sure was funny. Let's include a Shout-Out to him!"
- Lampshaded:
- "That doesn't even make any sense!"
- "Because that is the syntax of the language."
- Invoked: People are talking about politics near Bob, a fan of Yakov. Guess what happens next.
- Exploited: Bob's rival mocks him for trying to revive a dead horse of a joke.
- Defied: "In America, you can always find a party. In Soviet Russia — wait, those jokes are now stale."
- Discussed: "In Commie Land, almost any situation is the equal and opposite inverse of what it would be like in the free world. Yes, you can say 'The party finds you' there."
- Conversed: "I'm sick of hearing that joke. We know how much less free Communist states were."
- Implied: Alice has a reputation for telling such jokes, though we never see or hear her doing so.
- Deconstructed:
- A Soviet Communist Party or KGB (ex-)member hears the joke and takes offense to it. Even worse if the KGB arrests whoever told the joke.
- Or someone tells him that the joke makes no sense, even in context.
- Reconstructed: That same Party/KGB member proves he can laugh at himself.
- Played for Drama: In Soviet Russia, party finds you! But it's a party of bounty hunters.
In Soviet Russia, the main page goes back to you!
