Funny communism jokes

Note: Some photos in this particular blog post may be anachronistic. They are intended only to enhance the humor, and are not intended to represent the particular periods under discussion here.

A funny story told by Ronald Reagan:

“It is said that Castro was making a speech to a large assembly, and he was going on at great length; and then a voice out in the crowd said: ‘Peanuts, popcorn, cracker jack?’

Fidel Castro, late dictator of communist Cuba

And he went on, speaking; and again the voice said: ‘Peanuts, popcorn, cracker jack?’

And about the fourth time this happened, he stopped in his regular speech and he said, ‘The next time he says that,’ he says, ‘I'm gonna find out who he is, and kick him all the way to Miami!’”

And everybody in the crowd says: ‘Peanuts, popcorn, cracker jack?’ ”

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A review of “Socrates” (audiobook)

“That’s the strange thing about writing, which makes it truly analogous to painting. The painter’s products stand before us as though they were alive: but if you question them, they maintain a most majestic silence. It is the same with written words: they seem to talk to you as though they were intelligent, but if you ask them anything about what they say, from a desire to be instructed, they go on telling you the same thing for ever.”

– Socrates, as recorded in Plato’s “Phaedrus”

Before listening to this audiobook, I had read all the primary sources about the trial of Socrates in the original Greek. Thus, I already knew much about that part of his life before listening to this audiobook. I had also gleaned some information about other parts of his life from some other sources. But I still learned a few things from this audiobook. In particular, I enjoyed their presentation of his life story, and what we know about it from the writings of that time.

A review of Ken Burns’ “The Congress” (PBS)

“One useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress.”

– John Adams

It’s hard to do justice to the history of Congress in an hour and a half …

“The Congress” is one of Ken Burns’ lesser-known films, perhaps partially because it was made before he became famous. “The Congress” was made in 1988, two years before his film “The Civil War” came out in 1990. Since “The Congress” is one of his earliest films, it did not have the budget granted to some of his later films (such as his World War II series). Perhaps partly because of this, it was only an hour and a half long. It’s hard to do justice to the history of Congress in an hour and a half, but I will grant that Ken Burns makes a good-faith effort to do so.