An educational take on one historic photo, as featured on this thread.


A NOTE TO PROGRESSIVE COMRADES WHO MAY INQUIRE ABOUT THE MEANING OF THIS SEQUENCE:

It reflects the popular progressive belief that communism was a good idea in general, but it didn't work out because Stalin distorted Lenin's brilliant plan - solely as a result of his own stupidity, viciousness, and megalomania. Observe a cigarette in Stalin's hand. He was a dedicated smoker, while Lenin only tried smoking once as a little boy, but then quit and never tried again. But that's not what killed him.

I wonder what Stalin is looking at the entire time? It may explain why he keeps repeating the same lines. He's distracted by something!

That, Betty, is a very progressive observation! You have the sharp eye of an interior decorator!

AAAHHH! No! NO!!! Not interior decorating! Not again!

So... boring....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWNFf_4wHHk

Comrade Lenin,

Aeroflot used to offer complementary Sputnik cigarettes to its customers. The tobacco was rolled in transparent cigarette papers and afixed to a hollow thick-ply paper tube. All that came after you went. I don't know how you feel about Chairman Mao, but were I to smoke a few Sputniks you, would the smoke, a la Chinese custom, reach you in the Great Proletarian Beyond?

You'd have to inhale hard, however, because that tobacco is might dry after, oh, 30 years or so.

By the way, can I still get some of those swell "Long live long Lenin" posters that bear your likeness at life-size with a copy of Pravda in your hand or pocket? I forget which, but I do remember I have some devalued capitalist exploitation units.

Premier Betty wrote:I wonder what Stalin is looking at the entire time? It may explain why he keeps repeating the same lines. He's distracted by something!

I think he's half-asleep, Lenin is, somehow, boring him.