Nixon, Brezhnev, Honecker ask God
joke · Soviet/Eastern Bloc political joke ·
retold in 7 talks
Nixon, Brezhnev, and Honecker each ask God what will become of their country; each answer is worse than expected (USA becomes Soviet, USSR becomes Chinese colony, GDR likewise), and each leader cries, then finally God himself turns and cries. Illustrates the Christological moment where the apparent exception falls into the series it supposedly governs.
≤2000talks it is told in, per year2026
As told 6
“Then Honecker asks, oh so what will be with my beloved GDR? You can guess the answer. God turns around and starts to cry.”
“God tells him 'Sorry, United States will be a Soviet Republic'. Nixon turns around and starts to cry.”
“then Honecker German Democratic Republic asks oh so what will be with my beloved GDR you can guess the answer God turns around and starts to cry”
What it carries
one story, many jobs: the ideas this anecdote is deployed to argue, one tally mark per use (an idea page shows the same relation from the other end, as its shelf of stories)
Its cast and sources
populated by
Harold Pinter2Thomas J. J. Altizer2John D. Caputo2Cyril O'Regan1Carl Raschke1Michael Nyman1Klaus Vieweg1Pontius Pilatus1
alongside works
Every retelling 6
Nixon, Brezhnev, and Honecker each ask God what will become of their country; each answer is worse than expected (USA becomes Soviet, USSR becomes Chinese colony, GDR likewise), and each leader cries, then finally God himself turns and cries. Illustrates the Christological moment where the apparent exception falls into the series it supposedly governs., illustrating the monstrosity of Christ,God falling into the series,infinite judgment
Nixon, Brezhnev, and Honecker each ask God what will become of their country; God tells Nixon the US will be a Soviet republic, tells Brezhnev the USSR will be a Chinese province, and when Honecker asks about the GDR, God himself starts to cry. The self-reflexive punchline is that the speaker's position falls into what is being described., illustrating Hegelian self-reflexivity in jokes,the enunciating position as part of the series
Nixon, Brezhnev, and Honecker each ask God about the future of their countries. God predicts doom for each, Soviet Republic for the USA, Chinese colony for the USSR, and after each prophecy the leader cries. When Honecker asks about the GDR, God himself turns around and starts to cry. Žižek uses this to illustrate the Christological moment of God falling into the same series as his subjects., illustrating monstrosity of Christ,kenosis,death of God
Nixon asks God what will happen to the US, it will be a Soviet Republic (Nixon weeps). Brezhnev asks about the USSR, it will be a Chinese colony (Brezhnev weeps). Honecker asks about East Germany, God turns around and weeps., illustrating Holy Ghost / radical atheism,God falling into his own picture
An East European-style joke where Putin, Xi, and Trump ask God about their future dominance; God reveals each will be subsumed by the next, until Trump asks about America, causing God to cry, illustrating Trump's radical, desperate change of rules., illustrating death of God,Trump
Putin hears Russia will be economically colonized by China and cries; Xi hears China's miracle will stall and cries; Trump asks what will happen to America if he is re-elected, and God turns around and cries. Žižek uses this to make the point that America under Trump would lose global leadership, joining the BRICS-style relativist bloc., illustrating Trump and populism,BRICS relativism,American decline