George Orwell once wrote, "Every joke is a tiny revolution." In state-socialist societies that had (or have) totalitarian characteristics, individuals found clever ways to carve out areas of freedom for themselves. These may have been areas of social freedom (with family and close friends), physical freedom (at one's small garden cottage), or mental freedom (through humor). There were risks associated with telling and listening to jokes that ridiculed the party or politicians, or criticized the failures of state socialism. Thus, cautious individuals shared jokes only within small circles of trusted friends. The risk associated with jokes intensified the pleasure gained from hearing and sharing them. This joke highlights one of the risks associated with political jokes, namely the possibility of arrest. This joke references Erich Honecker, General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party in the German Democratic Republic, and Erich Mielke, head of the State Security Service from 1957 to 1989.

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"DDR-Witze," trans. Elizabeth Ten Dyke, DDR-Witze (accessed June 17, 2007) and "Spitzenwitz," trans. Elizabeth Ten Dyke, Spitzenwitz (accessed June 17, 2007).