Commie Land: Difference between revisions

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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{{trope}}
{{trope}}
{{quote|''Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.''|'''[[CS Lewis (Creator)|CS Lewis]]''', being somewhat hypocritical}}
{{quote|''Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.''|'''[[C. S. Lewis|CS Lewis]]''', being somewhat hypocritical}}


Countries, sometimes fictious, ruled by communist regimes. As a rule of thumb, these tend to be what happens to [[Ruritania]] when [[People's Republic of Tyranny]] is installed there.
Countries, sometimes fictious, ruled by communist regimes. As a rule of thumb, these tend to be what happens to [[Ruritania]] when [[People's Republic of Tyranny]] is installed there.
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== Film ==
== Film ==
* Bulgaria as depicted in [[Bruce Campbell]]'s ''[[Man With the Screaming Brain]].''
* Bulgaria as depicted in [[Bruce Campbell]]'s ''[[Man with the Screaming Brain]].''
* Many ''[[James Bond]]'' films, usually as Russia, but sometimes another country like Czechoslovakia or China.
* Many ''[[James Bond]]'' films, usually as Russia, but sometimes another country like Czechoslovakia or China.
* ''[[The Terminal]]'' has [[Tom Hanks|Viktor Navorski]] and his former homeland [[Ruritania|Krakhozia]].
* ''[[The Terminal]]'' has [[Tom Hanks|Viktor Navorski]] and his former homeland [[Ruritania|Krakhozia]].
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== Literature ==
== Literature ==
* Two of [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]]'s (who used to live in the Soviet work camps himself) books, ''[[One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich]]'', which is a historical fiction based on experience in the camps, and ''[[The Gulag Archipelago]]'', which is a non-fiction history of the Soviet work camps.
* Two of [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]]'s (who used to live in the Soviet work camps himself) books, ''[[One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich]]'', which is a historical fiction based on experience in the camps, and ''[[The Gulag Archipelago]]'', which is a non-fiction history of the Soviet work camps.
* Just about every [[Ayn Rand (Creator)|Ayn Rand]] [[Author Tract|book]] features some manner of socialist dystopia, which is [[Freudian Excuse|probably due]] to her being from an actual [[Commie Land]] (Russia).
* Just about every [[Ayn Rand]] [[Author Tract|book]] features some manner of socialist dystopia, which is [[Freudian Excuse|probably due]] to her being from an actual [[Commie Land]] (Russia).
* [[Terry Goodkind]]'s ''[[Sword of Truth|Faith of the Fallen]]'', being inspired by Rand's work, involves the protagonist being forced to live in a collectivist dystopian city of [[The Empire]].
* [[Terry Goodkind]]'s ''[[Sword of Truth|Faith of the Fallen]]'', being inspired by Rand's work, involves the protagonist being forced to live in a collectivist dystopian city of [[The Empire]].


== [[Live Action TV]] ==
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* The Klingons on [[Star Trek the Original Series (TV)|the original]] ''[[Star Trek (Franchise)|Star Trek]]'' were supposed to be like this, but that didn't exactly pan out. The Romulans were later developed in TNG as being similar to commie land.
* The Klingons on [[Star Trek: The Original Series|the original]] ''[[Star Trek]]'' were supposed to be like this, but that didn't exactly pan out. The Romulans were later developed in TNG as being similar to commie land.
* A frequent setting in ''[[Mission Impossible (TV)|Mission Impossible]]''.
* A frequent setting in ''[[Mission Impossible (TV series)|Mission Impossible]]''.


== Multiple Media ==
== Multiple Media ==
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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* ''[[Genius: The Transgression (Tabletop Game)|Genius: The Transgression]]'': Tsoska is quite literally made of this trope.
* ''[[Genius: The Transgression]]'': Tsoska is quite literally made of this trope.
* Played very much for laughs in [[Paranoia]]'s ''The People's Glorious Revolutionary Adventure''. Normally, the players lived in the Computer-controlled Alpha Complex as (semi-)loyal Troubleshooters; in TPGRA, they lived in the Communist-controlled Alpha ''State'' as (semi-)loyal Smershoviks. Everything was, of course, RED clearance (though [[Animal Farm|some things were more RED than others]]), and everyone had big bushy beards and were to be [[Funetik Aksent|speakink in thick Russian accent]]. [[Happiness Is Mandatory|Depression is being mandatory!]] [[The Computer Is Your Friend|Tovarich Computer is your Tovarich]]!
* Played very much for laughs in [[Paranoia]]'s ''The People's Glorious Revolutionary Adventure''. Normally, the players lived in the Computer-controlled Alpha Complex as (semi-)loyal Troubleshooters; in TPGRA, they lived in the Communist-controlled Alpha ''State'' as (semi-)loyal Smershoviks. Everything was, of course, RED clearance (though [[Animal Farm|some things were more RED than others]]), and everyone had big bushy beards and were to be [[Funetik Aksent|speakink in thick Russian accent]]. [[Happiness Is Mandatory|Depression is being mandatory!]] [[The Computer Is Your Friend|Tovarich Computer is your Tovarich]]!


== [[Web Original]] ==
== [[Web Original]] ==
* In ''[[The Gamers Alliance (Roleplay)|The Gamers Alliance]]'', Scundia becomes a commie land in the Godslayer era after the Proninist Party has conquered it.
* In ''[[The Gamers Alliance]]'', Scundia becomes a commie land in the Godslayer era after the Proninist Party has conquered it.
* [http://www.cracked.com/article_17474_the-7-most-unintentionally-hilarious-g.i.-joe-characters.html This] article on [[Cracked]] (about ridiculous ''G.I.Joe'' action figures) parodies this trope by mentioning that villain Darklon originates from "the kingdom of [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Darklonia]], a nebulous [[Dirty Communists|Eastern Bloc]] nation sharing its borders with [[Punny Name|Borovia]] and [[Crowning Moment of Funny|Madeupbullshitistan]]".
* [http://www.cracked.com/article_17474_the-7-most-unintentionally-hilarious-g.i.-joe-characters.html This] article on [[Cracked]] (about ridiculous ''G.I.Joe'' action figures) parodies this trope by mentioning that villain Darklon originates from "the kingdom of [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Darklonia]], a nebulous [[Dirty Communists|Eastern Bloc]] nation sharing its borders with [[Punny Name|Borovia]] and [[Crowning Moment of Funny|Madeupbullshitistan]]".


== [[Western Animation]] ==
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* Pottsylvania in ''[[Rocky and Bullwinkle]]''.
* Pottsylvania in ''[[Rocky and Bullwinkle]]''.
* Thembria as seen in [[Tale Spin (Animation)|Tale Spin]]
* Thembria as seen in [[Tale Spin]]


{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

Revision as of 21:41, 8 April 2014

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
CS Lewis, being somewhat hypocritical

Countries, sometimes fictious, ruled by communist regimes. As a rule of thumb, these tend to be what happens to Ruritania when People's Republic of Tyranny is installed there.

These places are often pretty depressing, dominated by dilapidated concrete architecture, people wearing drab Commie clothing and probably even the weather cold and rainy (unless it's some place like Cuba). Basic utilities are substandard, there are shortages of almost everything and what little consumer goods are produced are absolute rubbish, especially the cars. Locals, besides the clothing, tend to be The Eeyore or Apathetic Citizens, and even if not, they tend to be very keen on Gallows Humour and alcohol. Talking Is a Free Action doesn't apply (in the literal sense) here. On the up side, there's always someone caring for you. You can as well expect secret weapons facilities (especially in the biological field of WMD).

Compare Eagle Land.

Examples of Commie Land include:


Comic

Film

Literature

Live Action TV

  • The Klingons on the original Star Trek were supposed to be like this, but that didn't exactly pan out. The Romulans were later developed in TNG as being similar to commie land.
  • A frequent setting in Mission Impossible.

Multiple Media

Video games

  • Cold War centers around an American trapped in one of these.
  • The Malden islands and the Republic of Nogova in Operation Flashpoint are former Commie Lands, which managed to split from the USSR in the 70s and 80s.
  • The Democratic Republic of Sahrani in ARMA : Armed Assault. Chernarus in ARMA II is a former Commie Land, with one of the factions in the game wanting to restore the past regime.
  • Novistrana from Republic : The Revolution.

Tabletop Games

Web Original

Western Animation