Socialistic conditioning: In (former) Soviet Russia you’ll be fine as long as you don't try to succeed.

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The Crazy Sociology Experiment Buried in a Russian Game Show | Cracked.com: As noted in Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behaviour, contestants on the Russian version of the show quickly became wary of asking the audience anything, because they'd almost always give the wrong answer. You may assume that this is the result of a government health agenda built around the regular consumption of vodka, but you're wrong. As it turns out, it's believed that Russian audiences would intentionally try to sabotage contestants on the show.

See, historically in Russia, everyone in a given community was expected to pitch in; everyone was expected to suffer and to help out. Minor favors like the borrowing of matches, money, and supplies weren't just common, they were expected. However, this collective sense of entitlement meant that anyone who stood out or attempted to make it on his own was immediately shunned and the favors that were once commonplace became nonexistent. For the record, this is the very definition of standing out:

Reality shows and game shows are meant to be a sublimated version of the Roman Circus. Viewers vent out their resentments and lash them out at “those who are going to die, Caesar.” But while some people are patiently (or eagerly) waiting for Richard Bachman’s “The Running Man” to come true, it might be helpful for us to notice that the dystopia is already with us.

There’s no need to talk about “Fear Factor”, even a bland, innocuous show like the Russian version “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” can show us how decades of communism can grind the collective will down. In Soviet Russia, they don’t celebrate your success; they loathe it intensely and try to sabotage it with all their might.

You’ll be fine as long as you don’t try to stand out from the collective.

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• Socialistic conditioning: In (former) Soviet Russia you'll be fine as long as you don't try to succeed.