European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 16, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Columnist Ernie Bombeck humor it Tike everything tits in Russia you have to Tatad in urn and Watt for it in search of1aughnost by Erma Bombeck y now the entire world knows thai Russia has been glasnost lived and Presl rocked. It s been sum mixed by he reagans. Invaded by pay toilets and pizza Parlours and dazzled by Donahue and Billy Joel. Bui to really know a country you have to know what its people laugh about or cry about. Last March i joined eight other american women on a seven Day trip to Moscow. Ii was sponsored by woman s Day Magazine and peace links an Exchange program started six years ago by belly bumpers Wile of Arkansas sen. Dale bumpers to promote peace. Six of us were to engage the soviets in a dialogue to find solutions to our common problems with respect to our differences. My 1 was in search of  was laughter keeping Pace with the openness of their new society the soviet women Harf requested six average americans whom they would match Wilh their professional counterparts. They included Ellen levee Englewood n.j., editor in Chin o woman s Day. Or. Ethet Klein new York associate professor of political science. Columbia University Rita Wilson Barrington Iii regional vice president Allstate insurance co. Or. Mary to Bane Cambridge mass. Harvard University Kennedy school of government Ann Huseman Lenexa kan., housewife and Molher and me. Between us a had five husbands and nine children. Observing were Evelyn Grant. New York executive editor. Woman s Day Colette Shutman new York interpreter senior staff associate school of International relations. Columbia University and Mary Lou Weisman Westport. Conn., author and reporter Lor women s Day. Across the table from us were 16 average  they included six , a poet a Magazine editor and an Engineer. Just your Basic ring around the Collar seminar i did t feel Well. Someone suggested it was the eight Reese s cups and six Milky ways i had brought to pass out to soviet children.,. And ate myself the first night. 11 got worse. As i Slid out of my coat before the first meeting i adjusted my hip length Pink Wool sweater and pushed up the sleeves on the Matching Cardigan. A i turned i thought i was looking into a Mirror. Rita Wilson was wearing the same sweater set. I suggested to her that we lest the russians humor by telling them we Are twins. Mama always dresses us  Rita is Beautiful six inches Laller than i am 20 years younger and Black. She said. Don t  everyone s counterpart showed up but Russia s Erma Bombeck. I was informed she was Oul of Lown. And they promised to produce another humorist. But someone had done a Nice Story on her in a Magazine i could read. Other than the fact that Clara Novikov awas not a housewife or a writer or a humorist we did have something in common she played to women. She was a comedienne who look her protest on the dullness and unhappiness of the lives of soviet women to concerts around the country. Soviet women loved it. The dialogue opened around a Long table in the soviet women s committee offices in Moscow and we were asked to introduce ourselves. I told them i wrote a humor column about children housework and a husband who sat in front of the to set every weekend watching anything that carried a Ball stick or Bat. At that moment the chairman became excited and interrupted with mrs. Bombeck that is a global problem we All relate to. How do you solve it i said i had my husband declared legally dead and his Eulale probated and waited for the translator to interpret it. In unison the entire Side of the table fell apart. We had found some common ground. They promised to keep looking for my counterpart. Most humor is sired by a lather of frustration and carried by a Mother of discontent. The cry of their infant is Small at first but becomes bolder and louder As its Confidence grows. The basis of most russian humor said a Magazine editor has one theme the women Are Beautiful and the men Are  translation soviet women focus a lot cd their humor on Merv bathing. Examples women Are smarter than men. Women would never marry anyone just because he has great legs or men May be the Heads of the family but women Are the necks. She knows How to turn them and in what  ninety two percent of All soviet women work or study. They drop Olf their 18 million kids in a Day Nursery before work some of the children stay the entire weekend after work queue up in a line for food and goods. Like american women they re exhausted from working iwo jobs and complain about the insets Ithily to their problems thay feel guilty about not spending More time with their children and Are unhappy about Loo Many people living in cramped quarters. Unlike America the no. 1 cause of divorce in the Soviel Union is Vodka and the men who drink in. It is usually the women who initiate the divorce. Humor is their release valve. When one russian woman was asked How she loll about the incentive of 200 rubles $336 for giving birth to triplets she responded dryly you Don t see anyone racing for the door do you another complaint is the reticence to talk about sex. There is no sex education taught in schools said a Young Soviel woman. My Only instruction was irom pm. Molher who said you la get sick of the whole business soon  one Delegate said no one deals with our sex problems it s sex at breakfast sax at lunch and sex at dinner the unmarried american Delegate sitting to Rev Lei whispered Don t we  forget the to commercial about the Industrial strength russian woman who Kepi prancing Down the runway of a fashion show in the same Floral Shilt and the Only Way you knew the outfit was different was Page 14 th6 stars and stripes sunday oct