The article discusses the rise of cancel culture and the power of online mobs to shut down debate and destroy lives.

"The Joke" is a Czech novel published in 1967 by Milan Kundera.

"Sharansky's Exodus" is a memoir written by Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy, in which Sharansky recounts his personal journey from a Soviet refusenik to a leading advocate for human rights and Jewish identity.

Natan Sharansky, a former Soviet dissident, reflects on his experience as a Jewish person in Soviet Russia and draws parallels to the current climate in America.

The text discusses the phenomenon of revolutionism among Russian intellectuals, particularly focusing on the love and veneration for revolution as an end in itself rather than a means to an end.

The discussion centers around the concept of doublethink as manifested in the experiences of Jews in the context of Soviet history.