The secret of the amazing endurance of Russian society throughout the turbulent 1990s lies in the high degree of autonomy of everyday economic existence of the majority of the population. Russians have developed the ability to function independently from the actions and decisions of the westernizing government. This is reflected in the many jokes they tell about their situation. One of them is about a telephone conversation between Yeltsin and U.S. President Bill Clinton. They are discussing the way their peoples live.