Mr. Twister

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[edit] Mr. Twister

Mr. Twister is a fictional character in the popular USSR poem, Mr. Twister. The poem was written in the 1920's by a Jewish poet. The poem Mr. Twister was used as propaganda that directed itself against a portrayed racist U.S.A. In the poem the American millionaire Mr. Twister, was convinced to go on vacation to Leningrad by his daughter. When the racist man checked into the hotel Leningrad, he saw that a black man was staying at the hotel, so Mr. Twister ex-government minister ran away, refusing to stay in a hotel where black men were allowed to stay. The manager of the hotel wanting to teach the man a valuable lesson then starts calling all of Leningrad's fine hotels telling them not to let the "spoiled" man in. As a consequence, Mr. Twister was forced to turn back to the first hotel that he visited, but while he was gone his room was taken. The only room left in the hotel was directly in the center of guests with all nationalities, and the millionaire accepted.

This kids poem effectively gave the population of the USSR a feeling that they were more friendly to foreigners, and that they were not racist.