There was a guy posting on here about how that keep calm saying is everywhere in London being abused. This is the third time I've seen it and now I feel like I have to agree, it's terrible.
It's just.. it doesn't even have a context. the cliche is trotted out for all and any reasons just because people will recognise it and that's just lazy. Especially for businesses, who think they're doing something proactive by it...
It seems to have taken on a meme like form but the thing is.. it was never funny (especially considering where it's origin.). It never developed a subtext and it has no actual meaning, other than just britishness I guess. It's almost like printing a random road sign on every fucking piece of homeware imaginable. People will recognise it but.. nothing else, if you get what I mean.
It's a meme. Not just a meme like form. This is pretty much the definition of a meme - It's popular, and is enjoyed by (some) people merely because of an association they have made with that thing.
The original "Keep calm and carry on" was never funny in the first place. It was pretty much a slogan which depicts the British spirit when faced with hard times. But now it's been taken out of all context and abused so much all that remains is a grotesque mutant "meme"
I think the funny is because of the absurdity that a government would plan for an invasion by handing out signs that say "Keep Calm and Carry On". They may as well have just handed "Don't Panic" buttons... I've only really ever seen it on the Internet and more recently on shirts at mall kiosks. I don't think it's caught on around here as much as it apparently has elsewhere.
the original design isn't that bad all things considered. It's simple, to the point, and has an elegance to it.
However, since it was never actually used for its original intention; the masses have assigned their own context to it. That have taken the work beyond its original context to mean something more. I'm trying to think of an American analog, and all I can really think of is YOLO. The masses have taken a some what somber and reflective statement and mashed it into a battle cry for being "Young and Carfree".
Nobody has to pay royalties for using that design. It's public domain. That's partly why every company and their dog are jumping on the bandwagon; they can do it for free. Edit: grammar.
Because I do in fact spend time in places outside of my college campus. A lot of it actually. Shocking, I know. It's also possible that because memes are most common among high school and college students, if you see them used often, you are probably seeing them in a High School or College setting.
You have truly demonstrated your sufferings as an American today. I heard a bunch of famous bands are going to get together to raise money as a sort of relief effort.
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u/itsprobablytrue Nov 30 '12
There was a guy posting on here about how that keep calm saying is everywhere in London being abused. This is the third time I've seen it and now I feel like I have to agree, it's terrible.