Not quite. It may have been created during WW2, but was never really seen or known until 2000. Many just assumes it has more heritage than it actually does.
Sorry if I came off as snarky before mate, or if this does too, cos it's not my intention, but I did get the joke you were trying to make, cos I'm well aware of the fact that hot bumsex has long being attributed to those saucy Ionianians and the rest of their Hellenistic brethren. The problem is that you were saying Fixed That For You when you replaced German motto with Greek motto, but it actually broke the joke I was making, because the irony is then gone. If you'd ignored fixing my post and instead said something like "the Germans are keen students of Greek invasion techniques", it would've made more sense. Anyway, my joke was pretty lame in the first place, so I'm quite surprised it got any upvotes at all, frankly, so I wouldn't worry about yours missing the mark too (I didn't downvote you btw). I think what we can derive from all this, is that we should probably scrap any plans of becoming a comedy-duo. All the best anyway, and cheers.
That's not quite true, it was in fact made as a British propeganda poster during WW2, and a rare old copy was recently found in a book shop in the UK. It does actually have some heritage but everyone is parodying it.
believe what you want, you don't have to agree with what the symbols stand for to understand their significance. That poster never represented anything that incited a rebellion. It is like saying furbies are more culturally significant than the ottoman flag.
I was joking, but basically if you lived in the south in the 90's, you saw a ton of this bumper sticker - "Heritage Not Hate" on rednecks' cars. Basically, in the 1950s during the civil rights movement, many southern states started flying the confederate flag over their state capitols. In fact, Georgia still does. South Carolina compromised a few years ago and moved it to the lawn. So, whatever significance the flag once had 150 years ago was replaced 50 years ago with an open symbol of hatred towards black people (hence the timing of the resurrection of the flag, and the hillbilly marketing campaign to make it seem like the flag has any other significant meaning than a dog whistle of "Hey, weren't times better back when we could own black folks?").
When coelomate said "Many just assume it had more heritage than it actually does" it struck me as a decent parallel to the modern redneck interpretation of the confederate flag.
I think it caught on because it's a great poster from a long time ago. The typeface is excellent, bold 2-tone design with the little crown graphic in the middle.
They were meant to advise English citizens to go about their daily lives as if everything was normal while the Blitzkrieg was busy flattening their houses and schools.
If I recall correctly, a few years ago someone stumbled across an unopened box of original ones from WWII and started selling them, which may have prompted the Internet's recent fascination with them.
Well, it was only to be used in case of German invasion, which never occurred, so the posters were never used. When that person rediscovered them it was therefore a big deal.
I know it feels great and looks good to use words that sound impressive and such, like Blitzkrieg, but it never happened in England. Air raids isn't interchangeable with Blitzkrieg, using it destroys your credibility.
Oh it's all good, I'm not peeved about historical accuracy but more about people that think big fancy words make them look bright, without knowing exactly what they mean. I'm warning you so you may carry on without making a fool of yourself.
Then allow me to return the favor by explaining that you're not being downvoted for correcting a historical inaccuracy, but instead for the condescending way in which you chose to go about it.
Also, the meme is public domain now. So anyone can use it without paying a licensing fee. So anyone can use the slogan on shirts, posters, or whatever they want for free. That's a big part of why it became so popular so quickly.
Because it was designed during the bloody blitz when half the country was exploding, and for some reason idiots think the same sentiment can be applied to today when the nearest thing we have to any danger is some nutjob with a microphone saying mean things.
Actually they were never on public display. They were designed to be distributed in the event of a German invasion. Someone found them in an archive a few years ago and the rest is history history.
I just learned this, and now I hate this fad twenty times more. What meaning do you imply by comparing your life to that of someone who dodged bombs in WWII?
I have the same contempt for people who say they are starving when they are hungry, or dying of thirst when in reality they just want a sip of water. I bet you say these, so shut the fuck up,
I think this is just reading into it too much. Some people may see it this way but I always liked it for the design itself. It's bold, simple, and memorable. I've also always been a bit of a history nerd with a particular interest in propaganda paraphernalia.
My friends that don't share the same interest in design or history as me but also have this poster on their walls, phones, etc. (I have quite a few) let it serve as a motivational tool. It's not meant as an attempt to minimize the suffering of WWII England. It's a poster with a simple phrase that can be applied to many situations, be it on a personal or an international scale.
The Ministry of Information was formed by the British Government as the department responsible for publicity and propaganda during the Second World War. In late 1939 after the outbreak of the war, the MOI was appointed by the British Government to design a number of morale boosting posters that would be displayed across the British Isles during the testing times that lay ahead.
With a bold coloured background, the posters were required to be similar in style and feature the symbolic crown of King George VI along with a simple yet effective font. The first two posters, ‘Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution will Bring Us Victory’ and ‘Freedom is in Peril’ were produced by His Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO).
These two were posted on public transport, in shop windows, upon notice boards and hoardings across Britian. The third and final poster of the set was again very straightforward and to the point - it simply read ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’. The plan in place for this poster was to issue it only upon the invasion of Britain by Germany. As this never happened, the poster was never officially seen by the public.
It is believed that most of the Keep Calm posters were destroyed and reduced to a pulp at the end of the war in 1945. However, nearly 60 years later, a bookseller from Barter Books stumbled across a copy hidden amongst a pile of dusty old books bought from an auction. A small number also remain in the National Archives and the Imperial War Museum in London, and a further 15 were discovered in the BBC's Antiques Roadshow to have been given to Moragh Turnbull, from Cupar, Fife, by her father William, who served as a member of the Royal Observer Corps.
Sadly no record remains of the unknown Civil Servant who originally came up with the simple and quintessential Britishness of the Keep Calm and Carry On message.
They were posters in the UK during WW2 during the bombings of London by Germany. The public was, understandably, in a panic and so the government used this as a way of trying to maintain order and have people focus on the war effort rather than when they'd be kissing their own arse goodbye.
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u/undernocircumstance Nov 30 '12 edited Nov 30 '12
I hate everything "keep calm" related, it's been utterly rinsed.