In 1939, the British government produced a propaganda poster to reassure the British people should the country be invaded by Germany. The poster was never needed and it is believed that most were destroyed at the end of the war.
In 2000, a few remaining copies of the poster were discovered and it has launched a near industry of its own. The "keep calm and carry on" mantra is available on hundreds of products, including tea towels, chocolate bars, cufflinks, deck chairs and biscuits.
Most trendy sayings spawn a host of unauthorized knock-offs, but this one actually encourages it. At www.keepcalmandcarryon.com/creator/ there is a template where you can insert your own language under the crown and generate your own version of the iconic saying.
Based upon the proliferation of these posters on our campus, I would say that it is a big hit: "Keep calm and teach on" say t-shirts from the education department. "Keep calm and ask a librarian" is featured at the reference desk. "Keep calm and serve on" touts campus ministry. And on it goes. There is even a gallery with thousands of other samples: http://www.keepcalmandcarryon.com/gallery
Whether you create a literal poster or just entertain virtual thoughts, ponder what should fill in the blank for yourself or your organization. "Keep calm and save on?" "Keep calm and read on?" "Keep calm and jog on?" "Keep calm and vote on?" "Keep calm and blog on?" Keep calm and ____ (what?)"
I think the emphasis should remain on the "keep calm" portion. Everything that follows is much easier if you master that.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
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