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108Comments

  2. 2.

    Maude

    The Brit economy is in trouble and Cameron has his tat in a wringer. Carry on would be a soothing saying.
    Keep clam, the Romney campaign is about ignite and I bet they love that saying.
    Stuff just seeps into the popular landscape and stays for a bit.
    I get 1st prize for this bs comment.

  3. 3.

    Felinious Wench

    It was around the Olympics a lot; I think that’s how it was resurrected.

    I have the sign in our development team area because it’s great when our product owners decide they need something IMMEDIATELY. 99 times out of 100, it’s not nearly as big a deal as they think.

    Keep calm and carry on. Also, nothing to see here, move along, move along.

  4. 4.

    canuckistani

    According to Wikipedia, it was long forgotten until one was found in a bookstore in 2000. And keeping calm is good advice for everyone so far this millenium.

  8. 8.

    Amir Khalid

    Why now? Why not now? It’s not like these things need a proximate reason, and “keep calm” is good advice at any time.

    Last week, I saw a T-shirt that said KEEP CALM AND CAST PATRONUS. I might try that.

  9. 9.

    strandedvandal

    I saw T-shirt in the Greenhills Mall in Manila Sunday, “Freak out and Call Mom” I thought it was pretty funny.

  10. 10.

    T_malone

    July 7th 2005 after the bombings in London. The posters were put up in shop windows in an appeal for calm by appealing to the WWII sentimentality of the “greatest hour”.

  12. 12.

    Cassidy

    And it has become almost as annoying as the “what i really do” meme that made me want to strangle people with the entrails of their lack of self-awareness.

  13. 13.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist and Fact Checker

    Where are you seeing/hearing it? I’m curious. I’m all for it, myself, I think in everything from politics (Obama is doomed! Romney is toast!) to journalism (shark attacks, missing blonde girl alerts, trial of the century of the week), we could all use a little more phlegm in our humours.

  16. 16.

    Warren

    The “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster has been ubiquitous for at least the last four years, so much so that it’s now kind of out of favor: my local bookstore has all its stock of KC&CO items at least 25% off currently.

    I’ve always assumed it’s a response to the 2008 financial panic.

  19. 19.

    ksmiami

    @DougJ: Nah – its been widely used lately in the BBC wrt the Euro economy in shambles… at least that’s what the financial types are saying

  22. 22.

    Mnemosyne

    @Felinious Wench:

    It was around the Olympics a lot; I think that’s how it was resurrected.

    It’s much further back than that — my “Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake” notepaper is at least two or three years old.

    People like it because it’s very adaptable. It’s become “Keep Calm and [Do Your Hobby].” I’ve seen both “Keep Calm and Knit On” and “Keep Calm and Bike On,” and I’m sure there’s a million other variations as well.

    Sorry, DougJ, but you’re well behind the curve on this one if you’ve only just noticed it.

  23. 23.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @DougJ:

    There are at least four different iPad apps that allow you to ‘shop your own variants of KC&CO posters, and most of those have just been available in the last < year. That might be part of the reason it's suddenly ubiquitous.

  24. 24.

    Mnemosyne

    @DougJ:

    Well, that explains why you’re so far behind with it. I don’t think Joe Scar is the guy who’s up on all of the latest pop culture memes.

    I expect to see him jump on the “Gagnam Style” bandwagon sometime in the fall of 2014.

  27. 27.

    Valdivia

    Hmm. The 50 shades of grey doesn’t sound to me like it would be the source. Wouldn’t that be more like ‘close your eyes and think of England?’

  29. 29.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    Just to add my 2 pence, my oldest has a shirt that is at least a couple years old with “Keep Calm & Carry On” on it. It didn’t just happen last week. We’re in Texas.

  31. 31.

    dmsilev

    That reminds me of a sign we had on our phone in the lab I worked in during grad school: “Wait 24 hours before calling Stockholm.”

  32. 32.

    Alien Radio

    7th July Bombings. It was everywhere.

    See we brits have actual experience of terrorism andbeing bombed on a regular basis, and frankly we aren’t the kind of delicate flowers to have massive psychological breakdowns in the aftermath of acts of terrorism.

    Basically a Cup of tea, Some grumbling about how inconvenient the act of terrorism has been followed by a self admonishment “mustn’t grumble” , and life returns to normal.

    Also it was basically Tony Blair’s fault.

    Frankly I never liked it. The message is IMPLICIT in being british, Making It EXPLICIT is a bit off. On the plus side, No fucking Pink Alert or Plaid Alert bullshit.

  36. 36.

    Villago Delenda Est

    If you remain calm while everyone around you is in a state of panic, perhaps you just don’t understand the situation.

  38. 38.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Alien Radio:

    frankly we aren’t the kind of delicate flowers to have massive psychological breakdowns in the aftermath of acts of terrorism.

    You mean unlike your idiot cousins across the pond?

    Can I come back to the homeland (Scotland) if I demonstrate I’m not just another moron American ninny?

  39. 39.

    Goblue72

    It’s only become ubiquitous in middle America (which includes upstate NY) recently b/c it takes trends a while to filter out to the boonies. It’s been ubiquitous in major metro areas for a while. I swear every other home decor boutique in SF had one of those posters for sale in the mid-2000s. So much so that its jumped the shark in a “oh that is soooo 2008” kind of way.

  40. 40.

    FlipYrWhig

    This reminds me of when I was with a friend of mine in New York one winter, a few years back, and he said, “Doesn’t it seem like everyone’s wearing the same scarf?” I said, “Hmm, hadn’t noticed.” My wife was in the apparel business at the time, so I asked her. “Is there like a new trend or something? So many people are wearing a beige scarf with red and black and white checks.” My wife spluttered. “You mean Burberry? Uh, that’s been around a while.”

  47. 47.

    Felinious Wench

    @Mnemosyne:

    It’s much further back than that—my “Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake” notepaper is at least two or three years old.

    Sure, but Doug asked why it has become a trend very recently. I think people rediscovered it because of the Olympics.

  48. 48.

    tavella

    I’ve had a “Now Panic and Freak Out” shirt for a couple of years now, so it’s so old that even the reaction memes have faded.

  49. 49.

    David in NY

    @FlipYrWhig: Went to Paris, Winter before this, saw all those (Burberry) scarfs. Said to my wife (hardly a fashion maven) same thing you did. Got same answer, too.

    Hard to keep up anymore.

  50. 50.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Jewish Steel:

    (brought to you from montypython.net)

    Well now, the result of last week’s competition when we asked you to find a derogatory term for the Belgians. Well, the response was enormous and we took quite a long time sorting out the winners. There were some very clever entries. Mrs Hatred of Leicester said ‘let’s not call them anything, let’s just ignore them’ (applause starts vigorously, but he holds his hands up for silence) and a Mr St John of Huntingdon said he couldn’t think of anything more derogatory than ‘Belgians’. (cheers and applause; a girl in showgirl costume comes on and holds up placards through next bit) But in the end we settled on three choices: number three… the Sprouts (placard ‘The Sprouts’), sent in by Mrs Vicious of Hastings… very nice ; number two… the Phlegms (placard) from Mrs Childmolester of Worthing; but the winner was undoubtedly from Mrs No-Supper-For-You from Norwood in Lancashire… Miserable Fat Belgian Bastards.

  51. 51.

    Donut

    Just chiming in to say “keep calm and carry on” as a catchphrase is new to me, but then again, a lot of pop culture is lost on me right now, unless it appeals to a six year old girl and three year old boy. So, I’m useless, in other words.

    Though befor posting this, I just read te wiki link provided up thread, so now I dont feel as outta touch. Not quite.

  52. 52.

    Jack the Second

    Reading Know Your Meme (already linked by Bob2), it looks like this has just been a slow & steady growing meme, with no big spikes or crashes. If it’s just now coming on your radar, then you’re just one of today’s lucky 10,000: http://xkcd.com/1053/.

  53. 53.

    bjacques

    There’ve been loads of parody variations on the poster. I’ve actually seen it up close. Last year I was visiting a friend who lives just outside Newcastle, and we drove out there to see it and the Alnwick Gardens (and the castle, better known as Castle Blackadder).

  55. 55.

    elftx

    I saw a poster on FB saying Keep Calm and Carry on Harry
    after his little what happened did not stay there vacay.

  57. 57.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Maude:

    When they formed the Department of Homeland Security, my first thought was, hey, this was better in the original German.

    Then a friend of mine mangled my Heimatssicherheitshauptamt into Heimatssicherheitshauptangst, which is a droll commentary on the entire meme.

  58. 58.

    SFAW

    Why is everyone saying “keep calm and carry on” all the time now?

    Doug –

    It’s not “everyone” that says it, it’s only people talking to/about YOU. This is because you are, from all evidence available, an Excitable Boy.

    One hopes it takes less than 20 years to let you out of the Home.

  59. 59.

    beltane

    A commenter at The Guardian uses a spoof of this slogan with “Everyone Panic & Freak Out” in lieu of the more usual message. I liked it so much I swiped it for my own use.

  60. 60.

    bemused

    It seems like everyone has jumped on the Keep Calm meme with variations. It’s endless.

    Keep Calm and Carry a Wand
    Keep Calm and Carrion
    Keep Calm and Kiss Me
    Keep Calm and Shut Up
    Keep Calm and Play Beer Pong

  62. 62.

    sparrow

    I first saw it on a poster (a repro, obviously) in a bar in London back in 2007. I instantly loved it then, thought it was very typical British, etc. I don’t think it had become popular in the states then. Now I’m damn sick of it.

    As my boyfriend loves to say:

    “Freak out and throw stuff away!”

  63. 63.

    SFAW

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Can I come back to the homeland (Scotland) if I demonstrate I’m not just another moron American ninny?

    No doubt that will happen shortly after you invent a time machine or teach yourself to fly by flapping your arms.

    But I will give you credit for using “ninny”, it’s a wonderful word.

  65. 65.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @SFAW:

    I’ll just borrow Obama’s time machine, like the hippies who took their 60’s moral depravity back in time to cause all those child abuse incidents in the Boy Scouts and Catholic Church, in the 20’s and 30’s.

    Admittedly, I haven’t figured out the flapping your arms part, but give me some time over at Red State, I’m sure something will come to me if I delve enough into the comments there.

  67. 67.

    amcoco

    @DougJ:

    I wouldn’t say it’s just now making a comeback. I’ve seen it around for some time now (for example, a giant display of branded tchotchke in AI Friedman about a year back) – tho maybe in “intellectual elite” NY we’re ahead of the rest of the country?

  68. 68.

    SuperHrefna

    @T_malone: Yes, that’s when I remember seeing it everywhere too: before July 7th it was a niche thing only known to those for whom it will always be the Blitz, but after the bombings it became a popular way to keep morale up, while still retaining that crucial weeny bit of ironic distance.

  70. 70.

    Felinious Wench

    @amcoco:

    I wouldn’t say it’s just now making a comeback. I’ve seen it around for some time now

    I don’t know if DougJ is around high school kids that much, but that’s where I’ve seen the trend picking up when it wasn’t there before.

    Huband is a high school teacher. Also, a saint.

  71. 71.

    patroclus

    President Obama WILL be on the ballot in Kansas after all. At today’s hearing, Orly Taitz showed up and attempted to speak continuously about her insanity (er, the “duress” that forced Joe Montgomery to withdraw his 30-page objection), but the Board (i.e., just Kris Kobach) ruled that the objection, having been withdrawn, was no longer valid. That, plus the fact that Hawaii, over the weekend, yet again certified that Obama’s birth certificate was genuine, clinched the matter.

    For historical context, the last time a President was denied ballot access in a state was 1964, when President Johnson was denied access to the Alabama ballot. Cynics have claimed that it was because of the passage of the Civil Rights Act although Alabama officials claimed otherwise.

  72. 72.

    SFAW

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Admittedly, I haven’t figured out the flapping your arms part, but give me some time over at Red State, I’m sure something will come to me if I delve enough into the comments there.

    See, the problem with that idea is that, going over to RedState would probably be more useful if you were researching FAPPING. Plus your comments here would take on an orangey tint, I’m a-guessing.

  73. 73.

    JGabriel

    __
    __
    DougJ @ Top:

    Why is everyone saying “keep calm and carry on” all the time now?

    Wikipedia (Take with grains of salt, to taste):

    In early 2012, Barter Books Ltd, debuted an informational short “The Story of Keep Calm and Carry On”. The video provided visual insight to the modernization of the phrase as well as details surrounding the commercialization. Once viral, the internet buzz for Keep Calm & Carry On regained traction and several media outlets picked up the story.

    .

  74. 74.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @patroclus:

    Ms. Taitz is the gift that keeps on giving.

    (tinfoil hat mode ACTIVATED)

    Obviously an agent of O.B.A.M.A.

    (cue footage of Obama sitting in the oval office petting a white long haired angora)

  75. 75.

    patroclus

    @Villago Delenda Est: I talked to my sister last night – she lives in Kansas. She said that Kansas would become the “laughingstock of the nation” if they took Obama off the ballot and I told her that Kansas already was a laughingstock.

    Orly Taitz had nothing to do with the challenge and wasn’t entitled to speak, but Kobach let her do it anyway.

  80. 80.

    Comrade Mary

    One of my favourite restaurants on Queen St. West in Toronto has a sign outside that says “Keep Calm and Curry On.” Yes, I believe I will, thank you.

  83. 83.

    Thlayli

    @FlipYrWhig:

    Yes, Burberry the company has been around for a long time. But the “everyone in New York is wearing the same scarf” phenomenon is fairly recent, I’d say within the last decade.

  85. 85.

    LanceThruster

    @sparrow:

    When in danger
    When in doubt
    Run in circles
    Scream and shout
    Load the cannon
    Fire the gun
    Raise the signal flag,
    Well done!

  86. 86.

    Schlemizel

    Its what you would say to keep the sheep relaxed at the door of the abattoir.

    So, as we watch man kind turn our world to an unlivable shit hole we don’t want people running around panicking. No sir, what we want is for everyone to form nice orderly lines and think happy thoughts while we fritter away our last hopes

  90. 90.

    Michael James

    “Keep Calm and Carry On” became a thing in the naughties here in the UK, hitting critical mass post-2008 economic woes. These days, it’s well played out, and become the present-day UK equivalent of a “FRANKIE SAYS ‘RELAX’!” t-shirt.

  94. 94.

    Thrax

    Saw a T-shirt at Sesame Place when I visited recently. Has Cookie Monster where the crown would be, over the text: “Keep Calm and Eat Cookies.”

  96. 96.

    greenergood

    @tavella: Yep – bought my ‘Now Panic and Freak Out’ tea mug two years ago. I love it – especially as I think it’s correct in its instructions.

  97. 97.

    Omnes Omnibus

    In Romania, the saying was “Burn the crops, poison the wells, and retreat into the mountains.”

  103. 103.

    Njorl

    I’d like to know what’s up with people saying “also too”. That seems very weird to me. What’s even weirder is that it shows up mostly at the beginning of sentences.

  104. 104.

    Djur

    Yeah, it’s part of the British nostalgic self-image, where they think of themselves as doughty stiff-upper-lippers instead of a nation full of people constantly freaking out whenever one of their royal parasites gets killed in a car crash or some huckster tells them vaccines cause autism or about the paedo pakis, etc.

  105. 105.

    Djur

    @Njorl: The lexicon knows all:

    https://balloon-juice.com/balloon-juice-lexicon-a-h/

    Also, too.- One of Sarah Palin’s many verbal tics was adding the words “Also” or “Too” at the end of a sentence to serve as a bizarre form of punctuation or emphasis (video here of her during the debate). This has been adopted as a running joke, with commenters and posters frequently throwing an “Also, too” at the end of their statement.

  106. 106.

    Aet

    Its also one of those memes that gets reused. ‘Keep Calm and X’ tends to reappear in different internet communities. As was said above, one of my favorites was ‘Keep Calm and Eat Cookies’ with a picture of Cookie Monster in place of the crown.

  107. 107.

    "Tug" Wilson [Old Limey Feller]

    The British Government printed a few hundred thousand posters to be pasted up if the Germans mounted a serious invasion effort. They were wharehoused and not used but of course were leaked. The poster was a general instruction to the population not to panic. Crowded roads full of refugees and a terrified French people had severely hindered Franco-British military movements in 1940. The War Department was very aware of the utter necessity of good,stoic propaganda. After the July 2007 bombings in London it seemed to strike a chord with Londoners, part of our Blitz mythology perhaps? I work in Londons strand and pass daily a shop which merchandizes tourist trinkets, full of mugs and posters with the original slogan plus some rather droll variations.

  108. 108.

    AHH onna Droid

    I blame Apartment Therapy. That sign and old streetcar rollsigns were ubiquitous in house tours a while back.

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