Keep Calm and Carry on Driving

This WWII poster has a particular significance in Great Britain because of its historical context. It was created during the WWII era to encourage citizens to carry on as usual during stressful times. The poster was to be issued at the outbreak of the war in 1939. The crown represents the King and the message was meant to reassure the public that everything was in order during the outbreak of war. For some reason, the poster wasn’t widely distributed and therefore was not well known at the time. Since then London has remained a hot target for terrorists (think IRA in the 70s or the 7/7 bombings). No doubt the message has relevance fifty years later.

The recent incarnation of the poster can be seen in a different light. It’s a great message to have in place where things might get a big hairy from time to time. Imagine a house with lots of children dashing about and a frazzled parent, or a crazy-busy office, for example. Picture the saying as a great bumper sticker on Vancouver cars as drivers routinely change lanes without signaling and commit other irritating transgressions.