Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases was of course a classic Second World War phrase, which has continued to be used in government propaganda (or should be say publicity?!) since. Noticed this one on the wall earlier this week, note, no reference to swine flu, which has certainly had extra visitors searching for the phrase!
Swine Flu
The world is gripped by the fear of Swine Flu, as the World Health Organisation upgrades the current level of pandemic alert from phase 4 to 5. This does need to be kept in perspective as it is an unfortunate fact that thousands die every year from bog standard flu, and the current epidemic has not led to deaths in Europe at least.
Keep Calm and Carry On
However, this does give an option for the Keep Calm and Carry On to yet again be put to another use, and Zazzle is straight on it with “Keep Calm and Don’t Sneeze” – yet another clever use of the slogan, and its accompanied monetisation. They are not the only ones to pick up on the connection, as has Simon Calder, Jayne Dowle, Deborah Orr, Dan Ariely, South Wales Argus, Vince in Vancouver, and The Moustacho. Thanks to @SimplerDave on Twitter for pointing this out to me via Twitter!
Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases
Just wondering how long before these images make their way out again (I’m giving a paper on this in September). I was talking about this with someone a couple of years ago, as the flu jab leaflets looked distinctly Second World War style – and I guess they were aimed at that generation! Meantime, watch this 1945 video.