Thread by @juliettekayyem

THREAD: Trump compares himself to Churchill? That's bold. But here's the irony: the story of Churchill's "Keep Calm and Carry On" slogan and poster is also a myth. It never happened. The poster was never released during WWII. Follow along. It is my favorite resiliency story. 1/

https://twitter.com/samstein/status/1304214336534175750

The poster was mass produced in 1939 as part of the WWII civilian defense effort. But it never really made the light of day. Only a few copies were ever seen. It wasn't until 2000 when it was discovered by Stuart Manley, a used bookseller from Northumberland, England, 2/

as he was rummaging through old boxes. He put one up on the wall; customers loved it; a few articles were written; and "all hell broke lose," said Manley as it captured the world. What happened? The British War Council never released the posters. "Freedom Is In Peril" and 3/

"Your Courage, your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory" won out. I know not as pithy. But, why was the "Keep Calm And Carry On" message held throughout the war, even by Churchill. Nobody knows the exact reason, but one theory was simple: It was b.s. A lie. 4/

"Keep Calm and Carry On" is NOT what Churchill would need from the citizens. It was not what was an honest thing for citizens to hear. Churchill would need Londoners to engage and sacrifice. He needed them to understand this was a war for their lives. It was a fight. 5/

He needed the men to go to war. The women to work the factories. And their children to be sent, often alone, to the countryside. To fight an enemy isn't some mental Zen or soothing lies from leaders. It isn't drinking more tea. A war effort isn't calm, and he knew that. 6/

Trump doesn't really care about the Keep Calm story. But it is important to relate today given Trump's statements about calm. A true leader -- like Churchill -- does not pretend that the enemy can be calmed away.
And that's the story of the slogan that never happened.
THE END