London, Paris, Fairbanks

This very well-done banner comes to me from Facebook, via my friend Bernhard Rohrer, but just sharing it there would have left my predominantly non-German-speaking friends in the lurch or required a descriptive text too long for that platform. 

The reference is this: When it became legal for over-the-counter drugs to be be advertised on TV and the radio in Germany, any ad had to come with a disclaimer, the canonical text of which is “Zu Risiken und Nebenwirkungen lesen Sie die Packungsbeilage und fragen Sie Ihren Arzt oder Apotheker,” translation: “Concerning risks and side effects please read the information leaflet and ask your physician or pharmacist.” The sentence has become somewhat of a catchphrase in German because of the comical effect of the typically accelerated delivery of this ubiquitous admonishment — and, I imagine, a still present feeling that advertising for drugs is not unproblematic. 

As for the image, the text, in English, would be “Concerning risks and side effects of Nazi rallys please read a history book or ask your grandparents.”

(This post was brought to you by the Department of Dubious End-of-Year Resolutions.)