Could there be a more German photo than this, taken at the end of my road? Even a picture of Lederhosen-clad men drinking beer, eating Bratwurst, leering at bedirndled Fräuleine with a backdrop of Oompah bands and mountains could not capture the spirit of a country as well as this photo. The literal translation is
Access to the railway is forbidden! Section 58 of the regulations of construction and operation of urban railways.What makes this so very German is
1/ Verboten! Verboten! Das ist hier Verboten!
2/ The little section thingy. A German kezboard even has this on top as 'shift' + '3', relegating the local currency to an Alt-Gr manouvre. Referencing the correct paragraph of legal texts is obviously more important than paying for stuff.
3/ The appeal to a list of rules, rather than to common sense. Section 58 of the rules does of course exist, and says, in legalese, that people should keep off the tracks.
In England a similar sign would say "Please Keep off the tracks", although some more abrupt ones may omit the 'Please'. The specific authority telling you this isn't important, because this is a sign. It carries its own polite authority.
When I become King, all signs will be polite, logical, and carry proven scientific statements backed up by useful references.
7 comments:
The sign and your blogpost reminds me of another sign...
It also makes clear that the outcome, and currency, is more important than the actual section of the law.
Tragically, in modern Britain there would be no sign. Instead, there would be a fine for transgression, and a CCTV camera to watch you. The fine would pay 50% for a bank and 50% for a politician's party. Then the railway crossing would be privatised, and maybe Richard Branson would get some money too :-(
Hi Chris, I was thinking of that sign, but couldn't be bothered to find it. To fully reference this post I should of course show the title inspiration
http://xkcd.com/285/
Kryptikmo, maybe I need to take a trip home sometime. Britain is in greater need of constructive vandalism than Germany.
For our partial rehabilitation I have to remind you that this currency sign just came around 10 years ago with the advent of the Euro. The kezboard had been long standardised then. And everybody knows how difficult it is to change a standard - so one rather just adds to it... :)
There is only one thing more german: Draußen nur Kännchen!
Back in the good old days when labour was cheap, this sign usually was accompanied by a fence to keep people off the track, guarded by a Bahnbeamter who cautiously monitored that nobody passed the fence, checked the ticket you needed to get on the plattform - the Bahnsteigkarte - and ranted at everybody in reach. As the railways got privatised these signs also are disapperaring, replaced by either ununderstandable pictogram signs or private security guards which beat you up if you look like you might want to think of crossing the track.
We are on the same track as Britain, but thank (insert deity) on a still slower speed.
(For some reason the Captcha reads "pessify" - making things more pessimistic?)
Achim: That is an obviously fair reason, which is why I chose to ignore it. This blog doesn't do fair reasoning in regard to Kezboards.
Perreira: I'm standing on the hosepipe: Could you explain "Draussen nur Kännchen"?
Hi Phil,
This one was really hilarious. Keep it up man.
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