M. Beisenherz: Sorry, I’m here privately
“Z” like Zanz
© Illustration: Dieter Braun/stern
Putin’s war falls victim to a letter that is more casual than almost any other. Couldn’t it have hit unfinished letters?
By Mickey Beisenherz
Now that it’s socially acceptable to dig into other people’s pasts to prove their early decrepitude, I urge you to burn old photos. Not only is the kindergarten carnival photo with the feather headdress of indigenous peoples a flawless cultural appropriation, no: a picture from the early 1990s in a Zorro costume, wasn’t that an early commitment to Putin’s war of aggression?
Phew, that’s where it all ends!
It’s a pity about the just so cult “Z”. This spectacular letter, once the casually curved trail of the legendary sword cowboy, is now no less than the hallmark of the new Russian-style fascism.
Great howling at Zurich Insurance, which wants to mothball its “Z” from now on. Household contents, car or small animal insurance do not fit the image of Stalinism 3.0 at all. Who wants to take out life insurance while the logo keeps thinking of tank tracks?
That’s almost as crazy as naming your beer after a global virus! Toxic symbols quickly erode the basis of business.
The audience is sensitive. For example, the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”, which is not suspected of being terrorist propaganda, recently headlined an online article about the brave Ukrainian President Selenskyj with the “Z” typical of the newspaper.
It’s their logo.
The reaction of the “network community” that was keen on getting angry was rather unfriendly and followed the motto “How can you put the neo-Hitlerian ‘Z’ over an article about the President of Ukraine of all things?”
ZZ Top would only be half as cool without the concise letters
It is part of the nature of social networks that incidents with negative connotations are of course widely shared, causing everyone to be outraged, so that everyone can contribute. The text then received a corresponding amount of attention. Nice for the writer. Selenskyj shouldn’t have bothered the “Z” above his head. Those who are hit by Russian bombs usually don’t care about German Twitter sensitivities.
It’s a pity about this casual letter: I always rubbed my thumb admiringly over the key ring of my old Datsun Z. ZZ Top, the band, would only be half as cool without the two concise letters.
Many people suffer from their initials, like the sinister “SS”. Figure skater Norbert Schramm may have always been uncomfortable with an “NS”, and it is questionable whether Labor Minister Hubertus Heil ever intended to have his initials HH on the license plate.
Hard times also for the consonant dealer Schlemihl from Sesame Street, who could suddenly be suspected of being a terrorist for distributing anti-constitutional symbols and supporting war propaganda.
Ironically, the beautiful “Z”. Couldn’t it have been the always somewhat unfinished “P” (like Putin)? Why not the silly “Y” so awkwardly reminiscent of influencers doing sun salutations? “Z” – that should stand for future and not for tsar, destruction, frown lines.
On the other hand: After two years of the pandemic, are we glad that we at least don’t have to deal with previously unknown Greek letters again.
You become humble.
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