SiTU MEMO 12

Words can change meaning in a relative short period of time.

The term “blockbuster” was the name given to a bomb, big enough to destroy several houses. In the second half of WW2, Germany was bombed with these monsters day and night.

Slowly the memories of this disastrous episode faded. “Blockbuster” has a different meaning now. It”s a very big hit, the world wide impact of a book, a song or a musical. When a 20-year would read: “It's raining blockbusters on Berlin”, he would probably think of a big cultural manifestation.

Sometimes old names stick. Still called the department of Defense, they actually run an attack machine, with global tasks. Some changes make you think. For almost 200 years my home-land had a department of Justice. In the 21st century it is part of the department of Security and Justice. Makes you think. I honour the Dalai Lama by writing his names with capital letters. Lately the journal “Trouw” prints “dalai lama”. Chinese influence (money)? It's in the numbers too. Barack Obama's Illinois Zip-code was: 60606.