If you're reading this in English

[undyingking]

Interesting post in languagelog about a bumper sticker saying "If you can read this, thank a teacher. And if you're reading it in English, thank a soldier."

I won't reiterate the discussion there¹ -- but I wondered if anyone had seen this sentiment expressed in the UK, where it would make a lot more sense as a proposition, in relation to WWII². Has anyone in the UK seen or heard of the teachers' message being added to / hijacked in this way?

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1 Except to say that I favour the "ill-thought-out generalized right-wing puffery" theory.
2 Of course one might argue that Battle of Britain aircrew, naval convoys, or Russians, were more to thank, but leave that for now.

Comments

[thecesspit.livejournal.com]

I agree with this comment...

The comment kind of fails to see World War 2 in context apart from choosing 'winners' and 'losers'.

We should be thanking the Russian speaking soldiers who died on the East Front if you want to think of it like that. By the time the US started showing up with soldiers (rather than lend lease, equipment, naval and air help), the war was really about the Eastern front and the Germans and Italians were being pushed out of North Africa, the home islands had weathered the Blitz. In the Pacific it's a different story and the huge naval prescence the US had was started to have an effect much earlier.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Heh, see my note [2] above re Russians. Western under-appreciation of what happened on the Eastern Front is one of my pet peeves.

[thecesspit.livejournal.com]

I missed yer footnote :) I suspected you knew what I wrote anyways.