Interesting times

Friday, March 20, 2020

I was reminded this week of an old saying that is known alternately as the “Chinese Curse” or sometimes, the “Chamberlain Curse.” As the Chinese Curse, it is believed to be an English translation of an expression found in Chinese literature dating back to the 17th century. As the Chamberlain Curse, it is reported as a horrific misquote of the Chinese phrase by none other than British Statesman Sir Austen Chamberlain. Sir Austen was the brother of the infamous Neville Chamberlain, who blessed Hitler’s annexation of Western Czechoslovakia and will be remembered unfavorably by history as the poster child for the appeasement of dictators.

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