With minor modifications, I think this has to be my favorite new slogan:
This sign can be found in the bathrooms of Jinan airport in China.1 A loose translation of the Chinese might go something like this, “Support the protection of the environment, use only what [toilet] paper you need.” (or “be economical in your use of paper”) I had never heard the word bumf before so I thought it might be a misspelling but the closest word I could think of that made sense was “Bambi.”
Bumf is, in fact, a real word. I must have missed it during my GRE preparations. From the OED:
[Short for bum-fodder (see BUM n.1 4).]
Toilet-paper; hence, paper (esp. with contemptuous implication), documents collectively. Also attrib.
1889 BARRÈRE & LELAND Dict. Slang, Bumf (schoolboys), paper… A bumf-hunt is a paper-chase. 1912 V. WOOLF Let. 16 Nov. in Woolf & Strachey Lett. (1956) 46 Is this letter written upon Bumf? It looks like it. 1930 WYNDHAM LEWIS Apes of God (1932) v. 161 Low-lid fodder or high-brow bumph! 1930 E. RAYMOND Jesting Army I. vi. 90 The Brigadier pushed back the mess accounts to me and said, ‘You’ll keep all that bumf till next time, won’t you, padre?’ 1938 E. WAUGH Scoop II. iv. 211, I shall get a daily pile of bumf from the Ministry of Mines. 1957 M. K. JOSEPH I’ll soldier no More (1958) 21 Matthews is bringing the bumf… He says be sure and type it on Army Form A2.
bum-fodder, L. anitergium, hence, worthless literature.
The more I think about it, this slogan has many possible uses that go beyond bathroom walls. You know that US law which is designed to reduce paperwork? You can find reference to it at the bottom of many government documents in the small print. They could rename the law, “Protect the environment, reduce bumf!”
You know the kind of academic scholarship with a gargantuan theoretical superstructure which ultimately has absolutely nothing interesting to say? We could start a movement under the slogan, “Protect the environment, reduce bumf!”
The possibilities are nearly inexhaustible. The word bumf clearly deserves a period of renewal.
Bumf! What a fantastic word!! :D
Brilliant. I like the idea of calling academic bullshit “bumf!”
Haha! I think I’ll use make a sign in our library saying this. People overuse paper all the time there. In fact, we don’t even allow paper towels for drying hands in the public bathrooms because we’re having major budget problems so I guess you could say we’re already saving “bumf”.
Hi Konrad,
Sorry for “invading” your blog with my comment again :o))) The funny Chinese signes are found everywhere. I have my own collection of them, but different blogs have it as well. See: http://www.google.hu/images?q=China+funny+signs&rls=com.microsoft:hu:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7ADSA_hu&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=AbUxTK_UF6ahOK-16ZAL&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCAQsAQwAA
I have to make a note, though, that since the Olympics, fewer and fewer strange public signes can be found in Chinese public places.
During my staying in China in 2007, I have seen a documentary on the English speaking CCTV (sorry, I do not speak Chinese) about US college students who got as an assignment the task of strolling over Beijing streets and writing down the funny signs they found. I thought that was a very good idea for both Beijing city and the students :o)
How about Taiwan?