View from the North 40: That does not mean what you think it means

My column headline is a paraphrase of a quote from the book and movie “Princess Bride” in which one character repeatedly comments “Inconceivable!” every time something outrageous occurs to thwart his plans, finally prompting another character to say, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

The reason for the paraphrase though, is because this time we’re talking about a candy rather than a word. Specifically, it’s a gummy bear-style candy that is supposed to be depicting a German political party’s logo. But it gave them something more.

German news media Der Spiegel broke the news Wednesday about a promotional gimmick gone awry for the Alternative for Germany party, a far-right political party in the German state of Lower Saxony. Unfortunately, I don’t sprechen sie Deutsch other than to say “Sprechen sie Englisch?” so I enlisted help from a Thursday Huffpost.com article.

The Alternative for Germany party apparently decided to attract some voters with gummy candy in the form of the party’s logo — a red, upward swooping arrow.

I don’t know the significance of the arrow, y’know, when it’s rendered in two dimensions in a poster graphic. But when the thick-shafted, short-headed arrow with the upward cant is rendered in three-dimensions in a gummy candy medium it looks risque, and that, significantly looks more phallic than symbol.

Which is — even in Europe where people are generally less Puritan-leaning that the U.S. — apparently inappropriate for a political party.

Party member and parliamentary leader in the Berlin House of Representatives Antonin Brousek commented via Google Translate on Facebook that the gummies were “completely unsuitable to seriously advertise our party.”

HuffPo said Brousek added, according to the translated post: “Is that supposed to be put in your mouth? We’re just deeply ridiculous with this.”

Which I think is German political speak for “Inconceivable!”

I don’t mean to sound judgy — and as if I don’t find this whole thing exceedingly amusing — but yes, the party does look ridiculous with this, and Brousek’s comment about Gummy Gate added fuel to the fire.

Irony, it’ll get you when you least expect it.

I just want to add that I don’t know why Alternative for Germany was promoting its political party with gummy candy. If that explanation was in the original German piece, it didn’t get translated into the English piece.

Maybe it’s like Big Tobacco using candy-flavored vapes trying to recruit the young people.

Maybe hard-core, holocaust-denying German nationalists have a thing for soft, chewy candies.

Or maybe it’s an accurate depiction of … well, at this point I’ve been censored and my final two comments will be left to your imagination. But if I could, I would add here one of those smiley faced emojis with the big wink and the slightly cockeyed smile.

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Oh, it’s conceivable all right at http://www.facebook.com/viewfromthenorth40 .