IJCH - Inside JaiChai's Head
(Meaning: My warped, personal opinions and musings)
From the Author:
Salutations.
I am JaiChai.
And if I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you before, I'm delighted to make your acquaintance now.
I invite you to interact with everyone, learn, and have as much fun as possible!
For my returning Steemian friends, "It's always great to see you again!"
What is Bayerische Motoren Werke?
Or what if I asked you, “What is Bavarian Motor Works?”
Still no clue?
Ok.
How ‘bout “BMW”.
That’s right, BMW is Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works).
But wait.
Before discussing BMW, I need to introduce you to one of my favorite films called "Finding Forrester" first.
Why?
Read on. Trust me.
It will become readily apparent...
About "Finding Forrester" -
Finding Forrester is a 2000 American drama film written by Mike Rich and directed by Gus Van Sant. In the film, an African-American teenager, Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown), is invited to attend a prestigious private high school. By chance, Jamal befriends a reclusive writer, William Forrester (Sean Connery), through whom he refines his talent for writing and comes to terms with his identity. Anna Paquin, F. Murray Abraham, Michael Pitt, Glenn Fitzgerald, April Grace and Busta Rhymes star in supporting roles.
Although the film is not based on a true story, film critics have compared the character portrayed by Connery with real life writer J. D. Salinger. Connery later acknowledged that the inspiration for his role was indeed Salinger.
Here's the FINDING FORRESTER Trailer -
If you haven't seen "Finding Forrester, I highly recommend you view this excellent film.
Anyway, there was the below scene in the movie that sparked an impulse to perform a mini-search; mainly because I thought it [the scene] was not totally factual:
BMW history "finding forester"
Now hold onto the issue about the logo while I present a very brief history of BMW.
Aircraft Engines, Motorcycles, and Automobiles -
BMW was founded in 1913 by Karl Friedrich Rapp in Munich and manufactured premium aircraft engines.
In 1929, BMW entered the motorcycle scene by making engines for other motorcycle companies. They rolled out their own motorcycle called the R32 in 1923.
Their super-charged 500cc motorcycle carried Georg Meier over the finish line to win the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy race in 1939. In more recent times, Michael Dunlop won the Senior and Superbike categories on the BMW S1000RR in 2004.
Nowadays, BMW stands for reliable, high-end motorcycles and luxury automobiles.
The BMW Logo -
Ok. Back to my mini-search...
Many believe that the BMW logo created in 1917 represents an aircraft’s silver rotator against a clear blue sky.
But many others believe that it was a covert way to represent the colors of the independent state of Bavaria; in essence, a subtle protest against the Nazi regime.
According to Wikipedia:
...the blue and white panels of the Bavarian national flag were placed at the center of the BMW logo.
Not until the late 1920s was the logo lent a new interpretation as representing a rotating propeller
The early 1920's was a very turbulent time; especially in Bavaria and its surrounding region.
See:
"Das Dritte Reich"
Das Dritte Reich (German for The Third Reich) is a 1923 book by German author Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, the ideology of which heavily influenced the Nazi Party. The book formulated an "ideal" of national empowerment, which resounded throughout a Germany desperate to rebound from the Treaty of Versailles.
Given the fact that the Bavarian people have always been fiercely nationalistic, I'm inclined to believe Wikipedia's interpretation of the BMW logo.
What do you think?
By JaiChai
Thanks for stopping by.
Truly hope to see you again!
About the Author
Believing that school was too boring, he dropped out of High School early; only to earn an AA, BS and MBA in less than 4 years much later in life – while working full-time as a Navy/Marine Corps Medic.
In spite of a fear of heights and deep water, he performed high altitude, free-fall parachute jumps and hazardous diving ops in deep, open ocean water.
After 24 years of active duty, he retired in Asia.
Since then, he's been a full-time, single papa and actively pursuing his varied passions (Writing, Disruptive Technology, Computer Science and Cryptocurrency - plus more hobbies too boring or bizarre for most folk).
He lives on an island paradise with his teenage daughter, longtime girlfriend and three dogs.