Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Monocle I.

This is coolbert:

I had forgotten about this. Another symbol of the hard, brutal, sometimes cruel German officer. The MONOCLE! Especially a favorite of and associated with the German officer of general rank, an item in addition to the obligatory duelling scar!!

"A monocle is a type of corrective lens used to correct the vision in only one eye (usually the right eye)."

"A monocle was generally associated with rich upper-class men. Combined with a morning coat and top-hat, it completed the costume of the stereotypical 1890s capitalist."

The morning coat [full-length with tails?], top hat, spats worn over the shoes, THE CANE AND THE MONOCLE! Full-dress for the upper-class man, the aristocrat, the landed gentry or the nobility, the wealthy man of independent means. AND TOO, THE GERMAN GENERAL OFFICER!

And during the period of the Second World War [WW2], the "outfit" was complete if it included for the German senior commander a duelling scar, the toothbrush moustache, AND A MONOCLE!

[a monocle has to be specially measured to fit correctly? Is difficult to wear unless the fitting is done properly by professionals and custom-made! ONLY those persons of wealth could afford such service! Wearing a monocle announced to the whole world that you WERE SOMEBODY!]

"Monocles were also stereotypical accessories of German military officers from this period, especially from the First World War, where the stereotypical German Oberst would plot the demise of enemy forces with monocle in place to examine attack charts"

Artie Johnson of the 1960's television series "Laugh In" created an entire character based upon this stereotype. The German general staff officer bent over his table top map, plotting strategy!

Here are some outstanding examples of high ranking German officers who sported a monocle:



Von Saucken.




Von Seeckt.





Von Fritsch.





Hugo Sperrle.





Von Reichenau.





Walter Model.


It was all the rage - - don't you see? NOT solely just for vision correction, rather, part and parcel of an AURA!

These guys just seem to exude command presence, the aristocratic mien, strong personalities with strong character!

The monocle today has gone the way of the dodo? Same as with the toothbrush moustache? Associated with a way of life and personalities that are not looked upon with favor? Get a contact lens or a Lasik eye correction would be the way to go now?

coolbert.

3 comments:

Steve Sailer said...

Was the function justification for the monocle that you were over 40 and now suffering from presbytopia so that you needed reading glasses, but wanted to also maintain your distance vision. Thus, a monocle would let you study a detailed map on the field of battle then glance at the actual battle field with your other eye.

Today, my wife has differening corrections in her two contact lenses, one for distance, one for close reading. Others are getting laser surgery in one eye but not the other hand -- rather the equivalent of the monocle.

Politically Incorrect said...

Monocle are highly functional.
Reading glasses are on ,and off ; a monocle is easy, quick, cool,and they work well!

Anonymous said...

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