The Success of "Romanian Moft"

December 1st, 2019

Romanian national day changes with the times1 but the strong declarations on the day - followed by little to no real action afterwards - remain as clear as ever. Still, there's no need for action indeed because meanwhile quite a lot of the rest of the world seems to have caught up with the cleverness of this approach so it's a great success really. Therefore here is as illustration what can only be called - I should hope at least - a moft itself since that's the overarching, quintessentially Romanian word for anything and everything2, as Caragiale said and promptly illustrated with examples3. Caragiale said much more than that though and although he said it in 1893 and thereabouts, it fits now as it did then, with only minor names that I changed here and there to help the current reader follow along.

In a young country such as ours4, a country that made it only recently into the our democracy system5 and into the concerted effort of great powers6, the online platform7 is the bread and butter of public opinion. The writer on such platform is therefore the baker of the intelligentsia.

It's not out of mercenary interest that he took this noble mission onto himself, nor out of lack of options otherwise; it's also not for the meagre earnings the activity may bring that he is dedicated to this painful mission of enlightening others; there is no trace of selfishness in his motives as he fights for the uplifting of the people and for reclaiming for them their usurped sovereignty; unlike his enemies, he is not moved by his own mercenary interest when he makes himself to be the dauntless defender and tireless sentinel of solemn rights and principles; moreover and most importantly, it's absolutely not out of total ignorance that he gets the certainty to give such staunch and categoric verdicts on every and all issues related to politics, economics, finances, sciences, literature, the arts etc etc.

No! It's his inexhaustible desire for the good of the nation, of the homeland, of the people8 that pushes him onto the public platform... Besides, he knows everything without having ever learnt it and he holds the firm conviction that everything will not be good for as long as it's bad!

With such committed bakers, it certainly follows that the public opinion is quite well and truly fed.


  1. It's been 1st of December since 1990 and that's ~30 years already so I wouldn't be surprised if it's due for a change really. It was the 23rd of August between 1948 and 1989. It was the 10th of May between 1866 and 1947. Pick and choose, for there's plenty and of all sorts, for all tastes and all regimes really. 

  2. Pedestrian translation would be "whim", if you must. 

  3. See "Moftul Roman". 

  4. Caragiale meant Romania but meanwhile he got even more widely relevant, so I'd say: such as ours or maybe yours or even theirs... 

  5. It used to be "sistema constitutionala" aka "constitutional system". 

  6. They call it union there and alliance here, something or the other at all times. 

  7. It used to be the offline gazette in 1893, that's all the difference. 

  8. Those were all "rromanian" in the original but meanwhile so many more fit here that I leave it to the reader to fill their own.