the lunatics have taken over the asylum

== English == === Alternative forms === inmates have taken over the asylum inmates running the asylum inmates taking over the asylum lunatics have taken over the asylum lunatics running the asylum lunatics taking over the asylum === Etymology === Said to originate in a 1919 remark by Richard A. Rowland about the founding of United Artists. Perhaps an allusion to the short story by Edgar Allan Poe, The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether, first published 1845. === Phrase === the lunatics have taken over the asylum Said of a situation in which those in charge are incapable of handling their responsibilities, and should rather be put under scrutiny themselves. 2011, Radiohead, "The Daily Mail", Ticker Tape Ltd. (XL Recordings) The moon is a rock on a mountain / The lunatics have taken over the asylum / Waiting on the rapture 2012, Mary Higgins Clark, We'll Meet Again, Simon and Schuster (→ISBN), page 51 “ […] I think you would be rendering a great service if you used the power of your program to wake up the public to this increasingly callous and alarming situation. Too many people are unaware of the fact that the lunatics have taken over the asylum.” ==== Translations ====