Government lecturing is ruining my weekends
As is quite common these days, my much-loved weekend of sport was once again intermittantly interrupted with Government messages attempting make me a better citizen, protect me from my own stupidity, or both. I am not sure if this is a reflection of the fact that football fans have been profiled as well below par on the intelligence scale, or if its that something approaching 90% of my TV consumption is either sport or news and such ads can be found in equal abundance elsewhere.
I know that I have moaned about this before – but the sheer volume of these ads – and the absurdity of the content seems to be getting worse. And frankly they are beginning to spoil my weekends. This weekend I was informed by those that know better, that if I kill a 5 year old whilst driving my car it will haunt me for the rest of my life; leaving my valuables in plain sight of burglars in my home is asking for trouble; taking the battery out of my smoke alarm means it doesn’t work as well (ok doesnt work at all); that I should take a clamidya test; learn new skills; visit Gov.co.uk; join the navy, or the marines; and that I can save the planet if I will only drive my car 5 miles less each week. And I am sure I have missed some……
Television shares must surely be set to take a tumble as it slowly dawns on people that we cant actually afford to subsidise broadcasters in this fashion any longer (just last Spring it was reported that the Government was bombarding us with 10,000 ads a day and was set to become Britains single biggest advertiser.) I thought that I had read that Government was set to slash spending on this nonsense, but when I ask you. When?
It’s hard to say which of these many ads is most annoying. But the one that strikes me as easily the most hypocritical is the last of these – the one about driving 5 miles less each week.
Take the Foreign Secretary David Milliband. Up until May last year ceratinly this was the man seeking to hire his own private jet for overseas visits rather than catch a charter flight like the rest of us. This weekend I read that the same minister – and avowed atheist – is now sending his first born to a Church of England School some 2 miles away. In making his selection , he has spurned a top notch (secular) state primary school just 80 yards from his home with an “outstanding” OFSTEAD report (and presumably within easy walking reach) in favour of a faith school some 2 miles away (which I very much doubt will be reached a la foot).
The choices that parents make for their children’s education is a private matter of course. But I for one an getting a bit tired of being lectured to consistently that I should do MY bit for the environment and then witness ministers swishing around in their black limosines, put out tenders for private jets and ignore perfectly good – genuinely local – schools in favour of some school some 2 miles away with slightly better results.
More generally I am just tired of all of them. The ads I mean. They are variously partonising, tiresome, threatening or meaningless (and in some cases all of the above). Give me the Meerkats, the Evian roller babies, or Cadbury’s gorilla any day of the week.
January 25th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
[…] Nag Nag Nag Filed under: Bully State, Uncommon Sense, Waste of our Money — Al Jahom @ 12:27 pm Via @sscrltt, a decent post at Liberal Vision regarding the constant nagging that the state has peppered TV (and every other channel of) advertising with over the last year or so. Government lecturing is ruining my weekends […]
January 25th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Yesterday morning, attempting to escape slumber and drag myself to Stoke (yes, really), I flicked on my friends’ radio which was tuned to Magic FM. During the first advert break, three out of four adverts from the government. As someone who virtually never listens to stations like this, I was quite shocked. It seems that people can only listen to state-funded channels or channels which constantly feature messages that they’ve paid for in order to tell them how to live.
January 25th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Angela – get a HDD recorder with “skip” – then you skip all the ads in one go. Works a treat!
January 25th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
Duly noted Tim – but I like my football as live as i can get it – its no fun getting the text from your mate telling you that the goal was clearly offside when you dont even know its a goal yet. Of course I could turn my phone off and live in my own “mini-world” running slightly out of sync from the rest of mankind but I actually like adverts as a rule – just not the crappy annoying patronising ones. All in all I’d just rather the nannying ads weren’t there……. x
January 26th, 2010 at 12:42 am
I don’t like paying for them!
I don’t watch anything for which timing matters as much. But I do like to be able to turn the television on, press pause, and start watching 10 minutes later, knowing I will be able to skip the ads and catch up by the end. How the tv companies will survive when this is common is less clear.
January 26th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
[…] Moaning and The Sky Is Falling In Tags: Eco Freaks, Politics, Snake Oil I came across this little gem on my ramble around the websites today. I know I have some American readership among us (not […]
January 27th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
We have those ads in Australia too.
I often wonder if there is such thing as a self governing society which regulates itself against such self deprecation. But no, it comes down to education; the right kind of education.
Perhaps there is a failure at a parental level. i.e. don’t get into a car drunk and kill your mates- sort of thing.
Maybe society is too large to control, or perhaps a lack of theology to frighten small children?
Maybe we should form a small cult and raise children to be consciencious (and open to orgies)at a young age.
Hmmmm?
January 28th, 2010 at 11:03 pm
It’s normal to ramp up the propaganda in the 6 months before an election.
Word of the week: NAGVERT: noun – nagging advert. See also control-freak, bansturbator, toynbee, air-brushing-expert, …
November 20th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Hello, – discovered your current web page by pure luck whilst drifting around the internet this evening, and happy that I did! I do like the design and style and colours, but I have to say that I’m having difficulties when it loads. I’m using ELinks 0.10 browser for mac, and the footer does not align properly. i am fairly certain I’ve applied the same layout on a customer’s website, but the menu seems Ok on mine. I suspect the mistake is with my browser & I’m guessing it’s about time to update!