Nanny's chums in Alcohol Concern are getting themselves rather worked up about booze adverts on TV. Specifically they are concerned about the thousands of children who are exposed to alcohol commercials during popular television shows, such as the Simpsons, Home and Away and "Corrie".Needless to say, Alcohol Concern want all booze adverts banned before 9pm.
Alcohol Concern chief executive Srabani Sen said:
"A watershed ban is the only way to give parents
the peace of mind of knowing that their children
can be kept safe from the influence of advertising."
The above point fails to address the realities of life in the real world:
- Children watch TV after 9PM
- Booze is featured in many TV programmes eg Corrie, the Simpsons etc. No doubt they will then call for booze to be banned from the Simpsons.
- The teenagers who are "running amok" on booze don't need TV to encourage them to drink
- The parents of the teenagers who are running amok, know full well that they are running amok but have abrogated their responsibility as parents
- To hide something away as "adult" makes it even more appealing to children. I well remember as a teenager whenever BBC2 showed an "adult" foreign film, viewing figures amongst my peer group (not normally interested in French/Swedish culture) would rocket
- Kids drink because they are given the money to buy the stuff, cut back on their allowances and they won't be able to afford it.
Now that would make for some interesting scripts - the Rover's Return without booze! Emmerdale without the Woolpack! East Enders without the Queen V ... er, oh, hang on. East Enders and scripts - do those concept fit together?
ReplyDeleteCan't quite see how the primary offenders would be influenced by ads on the telly. Most of them seem to be out on the streets pissed when the adverts are on.
Now, if they banned Army recruitment ads on the basis that they are a certain risk to one's health and safety if anyone is influenced to follow their lead ...
grant said,
ReplyDelete"...if they banned Army recruitment ads...a certain risk to one's health and safety..."
On a similar basis, they should ban Party Political broadcasts; we all know what happens when people are influenced by them. Perhaps politicians should be tattoed with a warning label on their foreheads?
Calls for a prewatershed alcohol ad ban are a smokescreen for the anti alcohol lobbys main goal which is a total ban on all alcohol advertising anytime anywhere.
ReplyDeleteBanning alcohol ads when children may be watching is part of the anti alcohol lobbys aim to fill children's heads with the idea that even social occasional drinking bad for them so that when they become adults they will choose to not let a single drop of alcohol touch their lips ever!
This is part of a much wider aim to harden public attitudes to even social and occasional moderate drinking which the anti alcohol lobby hopes will result in more and more people giving up drinking booze completly.
Then when that happens they will push for their ultimate big aim....
TOTAL PROHIBTION!!!
The neo prohibtionists are alive and well in Great Britain!
The problem is once they've banned alcohol what will they ban next?
ReplyDeleteIt seems that this government won't be happy until we are a nation of drones. Just work, sleep then die before we become a drain on society.
Maybe parents should do what I do - get rid of the TV and spend time with their children instead of letting them watch hours and hours of rubblish programs....
ReplyDeleteNo TV = a life!!
Tonk said...
ReplyDeleteThe problem is once they've banned alcohol what will they ban next?
Meat
archroy said...
ReplyDelete"Tonk said...
The problem is once they've banned alcohol what will they ban next?
Meat "
Maybe.
Or Sex.
Ban Sex gives, inter alia, a reduced population resulting in less meat, CO2 output, ability to meet Son-of-Kyoto targets without being 'fined', solves waste disposal problems and so on.
Of course all of that rather depends on controlling immigration but a well enforced and intrusive method of ensuring sex is prevented might just dissuade people from attempting to get here.
So, there you have it. All problems, including single parent chavs, solved in one easy to understand rule.
(OK, it may not obviously solve a long term pensions problem but I'm sure the attitudes of any remaining populace could easily be trampled on. After all if they were prepared to abandon sex why would they be worried about a state pension?)
Grant:
ReplyDeleteNanny has already banned sex by making people work so hard to pay the increased taxes levied they are too knackered to have sex!!
Please don't give Nanny anymore ideas!!lol
Tonk, you are assuming that there are few people who do not work and have little else to do with their time except fornicate, get drunk and do drugs, etc. That could be a dangerous assumption.
ReplyDeleteYou are also assuming that Nanny's new ideas sometimes have true meaning and purpose and may even be 'new' rather than the usual meaningless pap that could best be described as flogging a dead horse - for both meanings of the word 'flogging'.
Grant
Naive in the extreme?
ReplyDeleteExtreme in the naive!
To hide something away as "adult" makes it even more appealing to children.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ken! I've been saying this myself since I was a teenager in the 1970s, and becoming first a mother and now a grandmother has only reinforced my opinion.
I've come to feel that most of the people unable to grasp this concept have no experience of raising children and do not clearly remember their own childhoods. Unfortunately, these now seem to be precisely the people who have the biggest say in how the rest of us are permitted to raise our children!
(The requested word verification for this comment is "fucyu". Can I sue for insulting language? ;-) )