Ban Movie Promotions That Show Guns

[Selclene Southeast]

As a Londoner through and through and a parent, I have noticed recently that our lives are changing for the better in terms of how we are bombarded with advertisements and images in our daily lives. Gone are the 30foot billboards on every corner which promoted smoking and drinking, yet I believe we can go one step further and ban movie advertisements which show guns and knives and explosions on billboards, posters and BUSES!. I for one feel that our daily lives do not need images on the sides of the London Bus of actors waving machine guns, shooting others and explosions of cars and buildings, simply because it 'sells'. What kind of message does it send to communities when buses are covered with acts of violence and gore? I think that we should look at this subject very carefully-If we can ban smoking and drinking ads, we can surely ban guns being advertised and promoted? Any thoughts on this subject would be most appreciated.

[Nigello]

Logical but not for a ban, more of a partial one based on proximity to schools and colleges, not on public transport but only in publications meant for adults or in 15 trailers at the flicks.

[Selclene Southeast]

I do agree. But I still do not understand as to why we have an increasing problem with gun crime and violence- Why do we promote it on the side of public transport?

[robbin]

Seriously?

[malumbu]

How would you go about this? How would you get popular support? Would politicians join in? What would the masses say? What would you do about video games which are already available to most kids irrespective of controls.

Not that I have an issue with the concept. Sadly as a society we glorify knives, guns, crime, gangs, dangerous driving etc, and this sells books, games, TV series, films, merchandise etc.

Controls on booze and fag ads only happened because most other things failed.

And where there is money to be made capitalism doesn't care!

[rendelharris]

This chap's got a gun and there's a big explosion, is this poster promoting violence and does it send a bad message to the community?

[Loz]

Selclene Southeast Wrote:

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> As a Londoner through and through and a parent,

I always love when people feel the need to tell everyone they are a parent before expressing their opinion on a matter. It really does help.

[rendelharris]

Ooh, be careful - last time I suggested that I might care as much about children in Syria despite not being a parent I got well and truly hauled over the coals!

[miga]

Should we also make news run after the watershed so kids aren't exposed to the idea that the world we live in is a violent one?

[Selclene Southeast]

Personally, and it is my personal view, sometimes you have to read between the lines and take a really good look at our surroundings. We are, subconsciously being trained to live in fear and told 'not to fear or be afraid'- That we have nothing to fear, but fear itself! Seriously, I for one do not appreciate having to explain to my children 'why can't I play with a gun' as we do our food or clothing shopping as plastic guns are on the shelves as 'toys'. Really disturbing, truly.

[Nigello]

News at home can - and must - be overseen and possibly censored by parents: that's a reasonable request.

[jimlad48]

I had a toy gun as a kid, all my friends did too. Running around in the woods shouting 'bang' was great fun. Didnt make any of us mass murderers (yet)...

[robbin]

Quite - and back in the day (1970s) every weekend there were still WW2 war films on the telly and we watched those. Still never bought and carried an illegal shooter or stabbing blade as a consequence of that.

Methinks you need to look at other far more important factors contributing to the recent rise in armed violence. If you are seriously thinking it's about adverts on buses, or plastic toy guns, I fear you are, well... deluded.

[malumbu]

There was a documentary once about someone being shot, what happens to the flesh when the bullet goes in, how the body reacts to protect essential organs and stem the massive blood loss. Gruesome stuff and not the cowboys and indians I my misguided youth.

Dunno what we do as a civilised society to move away from this, when guns and gun ownership is celebrated across much of the world and life is often so cheap. Killers in America work seven days a week.

[Selclene Southeast]

All of the following are contributing factors to the modern day violence in our society today- Violent adverts all around us- Buses, Billboards, TV, Music and Computer Games have taken it to a different level of violent imagery. When we were young and played with toy guns we were not also bombarded with violent images, even on the news.

All I am saying that the London Bus is as iconic as the Union Jack, the Beefeater, the Crown and as British as the Lion and the Unicorn. You wouldn't adorn any of those with images of violence would you? - NO.

[Loz]

Selclene Southeast Wrote:

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> All I am saying that the London Bus is as iconic

> as the Union Jack, the Beefeater, the Crown and as

> British as the Lion and the Unicorn. You wouldn't

> adorn any of those with images of violence would

> you? - NO.

That's possibly the silliest argument I've seen in a while.

[rendelharris]

Selclene Southeast Wrote:

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> All I am saying that the London Bus is as iconic

> as the Union Jack, the Beefeater, the Crown and as

> British as the Lion and the Unicorn. You wouldn't

> adorn any of those with images of violence would

> you? - NO.

For many former colonial countries, all those images you mention (except maybe the Beefeaters) are intimately associated with violence, no adornment needed. There are even seventeenth/eighteenth century verses about the lion (England) and the unicorn (Scotland) beating each other up for supremacy!

[Selclene Southeast]

>That's possibly the silliest argument I've seen in a while.

Silly? maybe...But it does get under your skin don't it? When you actually think about it.

:)

[robbin]

Selclene Southeast Wrote:

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> All I am saying that the London Bus is as iconic

> as the Union Jack, the Beefeater, the Crown and as

> British as the Lion and the Unicorn. You wouldn't

> adorn any of those with images of violence would

> you? - NO.

Eh?!! Is that really what you were saying? That's a bit odd, and no, I don't suppose I would adorn the Union Jack or a kindly Beefeater with a violent image. Not quite sure of the basis upon which you think anyone could or even would want to do that though!

[robbin]

Selclene Southeast Wrote:

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> >That's possibly the silliest argument I've seen

> in a while.

>

> Silly? maybe...But it does get under your skin

> don't it? When you actually think about it.

>

> Grammar aside, I'm not sure you should be proud of advancing such a daft argument that the abject silliness of it gets under someone's skin!

When I 'actually think about it' the 'argument' just appears even weirder and more abysmal!

[Loz]

Selclene Southeast Wrote:

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> >That's possibly the silliest argument I've seen

> >in a while.

>

> Silly? maybe...But it does get under your skin

> don't it? When you actually think about it.

When I thought about it more, I asked myself:

The London Bus is as iconic as the Union Jack, the Beefeater, the Crown and as

British as the Lion and the Unicorn. But you wouldn't travel in any of these to get to work in the morning, no!

And then I considered... you wouldn't put your head in a microwave, so why would you put your food in there?

And then I thought you wouldn't out other pets like a cat or dog in a bowl full of water, so why you you put your goldfish in one?

And then I realised that it was, indeed, a pretty silly argument.

[Blah Blah]

The thing is, that most people (including children) know the difference between a poster advertising fiction, and real life. This argument about movies, and advertising and so on has been going on for years.

[JohnL]

That's the starting edge of Puritanism and I know where it'll lead sorry.

all the below can be argued.

'Seeing people in pubs and smoking in the street might encourage youngsters to do so'

'horror movies maybe seen by children (some are PG anyway - and quite gory'

'Video games show horrendous violence'

'allowing children to see alcohol around the house normalizes drinking'

loads more but a society that banned this would be totalitarian

[malumbu]

It's the union flag numpties.

In the early series he could fly, and unless my memory fails one or two kids hurled themself of buildings to their death so they changed that. I am sure that I remember another series of the time when the heroes had to explain to the kids at the end of each episode that they couldnt really do the things they did on the telly and don'd do this at home. Help me someone as I am sure these are both true but can't find any confirmation.

Ignore the union flag, as I am just being pompous.

[maxxi]

malumbu Wrote:

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> Killers in America work seven

> days a week.

Nice Clash quote M.

I remember Adam West's Batman warning kids that he and Robin couldn't really do etc etc.