News UK Burnout advert 'irresponsible'

I'm with the ASA, actually. They're not picking on the game at all, just an advert in the mainstream media with a message that runs contra to the current driving responsibility ads.

We all complain about being victimised, but in this case, I think the ad itself was doing the community more harm than the authorities' attempts to ban the ad. Just the ad. The ASA can't ban a game.

OK, to us the ad is witty, but out of context it's offensive to some folk, and while I'm all in favour of offending people, it should at least have some other value... this doesn't. As the article said, the game was released a while back anyway. That's not a reason to defend the ad, quite the contrary! It's too late for the ad to serve its intended purpose, and it's bugging people, so why bother with it?

37 complaints is actually reasonably high here, especially for a low-circulation ad (well, I haven't seen it yet).
Take the recent Eastenders furore. A woman's chained to a bed & threatened with a caesarian, with no pre-show warning, high percentage of young viewers... 80 complaints. 37 for an advert, then, is pretty huge.
I'd say therefore it's indicative of a relatively high proportion of people who see the ad being irked by it. 5000 people in the US? Well, the US is BIGGER. Also, the US culture is more... outspoken.

Sure, billboards might be worse... so they're bad. That doesn't make this good.

 

Oh, and I'll add that we're trying to combat "gang culture" over here, apparently... frankly, I don't want ANYTHING hitting the screens for a while that appears to glorify it. I'm sick to death of the govt. looking for excuses for stop & search legislation, ID cards, banning knife sales (not just offensive knives, practical ones, I actually DO have a legit reason for carry. A Spyderco Assist that's the most impractical object you could imagine for offensive use, but utterly illegal apparently)... I'd love to see a little media responsibility & similar, let's not exacerbate matters and provide excuses. If there was any value to the ad I'd support it, but for the sake of sales? What are you supporting here, exactly?

 

My mate got stopped for carrying a leatherman, crazy thing is he's a stage tech, had all the id to say he was one, even had the programme to show he'd just finished a show. Still got stopped and given the spanish inquisition. So yeah i understand your frustration at the government. But still "inner peace through outer violence" is a retarded slogan.

 

Am I the only one who doesn't know what this means? Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics, Pacific Coast Bus Service, Polychlorinated biphenyls, Post Critical Belief Scale? Help me out here!

 

Printed Circuit Boards.

 

I'm going with Political Correctness Bull S**t

 

Huh? I'm concerned! I carry two knives with me everywhere, one for rough work, and another for finer stuff.
And one is lockable.


H.B.

 

I too carry a selection of knives on my person and have done ever since I worked as a chainsaw salesman. The standard swiss army mountaineer has two blades, but I also used to carry a small thumb-flick knife and torch on my keyring for, as hugo says, rough work. I also have a leatherman, but I leave it at home with my sword

Your friend obviously got stopped for having the knife on display - not illegal, but it'll get you stopped. I keep my knife in my pocket and haven't had a trouble with it in years. Buy him a shirt and tell him to keep it untucked, thus hiding the leatherman pouch.

 

You're a man! ^^^
I carry an Opinel No.8(high carbon blade), and a generic non-locking wooden handled knife bought at a fishing town for £7.00.


H.B.

 

i have with me about all the time 3 multi tools, a swiss card, a small multi tool in the form of pliers and a generic swiss knife, they are very useful, especially in use with electronics.

 

Opinel aye? I have an Opinel 7 at home I think, nice long slightly curved blade, I had to get one after I lived with a german guy at University who used his for everything. Eating, cooking, hunting - everything. I wouldn't have been surprised if he wiped his ass with it, the crazy ex-tank commander.

 

Mine was Politically Correct Bull S**t but the above quote conveys what it means.