Do you find these billboards offensive?

finty · 15-06-2012 1:46pm

OP I'd love to see the text of your complaint if you'd like to put it up.

I hope its got more substance than you were offended or that you dont agree with their point of view.

Also can you explain how the phrase used in the ad is a lie.....to me it looks like an opinion

finty · 15-06-2012 1:48pm

Feeona wrote: »

Looks like Stephen Fry is offended by anyone who gets offended. His quote is just one big whine!

I'm offended by your deliberate misinterpretation of Mr Fry's words.

Irish Guitarist · 15-06-2012 1:51pm

So apparently this is offensive because the word 'always' isn't accurate. I don't expect any advertisement or public awareness campaign to be wholly accurate.

Every year I see advertisements saying "great gift for fathers day". This is untrue because 1) my father is dead 2) even if he was alive the item is usually something like a Status Quo CD; my father thought anything recorded after about 1945 that wasn't by The Dubliners was a load of rubbish. Should I complain to the ASAI about these misleading advertisements?

Shenshen · 15-06-2012 1:51pm

Feeona wrote: »

Looks like Stephen Fry is offended by anyone who gets offended. His quote is just one big whine!

I think he isn't so much offended as annoyed...

Shenshen · 15-06-2012 1:54pm

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

So apparently this is offensive because the word 'always' isn't accurate. I don't expect any advertisement or public awareness campaign to be wholly accurate.

Every year I see advertisements saying "great gift for fathers day". This is untrue because 1) my father is dead 2) even if he was alive the item is usually something like a Status Quo CD; my father thought anything recorded after about 1945 that wasn't by The Dubliners was a load of rubbish. Should I complain to the ASAI about these misleading advertisements?

It's purely hypothetical, but I don't think people would be this annoyed about the billboard if it hasd said "Not aborting is a great idea".

If you can't tell the differenct between an ad saying "Great gift for Father's Day" and "Always buy this CD for Father's Day", I'm afraid you're beyong my language teaching skills.

sbsquarepants · 15-06-2012 1:59pm

finty wrote: »

I dont support the campaign or have any time for the pro-life brigade

.......but can you explain how using the word always makes it a blatant lie??

Is it not obvious?
Because there's not always a better option. There may be always a different option, but that doesn't neccesarily make it a better one.

I find the adds quite offensive, i have to say. But, there's life.
They are allowed offend me with their god bothering, their fairytail spouting bolloxology and their very tasteless protests as you try go about your business in town, and i am allowed to offend them by saying their sky wizzard is a figment of their tiny little imaginations and they are just going to rot and decay like any random badger squashed by a truck. All their pious, sanctimonious, sacred arse kissing and harrasment of poor women who've found themselves in difficult circumstances is basically a waste of a life, and a measure of their patheticness.
That's the beauty of free speech isn't it.

Irish Guitarist · 15-06-2012 2:11pm

Shenshen wrote: »

It's purely hypothetical, but I don't think people would be this annoyed about the billboard if it hasd said "Not aborting is a great idea".

If you can't tell the differenct between an ad saying "Great gift for Father's Day" and "Always buy this CD for Father's Day", I'm afraid you're beyong my language teaching skills.

Of course people would be annoyed. The people that find anti abortion campaigns offensive will find them offensive regardless of the wording. If the billboard had said "not aborting is a great idea" there would be a thread here complaining that they should have added "for some people" or "in some cases".

prinz · 15-06-2012 2:14pm

Shenshen wrote: »

It's purely hypothetical, but I don't think people would be this annoyed about the billboard if it hasd said "Not aborting is a great idea"..

If that were true you wouldn't have a number of the most offended posters here referring to the organisation's "agenda"... also I don't see how "Not aborting is a great idea" would be less 'emotionally manipulative' than the current wording tbh.

sbsquarepants · 15-06-2012 2:24pm

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

Of course people would be annoyed. The people that find anti abortion campaigns offensive will find them offensive regardless of the wording. If the billboard had said "not aborting is a great idea" there would be a thread here complaining that they should have added "for some people" or "in some cases".

True.
But then you have to also ask who is this campaign aimed at. Most women who have had abortions would have wrestled with the idea quite a bit before making up their mind. Everybody, and i mean everybody, knows what the options are.
It's not like this add is in anyway informative, it just causes unneccesary pain to people who either have made, or have to make this decision. I can't imagine that some young woman will be on her way to the abortion clinic, see this add and go "oh look, there's always a better option, i wonder what that is?"
It's god botherers sticking their noses in and making nuisances of themselves, and that is ALL it is!

Zulu · 15-06-2012 2:25pm

sbsquarepants wrote: »

It's god botherers sticking their noses in and making nuisances of themselves, and that is ALL it is!

Is this ad paid for by the church or something? Where's the "god botherers" coming from?

uch · 15-06-2012 2:37pm

Why don't you pay for yer own Billboard saying "Abortion, sure it's yer only man" that should piss a few off

Shenshen · 15-06-2012 2:38pm

prinz wrote: »

If that were true you wouldn't have a number of the most offended posters here referring to the organisation's "agenda"... also I don't see how "Not aborting is a great idea" would be less 'emotionally manipulative' than the current wording tbh.

As I said before, emotionally manipulative is fine. It's what advertising lives of.
Lying on the other hand isn't.

Zulu · 15-06-2012 2:44pm

Shenshen wrote: »

Lying on the other hand isn't.

Where's the lie though? Therein lies your problem.

sbsquarepants · 15-06-2012 2:55pm

Zulu wrote: »

Is this ad paid for by the church or something? Where's the "god botherers" coming from?

It's paid for by youth defence. Possibly the most bothersome of all the god botherers.

Ellis Dee · 15-06-2012 3:04pm

That poster doesn't offend me. They are as entitled to their whacko opinions as rational people like us are to our sensible ones. Anyway, it's highly unlikely that a woman needing an abortion will be greatly influenced by those thuggish little jerkoffs who seem to get off on shoving foetus porn in people's faces; she will go to England anyway.:)

Rather than offending me, the poster actually saddens me a little, because it makes me wonder why those Youth Defence eejits can't get a life and stop trying to stick their noses into others' business.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

It also makes me wonder where the money - a lot of it - for the advertising space is coming from. Surely they could find a lot of other things to do with it - such as give it to the St. Vincent de Paul Society or some other deserving charity that does good work.;);)

OldNotWIse · 15-06-2012 3:06pm

People who are too easily offended offend me

We've such a culture of entitlement, sensitivity and self-righteousness in this country.

CrazyRabbit · 15-06-2012 5:49pm

bluewolf wrote: »

Not having a child you can't give a good life to is taking responsibility; it's just an option you personally don't like

as for calling it "easy", you must be joking

Fact is...people get pregnant because they didn't use birth control. They then don't want to take the difficult responsibility of raising a child so they take the easier option of terminating the life of the foetus. Perhaps I should have said 'easier' in instead of 'easy' in my OP...my bad.

Taking the easier route & killing a foetus/future baby is not taking responsibility. It's a selfish act. The only genuine reasons I can think of for an abortion is to protect the life of the mother or for victims of rape. There may be other exceptions though.

I've been trying to find this pic I seen recently about this topic. It was a Facebook status update from some women joking about her 18th abortion & having a party to celebrate. Am I the only one that finds that so wrong?

thebostoncrab · 15-06-2012 6:04pm

Zulu wrote: »

Shenshen wrote: »

Lying on the other hand isn't.

Where's the lie though? Therein lies your problem.

It's been said to you several different times already. Stating that there is "always" a bette answer is the lie, because it's sims not true. It lumps every single abortion case into one category, no exemptions. That's the lie.

As I type this the ad is now on display in Bus Aras, and it's beginning to boil my blood. While the op has an issue with the wording, I personally have a problem with the whole thing. To be honest I don't support any form of political or religious adversiments outside of a private establishment. Support groups are fine, but this is not a support group. I only ask for a retaliation group campaign just to allow both sides of the issue to be displayed out of protest.

Nodin · 15-06-2012 6:05pm

LisaLee wrote: »

I've spotted these billboard ads for Youth Defence popping up around the city centre, and personally find them offensive.

http://www.youthdefence.ie/am_cms_media/tears-billboard-mk2.jpg

Anyone I've spoken to about them doesn't like them, finds them offensive or emotionally manipulative and I've reported it to the ASAI (The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland).

I wondered what the general public thought about these ads?

In and of itself, its fairly tame, tbh.

tiny_penguin · 15-06-2012 6:26pm

There is one in sandymount dart station I just passed, not the one in the OP but the one with the picture of the foetus and it's covered in graffiti. Stuff like 'no it doesn't as it was never born'

I wouldn't say the ads are offensive but I do not think they are appropriate. There is something terribly unsettling and I would think that the ads could be extremely upsetting for someone who had recently been through an abortion for medical reasons or even personal reasons. The use of the word always is most definitely inappropriate and incorrect.

Jester252 · 15-06-2012 6:53pm

nope. The billboard doesn't attack any group of people so I fail to see the problem

partyatmygaff · 15-06-2012 6:53pm

None of this would have happened if the advert was written as:

ABORTION TEARS HER LIFE APART

THERE'S ALWAYS A BETTER OPTION*

*Terms and conditions may apply

Zulu · 15-06-2012 8:13pm

thebostoncrab wrote: »

It's been said to you several different times already. Stating that there is "always" a bette answer is the lie,...

Hrumfph you missed the point, I'd suggest trying again but I fear it'll be in vain. It's not a lie if you believe that life is better than death...

mauzo · 15-06-2012 8:30pm

Doesnt bother me at all.

Its much less offensive than some posters Ive seen hanging up around Dublin city centre before. Graphic images that purposely set out to disgust and offend.

If this is that toned down, then great.

I havent read all the thread but I dont see whats offensive about it.

Rocket19 · 15-06-2012 9:03pm

tiny_penguin wrote: »

There is one in sandymount dart station I just passed, not the one in the OP but the one with the picture of the foetus and it's covered in graffiti. Stuff like 'no it doesn't as it was never born'

I wouldn't say the ads are offensive but I do not think they are appropriate. There is something terribly unsettling and I would think that the ads could be extremely upsetting for someone who had recently been through an abortion for medical reasons or even personal reasons. The use of the word always is most definitely inappropriate and incorrect.

Yeah, I saw them in the dart stations too. The 'mother' one in Dalkey, and the 'baby' in Glenageary. It didn't offend me, but I did think "wtf?". They just seem pointless, and not even 'educational' or informative (from a "pro-life" perpective).
Of course, I don't agree with their stance anyway, but the posters aren't even thought-provoking. The only thing they will achieve (imo) is to perhaps upset women who've already gone through with abortions. They're not going to challenge opinions.

Fenian Army · 15-06-2012 11:05pm

People confuse being offended with disagreeing way too much, get over yourselves

Kitty-kitty · 15-06-2012 11:33pm

I've seen these in Heuston. I don't care about advertising anywhere else but being that Irish Rail is semi-state I object to them there.

partyatmygaff · 15-06-2012 11:35pm

Kitty-kitty wrote: »

I've seen these in Heuston. I don't care about advertising anywhere else but being that Irish Rail is semi-state I object to them there.

How does Irish rail being semi-state make a difference?

Notwithstanding the fact that the billboards aren't really all that offensive and that Irish law does not allow for elective abortion, I don't see any reason for complaint.

Kitty-kitty · 15-06-2012 11:37pm

I just don't think it's a government body's place to accept money to advertise political views. If the ad had been pro choice I would feel the exact same.

Terry · 16-06-2012 12:17am

eth0 wrote: »

Billboards of any kind offend me. Fooking american advertising culture making its way in. Good there are relatively few in Ireland at the minute

Hmm. Sarcasm, trolling or ignorance.
I'm a bit rusty.

pickarooney wrote: »

An ad telling you not to let yourself be manipulated. The periodic table doesn't have an element heavy enough for me to add -ic to and use as an adjective to describe that

I get jokes.

LisaLee wrote: »

By saying that "There's ALWAYS a better answer" pushes the idea that abortion is completely wrong, which their oganisation preaches. If it was changed to 'sometimes' then it completely changes the argument.

I have seen anti-abortion campaigns, protests etc. But they are not there every day, and I'm not stuck looking at them. Whereas by launching an advertising campaign which is advertised in buses, the luas and Busaras, you are stuck looking at them.

That's only one of the posters/billboards in this campaign, on their site they have this one too.
http://www.youthdefence.ie/am_cms_media/babillboard-launch07.jpg

I don't like being targeted on my commute for some group's personal agenda, I find the wording offensive and the way in which it is emotionally manipulative. So to me, that is offensive. I know it may not offend everyone, c'est la vie!

That's the same picture.

finty wrote: »

Offended are you? :rolleyes:

http://i.imgur.com/sAXR2.jpg

Well if Stephen Fry said that, then something something or something.

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

I don't agree with it, but Freedom of Speech FTW.
To be honest I don't agree with banning anything on grounds of offensiveness. Offensiveness is a very abstract concept and people will b!tch about almost anything these days.

Freedom of speech is not guaranteed under the Irish constitution, or boards.ie or Irish internet laws. Nor should it be.

Freedom of rational speech should be allowed.
Freedom to use scare tactics to ensure people follow your specific agenda should be completely outlawed.

As for the topic at hand; I'm a man. If I was to get a woman pregnant, then I'd like for her to keep the child.
If she didn't want to give birth, then I'd respect her decision to have an abortion. It would bother me, but I wouldn't try to stop her, and I firmly believe that there should be no laws stopping her from aborting an unwanted foetus.

Do you find these billboards offensive?

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