Honest poster campaign

Please all, this is very important to our safety and security in the coming years. Please print out and post around your local area, the minds you save could be invaluable

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/03/26...the-paran.html

And remember:

[Humble Janitor]

Oh my goodness! i could barely contain my laughter and I actually get the dry humor implied in these posters.

They're GENIUS!

[Steve_A]

Hi Steve_G,

I'm not quite sure what to make of this thread. I'm not sure what is being implied.

The posters at Boing Boing are parodies of posters being put on the street by the police for people to report anything suspicious.

The police posters, it could be argued, artistically speaking, are leaving a lot to be desired but the message is clear. Be vigilante.

I think this is no different than the good old 'Neighbourhood Watch' program from when I was a kid, where stickers were placed in house windows of an eye and the message to potential criminals "You are entering a neighbourhood watch area".

Now I think the police are trying to reach a broader public, especially in the Greater London area where neighbourhoods are becoming more anonymous, to be vigilant.

Of course I may have missed the boat on this one as I really didn't understand the message behind the thread in the first place.

Best regards,

Steve

Originally Posted by Steve_G

Please all, this is very important to our safety and security in the coming years. Please print out and post around your local area, the minds you save could be invaluable

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/03/26...the-paran.html

And remember:

[Humble Janitor]

Well in the US, we don't use dorky images to imply a neighborhood watch. All we have is the image of a stranger with a trenchcoat and a hat and a number to call.

[Lorien]

Originally Posted by Steve_A

Hi Steve_G,

I'm not quite sure what to make of this thread. I'm not sure what is being implied.

The posters at Boing Boing are parodies of posters being put on the street by the police for people to report anything suspicious.

The police posters, it could be argued, artistically speaking, are leaving a lot to be desired but the message is clear. Be vigilante.

I think this is no different than the good old 'Neighbourhood Watch' program from when I was a kid, where stickers were placed in house windows of an eye and the message to potential criminals "You are entering a neighbourhood watch area".

Now I think the police are trying to reach a broader public, especially in the Greater London area where neighbourhoods are becoming more anonymous, to be vigilant.

Of course I may have missed the boat on this one as I really didn't understand the message behind the thread in the first place.

Best regards,

Steve

Steve,

There is a difference in being vigilante and telling people to go through your neighbors trash to see if they have anything suspicious, which is what they are telling people to do. The whole campaign advocates invasion of privacy and will result in people getting harassed by police for no reason.

They are parodies like you said. The idea is to laugh. The winks are meant to indicate that it was not a serious thread.

There are deeper issues behind them though- posters advocating spying on your neighbours cos the might be terrorists is very Orwellian. The bin posters are a swipe at councils using anti-terror powers to spy on and fine residents they suspect of putting out their bins too early, or over-filling them. More and more Big Brother control and mind manipulation.

Lets not forget that the real posters promote an atmosphere of fear, distrust and suspicion. They promote the idea that terrorists lurk behind every bush and bus stop, more propaganda being rammed into the subconcious following the 7/7 false flag operation. Just another weapon in the War For (not On) Terror.

Neighbourhood watch, a community organisation devoted to preventing crime such as burglary and vandalism (a very positive idea) is hardly the same thing.

As for the police poster displayed directly in the thread, what on earth is the value of that if it isn't to intimidate people into keeping their mouths shut? Especially after plans to put microphones on lamp-posts are in the pipeline. What justification have they given for that? Catching terrorists, as though these mythical Al Qaeda cells do their planning in the middle of the street!

You've GOT to laugh, surely!

Originally Posted by Humble Janitor

Well in the US, we don't use dorky images to imply a neighborhood watch. All we have is the image of a stranger with a trenchcoat and a hat and a number to call.

Sounds more like CIA Watch

Still, better than images of a guy who looks like the Hamburgler

[Czymra]

The posters at Boing Boing are parodies of posters being put on the street by the police for people to report anything suspicious.

The police posters, it could be argued, artistically speaking, are leaving a lot to be desired but the message is clear. Be vigilante.

I think this is no different than the good old 'Neighbourhood Watch' program from when I was a kid, where stickers were placed in house windows of an eye and the message to potential criminals "You are entering a neighbourhood watch area".

Yes... and no. No and yes.
I'm sure that some people read the message like this and if you then do join up with your neighbour to be more friendly and watchful, then great. However I have the sensation that these posters are more about the kind of stasi 'anyone could be the enemy' attitude that divides people.

Remember:
"WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH."
-1984

[Humble Janitor]

[Steve_A]

Hi Steve_G,

That poster in your first post is some sort of police pledge, as much as I can see from the image. Is it that the police pledge that they will always say that to you when they question you about anything?

What does the whole poster say?

It's funny but it seems that Boing Boing is suggesting all of these subversive elements to the police posters. Is it Boing Boing who is the real one trying to influence the reader?

Best regards,

Steve

Originally Posted by Steve_G

They are parodies like you said. The idea is to laugh. The winks are meant to indicate that it was not a serious thread.

There are deeper issues behind them though- posters advocating spying on your neighbours cos the might be terrorists is very Orwellian. The bin posters are a swipe at councils using anti-terror powers to spy on and fine residents they suspect of putting out their bins too early, or over-filling them. More and more Big Brother control and mind manipulation.

Lets not forget that the real posters promote an atmosphere of fear, distrust and suspicion. They promote the idea that terrorists lurk behind every bush and bus stop, more propaganda being rammed into the subconcious following the 7/7 false flag operation. Just another weapon in the War For (not On) Terror.

Neighbourhood watch, a community organisation devoted to preventing crime such as burglary and vandalism (a very positive idea) is hardly the same thing.

As for the police poster displayed directly in the thread, what on earth is the value of that if it isn't to intimidate people into keeping their mouths shut? Especially after plans to put microphones on lamp-posts are in the pipeline. What justification have they given for that? Catching terrorists, as though these mythical Al Qaeda cells do their planning in the middle of the street!

You've GOT to laugh, surely!

[Steve_A]

Hi Humble Janitor,

The next time I see a Dick Dastardley sort of character I will now immediately telephone the police.

Best regards,

Steve

Originally Posted by Humble Janitor

[Czymra]

Steve_A, the poster at the start of this thread may not be the best example. I hear you on your thoughts, maybe the police and government are truthfully our friends and we just freak out. It is indeed an alien grassroots agenda!

This poster expresses the concern better:

[Dantheman62]

HaHa Steve A, man you must've skipped that class in school, Humor 101, but when you do attempt being funny, I laugh because it's so dry!, LOL, You need to come and hang out with me for a couple weeks!, LOL, Oh you too Czymra, bwaHaHaHa

Originally Posted by Steve_A

Hi Steve_G,

That poster in your first post is some sort of police pledge, as much as I can see from the image. Is it that the police pledge that they will always say that to you when they question you about anything?

What does the whole poster say?

It's funny but it seems that Boing Boing is suggesting all of these subversive elements to the police posters. Is it Boing Boing who is the real one trying to influence the reader?

Best regards,

Steve

It's part of a formal police caution. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say..." I'm not sure if that's 100% correct wording but it's along those lines.

I have no idea what it says in the small writing at the bottom as i didn't take the pic, but from a psychological pov it doesn't matter- the initial impact is what counts. For example:

WE ARE WATCHING
FOOTBALL THIS EVENING ON SKY SPORTS AT 7.30PM

Imagine sseing that on a poster from 20 metres away- are you gonna get the impression a match is on? Or would you be looking for the cameras?

Mind control / emotional manipulation technique, I would suggest in this case designed to instill feelings of tension, anxiety and guilt. Even if you stop to read the small print and it's completely benign the initial emotional impact has still been absorbed.

I would guess that Boing is trying to lessen the impact through the use of humour- laughter is great at breaking tension and relaxing people, the opposite of what the original posters are designed to achieve.

Or it might just be "ze famous English sense of humour"

[Jack]

Originally Posted by Humble Janitor

Ha! How many criminals do you see dressin up like Jack the Ripper these dayz.

[Egg]

True jack true - they more likely to be dressed as your local Dr or patio specialist.

Yup, much more benign in nature, though it still stems from the 9/11 and 7/7 false flag attacks.

Stick a melting watch on there and it could be a Salvador Dali print.

Originally Posted by Czymra

Steve_A, the poster at the start of this thread may not be the best example. I hear you on your thoughts, maybe the police and government are truthfully our friends and we just freak out. It is indeed an alien grassroots agenda!

This poster expresses the concern better:

Originally Posted by Egg

True jack true - they more likely to be dressed as your local Dr or patio specialist.

Now THAT is dark humour!

[Humble Janitor]

Originally Posted by Steve_A

Hi Humble Janitor,

The next time I see a Dick Dastardley sort of character I will now immediately telephone the police.

Best regards,

Steve

Yeah and keep an eye out for Muttley too!