We interrupt this LJ for a commercial break

[sabotabby]

I'll post soon about my most exciting evening, but for now, here are some words from our sponsors.

First up...here's a questionable ad for a good cause.





Perhaps there's another way to read this. But I'm reading it as, "if you get AIDS, you clearly don't have any self-respect." I don't think that's the intent of the ad—I hope not! But I can't figure out what else they're trying to say.

It's in the subway. I don't like looking at it.

The other one makes no sense, but I found it amusing.





I went to the guy's MySpace, which expresses a similar sentiment.

This sounds like fun for a guinea pig.

Up next: A Batshit Insane Adventure.

Comments

[jvmatucha.livejournal.com]

I'm sure that AIDS ad was made by some execs who were trying to find a "hook", or a nifty "catch", rather than trying to actually imply anything.

The AIDS prevention ads around here usually feature half-naked guys holding up condoms. (But then again, this is the San Fran Frisky area...)

:)

I should take some pics of the flyers around here. A lot of them are quite amusing! :D

[sabotabby]

There were some awesome ones a few years ago: Hot cowboys of various ethnicities, in the style of Marboro ads, with the caption, "Welcome to Condom Country." It was like all the good parts of Brokeback Mountain without the boring movie part.

Some people got upset or something.

[ironed_orchid]

Man, I want ads like that.

[caprinus.livejournal.com]

Oh, I just brought that ad up below. So you thought the gay cowboys were awesome?

I suppose then that an "awesome" version of this ad = something a la United Colours of Benneton, with "hot" half-dressed black girls with other assorted shades of males mixed in, in a sweaty cluster embrace modelled on a still from a late-night BET rap video and the slogan "Keep it Real Yo! Condoms in the City!"

Please discuss whether awesomeness matters for preventing HIV infections.

[sabotabby]

The only thing that matters in terms of advertising AIDS prevention is a) effectiveness, and b) not contributing to a climate of fear or hostility regarding people living with HIV/AIDS.

A better version of this ad might be something like "Respect yourself—Use a condom." It's actually the text I'm objecting to, not the image.

[sadie-sabot.livejournal.com]

I think it means that girls who respect themselves don't have sex, and thus, don't get AIDS. as if.

[sabotabby]

Well, it says, "use a condom," but in small letters. So that was the message I was getting too. Ugh.

[springheel-jack.livejournal.com]

Only sluts get AIDS.

[pretzelsalt.livejournal.com]

I wish I was a guiniea pig.

I never get to choose my own lunch.

[sabotabby]

:(

I wanna go on a basket ride through Kensington Market! I don't know what they mean by "popcorning," though.

[pretzelsalt.livejournal.com]

Once again, yay google.

http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/guineapigbehaviour.html#pop

"Popcorning

Popcorning is a wonderful sight to see. Its usually baby guinea pigs that do it, but adult guinea pigs can also popcorn, they just don't jump as high because they are heavier. A popcorning guinea pig will run-around and jump into the air, land on all fours, quickly turning in another direction and repeat the jump. This lovely action means your guinea pigs is extremely happy. My Clover, who normally weighs around 2 lb-10 oz, can still manage to jump quite high, its usually brought on when she has a new bed of hay or is just starting her free range time."

[pretzelsalt.livejournal.com]

even better

http://www.skuz.net/mink/piggie.htm

check out the undulating pigness.

[sabotabby]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0n8fYxjwtU&mode=related&search=guinea%20pig%20popcorning

[frandroid.livejournal.com]

Some people have way too much flash on their hands!

[sabotabby]

Seriously?

Okay, that's sweet. I've never spent quality time with a guinea pig, but I'm now thinking that I should.

[bike4fish.livejournal.com]

I was worried. A friend of mine from Peru and a friend who had spent some time in Peru and a lot of time elsewhere in Latin America were discussing their favorite ways to eat a cuy. Popcorning did not sound good.

[sabotabby]

That was my fear, too.

[bike4fish.livejournal.com]

Brendan is never again going to go off without telling his dad. He is going to get so much shit from his friends.

The AIDS poster doesn't make any less sense that a lot of ads I see. It's as though focusing on both a target and a message are way too hard.

[sabotabby]

I should work in advertising. I came up with a great slogan for ramen today.

ORIENTAL RAMEN

IT TASTES BETTER THAN THE CHICKEN FLAVOURED ONE

What? You're eating ramen. You can afford to be picky?

[ironed_orchid]

lulz

[roter-terror.livejournal.com]

Too strange.

[sabotabby]

I always find the strange shit.

[goodlookinout.livejournal.com]

being also in toronto... I HAVE SEEN BOTH OF THESE. the first one also pissed me off. it's I guess trying to say that with self-respect means insistence on safe sex, but comes off as with self-respect, dont "sleep around".

the second one d and I were trying to figure out... we figured it was a joke to get people to look at some band or something.

[sabotabby]

It also seems to blame contracting AIDS on a lack of self-respect. Most scientists seem to blame it on HIV infection, but they're probably the same scientists who insist that global warming and evolution are real.

I thought the second one might just be an ad for the guy's MySpace (he is in a band), but I think it might be real. Potheads do wander off sometimes.

[caprinus.livejournal.com]

"Most scientists seem to blame it on HIV infection"

OK, now we're straying into the territory of public health advertising that'd say "HIV is on the rise. Please prevent pathogens from infecting your T-cells." Cause that would clearly work, being so completely fact-based and and scientific, which is what really matters in marketing.

I think I am grateful you're not an ad-exec!

[sabotabby]

You're taking me too literally.

I'm saying that the message I got, from reading this at a glance, was connecting "avoiding AIDS" and "self-respect" not "condom use" and "self-respect." The latter connection is the intended one; the former comes through because of poor word choices and font size.

[frandroid.livejournal.com]

I don't know if that's because I've received pretty adequate sexual education in school, but when I saw the words "preventAIDS", even if couldn't see "use a condom" in the picture, those words popped up automatically in my head... The "self-respect" part to me also brought up images of being pressured into not using a condom, and respecting yourself by not yielding.

I guess I'm not the demographic they're looking after ;]

Also, you probably know the rules and are careful, but you know that there's a stiff fine for photography on the subway, right?

[sabotabby]

Also, you probably know the rules and are careful, but you know that there's a stiff fine for photography on the subway, right?

There is?

[frandroid.livejournal.com]

That's what I was told, PLUS a friend of a friend got a $250 or $500 fine for doing the same in the Montréal Metro, so I just looked at the TTC By-law:

16. b) No person shall operate for commercial purposes any camera, video recording device, movie camera, or any similar device upon any vehicle or premises of the Commission without authorization.

I notice the "commercial purposes" thing there, but I think the application more widespread than that. I tried to take a picture of the front of a subway car once and the driver mega-honked, scaring the bejesus out of me, and making the no-no gesture.

The TTC website also features a processus for film crews who want to visit and use the old Lower Bay Station...

[caprinus.livejournal.com]

"if you get AIDS, you clearly don't have any self-respect."

--I see this as "if you let some guy talk you into barebacking, you clearly don't have any self-respect". I really dodn't get any anti-sex vibe from the add, just not a "don't be stupid/pushover" one. And it is clearly targetted at a demographic that talks about "respect" and "disrespect" a lot, even if this cracker doesn't know what it really means.

[sabotabby]

But the fundamental problem remains; people don't just get AIDS because they were stupid or let someone talk them into barebacking, even now. Condoms fuck up, old marrieds cheat, etc. It still seems to be insulting its audience.

[caprinus.livejournal.com]

The fact that HIV infection rates are on the rise in specific demographics, such as, notably, among young black women, cannot be predominantly assigned to those other causes, can they? I am not disagreeing that AIDS has many incredibly complex social causes and cofactors, but I am disgreeing that this ad insults its audience; however, I think it has a much narrower audience than you seem to think it has. Hint: neither of us is it. And I can't think of any public health campaign on the topic of AIDS which succeeded by being all things to all people, which you seem to want.

I suppose we could question the efficacy of addressing any social problems through targetted advertising marketing campaigns, but as one among many such simplistic, generalizing, by-definition-stereotyping approaches, this one, in my opinion, doesn't deserve special condemnation. Whether this poster, with its unsmiling woman with her arms crossed standing in a grafittoed, weedy alleyway, resonates with its target audience is something you'll have to ask the young black women on your flist.

Next topic: does this ad offend you by exclusion of women, oppression of horses, or the evocation and reëxploitation of an idealized Wild West already sapped of meaning by cigarette companies? It does all that, but it was also fairly popular with its target audience, which, again, wasn't you or me. I submit to you that all I ask of anti-AIDS posters is that they be effective.



Sorry if I sound cranky. There's plenty of horrible moral crusades masquerading as good-for-us positive messages out there we could be complaining about; singling out this fairly innocuous ad to the point of taking its picture in the middle of a commute seems rather petty of you, and you're not usually petty. It's almost like you're singling out this one because there's a minority woman on it. Surely you're on the TTC a lot, where are the posts complaining about all the other bullshit ads? Are you sure that bat didn't bite you? o_O

Or how about this, stupid on purely stylistic grounds, like that T.O. tourism logo they came up with last year:

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1151013012687&call_pageid=968332188492

[sabotabby]

I remarked on the Condom Country ads earlier as being very cool. They convey the message effectively and they appeal to a broader audience than their target demographic because they're funny.

Sure, there are offensive ads for bad causes or products out there; I'm singling this one out because I see it as an ineffective ad for what is an important message.

I agree that its primary message is to tell people—specifically young women, probably specifically young Black women—to use condoms, even though young men may try to pressure them into sex without condoms. But at first glance, my first impression (and since it's a subway ad, one seldom has time to get more than a first impression) was dual: "If you sleep around, you don't respect yourself," and "People who get AIDS don't have any self-respect." The intended message is a good one, but in the context of right-wing politicians pushing abstinence-only education and the continued stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS, I'm still not convinced that the latter two messages aren't coming through.

I didn't single it out because the subject's a young Black woman; I singled it out because I was wondering if people were getting the intended message or the unintended ones. From the responses, it would seem pretty split.

[caprinus.livejournal.com]

In the last round of responses you've clarified your position and I no longer think you're as off-base or petty as I made it out to be. I am sorry. Thanks for remaining pleasant in face of my half-awake cantankerousness. The photograph distracted me from the copy, which you were addressing.

Yes, the text up top, "Self respect / Keep it alive", is in itself vague and weak. What does the pronoun reference, anyway? Is it like "Let it rain"? It's probably vague on purpose, however, in that "Respect your health -- use a condom" would alienate faith constituencies which believe in morality-based abstinence/loyalty approaches, and "Respect your health -- don't sleep around" would alienate the other, sane constituencies. Maybe whoever approved this version thought sie was being clever in coming up with a text that could be taken as both "pro-condom" and "anti-sex".

http://www.preventaids.ca/ is an initiative of the African and Caribbean Council on HIV/AIDS in Ontario which targets, among others, specifically people who are recent immigrants and for whom in-your-face condom talk might be a hindrance rather than an aid, even if condom use is ultimately a goal the campaign hopes to achieve. That said, they don't mention religion or morality or abstinence in any of their promo materials -- this news release says:
"built around the themes of stigma reduction, testing, and prevention, the images of this campaign will be displayed on billboards, bus shelters and print media in Toronto, London, Windsor, Peel Region, Ottawa, Sudbury, Hamilton and Thunder Bay. Featuring the work of models and photographers from within the community, the advertising campaign devised by Top Drawer Creative, Inc. is meant to embrace the ideal of community engagement, with the initial rollout centered on motifs of Family, Friendship and Self-Respect." (emph. mine)

So maybe Top Drawer is being crypto-anti-sex, but I really think one has to look awfully hard, and I still think we as non-Afro-Carribean-Canadians should probably not jump to conclusions about the insult the audience may feel.

[sabotabby]

Hey, I put it up in the first place because I was interested in other people's reactions to it.

And yes; one can only draw so many conclusions if one isn't the target audience.

Thanks for the debate. ;)

[caprinus.livejournal.com]

Sorry, just noticed a ton of typoes. Argh.