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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to feel disgusted walking past this with my children.

290 replies

landmarklotto · 03/08/2021 17:39

Live in a seaside town. The Rock point quarter is a new development regenerating my local high street. I live here with children as do many others. Why do they need to see this and what's the message?
I think it's disgusting, my daughter asked why his toothbrush was that colour. Little primary children don't need to see this coming out of their street every day. I'm just disgusted.

AIBU to feel disgusted walking past this with my children.
OP posts:
Thread gallery
10
Staffy1 · 03/08/2021 19:19

Not nice. Can you sneak down there after dark and paint a big flower over it?

toocold54 · 03/08/2021 19:20

YABU I really like it and I’m sure my DD at that age would have too. I really like when they flip the characters personalities like cruella, malificent etc.
I can’t see anyone being upset or offended by this in real life.

Waspsarearseholes · 03/08/2021 19:22

@landmarklotto

I just don't understand. I've given so many brilliant quotes and nobody from the daily fail has nicked the story yet.
😆 If only there were a way to do an anonymous sad face pic?
toffeeandcream · 03/08/2021 19:24

This thread and some of the replies are peak mumsnet 😂

notacooldad · 03/08/2021 19:26

If I walked past this it would make me smile tbh.
I'm not saying I love it but I dont hate it either. I really wouldn't be bothered if my kids had seen it.
I love that kind of juxtaposition in art and music though.

BrozTito · 03/08/2021 19:26

Oh there was one of these near us except it said missing-then was a picture of some women in a club. Pretty bad taste since we had a student girl missing then murdered about 100 metres away not long ago

SquirryTheSquirrel · 03/08/2021 19:27

If only there were a way to do an anonymous sad face pic?

AIBU to feel disgusted walking past this with my children.
VodselForDinner · 03/08/2021 19:27

You’ve obviously lived a very sheltered life, OP, so maybe no harm that your child sees and experiences some broader aspects of life and culture?

I don’t care for that piece at all, but accept that this is art. Trying to censor it is harmful.

chalamet · 03/08/2021 19:27

I mean, it’s shit art but I cannot see how it’s offensive.

TooBigForMyBoots · 03/08/2021 19:28

I don't see how a children's tv character with a cigarette in its mouth isn't offensive to children

In the 70s quite a few cartoons had characters smoking. None of the children I know were offended.🤷‍♀️

SquirryTheSquirrel · 03/08/2021 19:31

@TooBigForMyBoots

I don't see how a children's tv character with a cigarette in its mouth isn't offensive to children

In the 70s quite a few cartoons had characters smoking. None of the children I know were offended.🤷‍♀️

The chap in the original 101 Dalmatians film (Mr Dearly?) smoked like a chimney. It wouldn't surprise me if it had since been edited out, but he was deffo a pipe smoker originally.
GintyMcGinty · 03/08/2021 19:33

Its not to my taste - but offensive? I think that is quite an overreaction.

OnTheBrink1 · 03/08/2021 19:33

Disney ruthlessly hunt down and sue for breech of copyright. They hardly even give copyright permissions. Report to them. The artist may get a heafty fine

pictish · 03/08/2021 19:33

It’s not bonnie, I’ll give you that. I wouldn’t be offended by it but I think it’s ug.
I wouldn’t be worrying about the kids particularly. It’s just silly.

LakieLady · 03/08/2021 19:34

@BeyondMyWits

It is ugly and unpleasant. Mickey mouse with a cigarette isn't a nice image anyway without the grime. Kids love Mickey and I can see why they'd be confused or upset. Those that can't contemplate seeing it through the eyes of a 4 year old fan rather than an art critic can't have much imagination.

Not sure what you can do other than report to Disney, the council and the local paper.

Art's often confusing and upsetting though, that's kind of the point of some of it.

As a child, I found a large painting of scene depicting the aftermath of an air raid, prominently displayed in the entrance to the local library, really quite upsetting. I was also upset by an image of the El Greco "execution" painting and a panel from a Hieronymus Bosch triptych actually gave me nightmares. Both were reproduced in a set of encyclopedias aimed at children. I was afraid of an aunt's ceramic "wally bird" (which would be very collectable these days), and my DB was so frightened by a sculpted wounded soldier at the foot of the town war memorial that for a few months he practically had hysterics every time we walked past it.

I don't "get" much graffiti art, personally (I think it might be an age thing!), but I certainly don't see anything offensive in that image. I'd hate it if we started not displaying art which might not be appreciated by children.

And having read the backstory about Wetherspoon's, now I get the contexgt, I kind of rather like it. It's basically saying "Fuck you, Tim Martin", which is a sentiment I entirely agree with.

CaptainMyCaptain · 03/08/2021 19:36

@Intherightplace

I'm just posting here in the hope that someone will explain. I don't know what the poster is about or why it is offensive.
It's ugly but I think I'm missing something too.
Angelbaby1985 · 03/08/2021 19:36

Its to do with weatherspoons sacking all there staff the start of covid I think as I did read something at the time

Onairjunkie · 03/08/2021 19:37

Such delicacy on this thread. My word. How do you all cope with things that are actually awful?!

I like it. It’s subject matter might ‘disgust’ you (😂😂😂) but you’ve got to hand it to him, he’s good. And not only that, you’ve given him some epic publicity.

Onairjunkie · 03/08/2021 19:38

Also I bet kids wouldn’t give a shiny shit, so stop getting offended on their behalf.

DingDongThongs · 03/08/2021 19:39

Send it to Disney - they don't let anyone use MM's likeness.

thinkingaboutLangCleg · 03/08/2021 19:46

Oh I thought the London Transport minicab poster was brilliant! Young people are so trusting, and girls especially are far more vulnerable than they think. It's startling and it makes a hard-hitting point. There was a spate of rapes by unlicensed minicab drivers, or men pretending to be, and I think this poster would have made young women think a bit more.

The OP's poster was just ugly. It wouldn't have improved my day, or my feelings about the place I was in.

PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 03/08/2021 19:49

@TooBigForMyBoots

I don't see how a children's tv character with a cigarette in its mouth isn't offensive to children

In the 70s quite a few cartoons had characters smoking. None of the children I know were offended.🤷‍♀️

I don't think it was the same though. Smoking was an everyday thing, so the cartoons were just reflecting life. Watch something like Bewitched or read Agatha Christie and everybody was smoking because it was just what people did.

The smoking wasn't the focus.

santabetterwashhishands · 03/08/2021 19:50

Couldn't get in a huff about that 🤷‍♀️

CaptainMyCaptain · 03/08/2021 19:50

@EffYouSeeKaye

YANBU. Just had my small child asking me what a condom is, after reading a sign outside a (seaside) gift shop saying ‘Masks aren’t the law but neither are condoms and they still protect us’… no bloody common sense from some business owners 🤦‍♀️
In 1984 the entire population had a leaflet about Aids through our doors. My 7 year old read it and asked me what a condom was - so I told her. No trauma.
NiceGerbil · 03/08/2021 19:53

@thinkingaboutLangCleg

Oh I thought the London Transport minicab poster was brilliant! Young people are so trusting, and girls especially are far more vulnerable than they think. It's startling and it makes a hard-hitting point. There was a spate of rapes by unlicensed minicab drivers, or men pretending to be, and I think this poster would have made young women think a bit more.

The OP's poster was just ugly. It wouldn't have improved my day, or my feelings about the place I was in.

Ok. I mean if you want to discuss happy to.

FYI it was around the time warboys was active.

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