Page 7 | To think M&S use of Enola Gay in their current advertisement is just crass in the current climate?

ThankmelaterOkay · 07/04/2023 08:21

Limetart · 07/04/2023 07:41

Do you not think that the US if they felt equally threatened by Mexico joining a communist equivalent of NATO would invade?
Of course they would.
Cuba anyone?

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Invade Mexico?

Who would do all the shit jobs in Amerixico? Guatemalans?

Bananalanacake · 07/04/2023 08:38

Thanks for teaching me something interesting, I thought it was about a guy called Enola sitting in his bedsit. Now I'm wondering about the bit that goes, it's 8:15 that's the time it's always been, must refer to the time of the blast.

Brefugee · 07/04/2023 08:38

Last time the US tried to stop the spread of communism Vietnam happened.

The usual thinking is that MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) will prevent anything other than small tactical nukes, awful as that may be.

What we are currently experiencing is a shift of the hemogeny from the "West" to the "East" and that is something that the west will struggle against, a little and then learn to live with. It was ever thus.

Redebs · 07/04/2023 09:22

I have a memory from this book about people walking along with their burnt skin dragging after them like shadows

To think M&S use of Enola Gay in their current advertisement is just crass in the current climate?

Theluggage15 · 07/04/2023 09:26

I love the song, happy to hear it any time.

TheObstinateHeadstrongGirl · 07/04/2023 10:32

MarieKlepto · 07/04/2023 03:12

It's a catchy "retro" tune that the young ad execs thought would bridge the divide between the trad older M&S shopper and a new younger audience. Thing is, the older M&S shopper knows exactly what it means and winces, same as they would if they'd used 99 Luftballons, Two Tribes, A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall, Breathing, etc. There are dozens of equally catchy with fluffy meaning songs that they could have chosen.

I’m part of the ’older’ generation and wouldn’t wince in the slightest at any songs being used in any adverts - largely because I’m not a massive pansy arse.

TheObstinateHeadstrongGirl · 07/04/2023 10:36

SunUp · 07/04/2023 03:18

Imagine the committee meeting?

' I know, Enola Gay will be a great song to use in this ad ' 😁
' But won't it offend someone? ' 😕
' Like who? '🤔
' Well, those posters on MN for example '🧐
' They don't even shop here, they shop at Boden and Seasalt!' 😁

Thump....rubber stamped. 👍

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OMG 😂😂😂 @SunUp you legend

MrNorrell · 07/04/2023 10:37

I'm wondering in what context some people on here would condone the song being played. If a song about a nuclear bomb is considered inappropriate for an M&S advert, is it really more appropriate for a party? Or easy listening on the radio?

Because I now have a mental image of the song coming on and MNers everywhere stopping what they're doing to sit and have a sombre reflection on the horrors of war.

ArcticSkewer · 07/04/2023 10:51

Bananalanacake · 07/04/2023 08:38

Thanks for teaching me something interesting, I thought it was about a guy called Enola sitting in his bedsit. Now I'm wondering about the bit that goes, it's 8:15 that's the time it's always been, must refer to the time of the blast.

Love these moments in life!

ExtraOnions · 07/04/2023 10:59

I’m more annoyed at On The Beach using a Christmas Song, to flog summer holidays..

TheObstinateHeadstrongGirl · 07/04/2023 11:05

TheLadyofShalott1 · 07/04/2023 04:27

The thing is @ArmitageShanked I don't think that Sunup had the slightest idea what the song was referring to until someone else explained it! If I am correct, then s/he was probably embarrassed at not knowing, so went on the defensive, which made her annoyed.

I haven't seen you say anywhere that you were actually offended by the advert. I thought you meant that you thought it was in poor taste to have used that whole episode in time as a frivolous advertisement, and I agree with you.

I was also surprised at MrsTerryPratchett's first reply to you, it didn't sound (read) to me like her usual commonsense self either. So I think that maybe she had had a bad day - we all get those!

Lastly, to everyone who seems to think that to be "offended" by something or someone, is a weak or "snowflake" type of reaction to things, I couldn't disagree with you more. Without him even speaking, Putin offends me, and to a slightly lesser extent, so does Trump. The "parties" that Boris and his cronies held during Lockdown also offend me greatly. But I don't expect everyone to be offended by the same things, and for someone else to tell anyone else what they must be, or not be, offended by, is in my mind, just ignorant.

The OP did not come on here and tell everyone that they must be offended* *by that advert, she was just asking - as people on Mumsnet are want to do - whether other people agreed with her thoughts that M&S have made an error in showing that particular advert. I agree with her that it is a very inappropriate song, and whether they realise it or not (and they really should do their homework on these things) it refers to such an awful occassion, that they should have just not used it to encourage people to buy their merchandise.
Obviously, no-one has to agree with me, but I think that a persons method, and/or reasons for disagreeing, say much more about them than they might wish.

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She wasn’t asking at all, she bit anyone’s head off and insulted them if they didn’t agree with her or didn’t understand what she meant - which wasn’t hard seeing as her post had absolutely no content or context.

TheObstinateHeadstrongGirl · 07/04/2023 11:07

TheLadyofShalott1 · 07/04/2023 04:38

But surely @Mummyoflittledragon that is why any good song with a serious message, should only be used appropriately. IMO that M&S advertisement is trivialising the message, and should not be used to encourage people to shop at their store.

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But you could argue any song has a serious message.

Upbeat (as in the melody not the lyrics)songs that have sold their rights to all and sundry (Engola Gay is basically on every single 80’s movie and TV show) are going to be attached to upbeat subjects.

TheObstinateHeadstrongGirl · 07/04/2023 11:08

On the upside I played Enola Gay in the car this morning thanks to this thread and the kids loved it, we played it a few times. Maybe I should have bellowed at them to be sad and serious 🤣

ArcticSkewer · 07/04/2023 11:10

Can't stop humming it!

Haven't felt a desire to go shopping though. Or had a breakdown over nuclear Armageddon

ghostyslovesheets · 07/04/2023 11:25

I love Enola Gay - have it on in the car a lot - it's an anti war song - it's also a catchy tune!

Maybe we need a list of songs the OP would ban from being used - Two Tribes? Dancing With Tears In My Eyes?

I lived through the 80's to op - heck I was at Geenham ffs - it's just a song!

MissFancyDay · 07/04/2023 11:37

DebussytoaDiscoBeat · 07/04/2023 07:21

This reminds me of when Harvester used the song “Harvest for the World” as the soundtrack to one of their adverts, still annoys me many years later!

Did they? How clueless. Such a beautiful song.

Hobnobswantshernameback · 07/04/2023 12:37

OP not been back this morning?
Bless

NImumconfused · 07/04/2023 12:52

SunUp · 07/04/2023 06:53

I think I love your parents a bit 😁

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@CatNamedEaster Hasn't worked like that in our house - my teenage daughter now accompanies my husband to OMD gigs and wishes there were more of them!

LlynTegid · 07/04/2023 14:46

Most people won't know the song the tune is from. I did and thought it inappropriate.

I don't want it not used just for that reason. I don't want the lead singer of OMD to get a penny more in income. If there is a hell for musicians, he should be first in the queue for forming Atomic Kitten.

KatherineJaneway · 07/04/2023 15:53

Craftycorvid · 07/04/2023 07:17

I suspect some 12-year-old marketing exec’ went ‘ooh, jaunty tune….eighties vibe, our target demographic of mid-life ladies will like that….’ with narry a thought to context. See also the ad’ for cruises (forget which company) using ‘What is Love’ as a catchy tune and featuring a very loved-up couple on their anniversary cruise - I keep supplying the next line of the song in my head ‘baby don’t hurt me no more’ and imagining grim scenarios where she gets him drunk and shoves him overboard 😆

Maybe they don't want to publicly be anti war but this song is their way of doing it.

Blame it on the 12 year old if someone important kicks up a fuss

GoodChat · 07/04/2023 16:09

ExtraOnions · 07/04/2023 10:59

I’m more annoyed at On The Beach using a Christmas Song, to flog summer holidays..

It throws me every single time

EmmaGrundyForPM · 07/04/2023 16:25

LlynTegid · 07/04/2023 14:46

Most people won't know the song the tune is from. I did and thought it inappropriate.

I don't want it not used just for that reason. I don't want the lead singer of OMD to get a penny more in income. If there is a hell for musicians, he should be first in the queue for forming Atomic Kitten.

Wait...... whaaaat? He formed Atomic Kitten?

TheLadyofShalott1 · 07/04/2023 17:26

PuddlesPityParty · 07/04/2023 06:24

@TheLadyofShalott1 how patronising can you be?? “Maybe she had a bad day” or maybe she’s an actual nuanced person and her posts won’t always align with your opinions. Jesus.

@PuddlesPityParty Hopefully we are all "nuanced" people. MrsTerryPratchett's posts quite often don't align with my own thoughts, beliefs etc but I usually resect her views and the way she puts them. At times reading her posts actually make me rethink my own thoughts, amd sometimes I will even align mine with hers after giving it some thought. However today, I was surprised by her first reply to the OP - I am not up to date on most of the posts since I typed mine - and so I agreed with the OP when she made a similar comment about Mrs T's post.

I was not being patronising when I said that MrsT might have had a bad day, because I meant it seriously. The intention to be patronising wasn't there, so it can't have happened. Which incidently can make the difference between a verdict of murder or manslaughter! If anyone could be accused of patronising MrsT, surely it is you, as she is very capable of standing up for herself, and does not need you to do it for her? But I expect that you also didn't have the intention of being patronising, so that hasn't happened either has it?

TrickorTreacle · 07/04/2023 18:17

SunUp · 07/04/2023 03:18

Imagine the committee meeting?

' I know, Enola Gay will be a great song to use in this ad ' 😁
' But won't it offend someone? ' 😕
' Like who? '🤔
' Well, those posters on MN for example '🧐
' They don't even shop here, they shop at Boden and Seasalt!' 😁

Thump....rubber stamped. 👍

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Quoted for epicness. Please read SumUp's post @ArmitageShanked although it looks like they have abandoned their thread. Glad to be proven wrong though :-)

MrsTerryPratchett · 07/04/2023 18:18

I was not being patronising when I said that MrsT might have had a bad day

TBF I did have a very bad day yesterday. Lawyers bad!

But I stand by my first post. The rest of the thread looks like Swiss cheese from the deletions. Including me being told I wasn't intelligent. I didn't report that BTW because I don't mind a vigorous debate. Even if it was more personal attack than debate. Someone else must have.

Maybe I should have another name on here for threads like this, when I'm feeling grumpy and contrary. I typically try to be nuanced and fair. OP's tone got right up my nose.