To hate the pretentious Barnardo's advert 'Mollusc'

[SaraSidleWillows]

So the plot is, there's one kid at school who is just in a huge shell. It's absolutely massive. She has a little crack she can look through but she doesn't really interact with other people because she is literally in a humongous shell. Back at home, chilling in her shell on the sofa, she hears her mum is worried about having her hours cut at work. She sucks her legs up into the absolutely giant shell. I can't express how big this thing is. And only the exalted Social Worker can help her out!

The shell is a metaphor for being Poor. Somehow, despite poverty being very high amongst children, there is only one shellwalker child at this school.

I can't stand it. It fills me with rage. Who thought this was a good idea? How does it address poverty in any way? Why is there a social worker? Afaik being poor doesn't mean you need social services.

It screams middle class nonsense to me. Patting themselves on the back like they've done a really good job. Is it just me that finds it condescending and insulting? Everywhere claims it's "poignant" and "moving" and... I just don't see it. I grew up poor and I think this is genuinely an insult.

Tell me you all don't think of poor kids as always being inside huge shells?

I don't see it as the shell meaning "poor". I see it as a child who has worries, anxiety and fears that they are keeping up inside of them and they need to be bought out of their shell so they can get help and support.
My daughter had a social worker for a while. Nothing to do with being poor - hers was about her anxiety and being overwhelmed with everything (the social worker was just one part of lots of help she had).

The shell isn’t due to the child being poor

Jesus wept

This post is just you highlighting your lack of critical thinking skills

Aye, that's why the Barnardo's website highlights it on its page entitled 'the meaning behind our TV advert'

"The dictionary definition of poverty is “the state of being extremely poor”. Another common description is “When a person’s resources are not sufficient to meet their minimum needs”.

But what does poverty look like? What does it feel like? What impact does it have on a child’s day to day life, their health, their wellbeing, their future? How does it feel for a parent or carer to say no to the little things that bring joy to a child’s life just so they can put food on the table?

These are all issues that our new TV advert is aiming to address."

The advert is about the emotional impact of the cost of living crisis

the shell isn’t due to being poor

Again, this is just you not understanding the advert

Which bit of their explanation do you disagree with? It's a charge often levelled at decision-makers that they don't realise how pervasive is the impact of poverty across life. Why shouldn't Barnados highlight that and seek to address it?

There might be dozens of ‘shellwalkers’ at that school but the point of the advert is to highlight how isolating poverty is. The ‘shellwalker’ feels alone because to her, she is alone. The shell doesn’t represent poverty itself, it’s a metaphor for the social isolation the little girl experiences as a result of poverty. Things like her Mum having her hours cut just crams her further into her little shell as it’s one more step towards isolation and not being able to do some of the things her peers are doing.

Also, your experience of poverty is just your own experience. Sorry that you find it offensive, but not everyone feels the same way you do.

What a pointlessly nasty response - especially when you’re wrong and OP is right: https://www.barnardos.org.uk/blog/message-behind-our-new-tv-advert

I agree OP - I find it incredibly condescending.

The shell is the child's response to the poverty and stress of poverty

A child retreating is one reason why poverty is inherited
A child retreating is one reason why they may end up with poor physical and mental health

Having only seen the advert and not gone onto the website and read about it I didn't see it as being specifically about poverty (as I said above upthread).
I interpreted it as I saw it (if that makes sense).
I still don't understand why the OP doesn't like it.

did you even read that article?

The shell isn’t because the child is poor

this is a basic fact

The shell represents the emotional impact on a child due to the cost of living crisis. The anxiety it creates leads children to go into their shells.

Some of you never did film studies in school and it shows

It's a bad advert given the 'lively' debare here.
Coming out of one's shell means to gain confidence, courage and self-belief when previously quiet and undersonfident. Literally protected by a shell of your own creation
You can see where Barnados are coming from, that poverty can make you feel 'other', so you retreat into yourself.
But it isn't clear.
However, OP, you need to accept a different viewpoint to yours

Unfortunately they forgot the average reading age for adults in England is 9 years old. Idiots not only walk among us but are taking over

You've heard of the expression "bringing someone out of their shell", right?

You've heard of the expression "bringing someone out of their shell", right?

I always though of that like a tortoise shell, no a sea shell do the metaphor utterly passed me by.

It's not a social worker from social services it's a support worker from barnardos, but both can be important in real cases of child/family poverty.
They are not just for neglect and abuse or substance abuse issues.
Often there are things linked to poverty that also need to be addressed. Parents with health issues that need care, language barriers, disability that affects work options.

The shell is pretty obvious. Being poor can make you feel like you don't belong and you withdraw into your shell. The worries of you parents become your worries and anxieties.

Charities like barnardos provide practical and emotional support.

And yes it is targeting the middle class because that is who is going to be able to afford to make the donations to fund those things.

You have missed the metaphor.
There is no social worker.
YABU OP.