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Original poster

Government messaging

178 replies

OliveTree75 · 12/02/2022 14:41

Hello,
Been thinking recently how in years to come the Covid pandemic will most likely be studied in education all over the world.
What do you think the views on the government messaging will be in the future?
Looking back now, I find some of them hard to look at. We have been subjected to so much fear and whilst I agree we had to take action, I can’t help but wonder if some of these posters were a step too far.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
LyricalBlowToTheJaw · 13/02/2022 16:50

@RichTeaRichTea

It’s like all these people on MN threads who think that fat people are fat because there just isn’t enough shame associated with being fat any more. Absolutely no clue and no real proper engagement with what would have meaningful impact. Just want the shame as a goal in itself.
It's very ignorant. And one could be pro restrictions whilst not supporting this sort of inept and damaging stuff.

People need to start thinking critically about why a government that systematically ran down the NHS and many of the other support services people need was so very keen to take this approach.

MarshaBradyo · 13/02/2022 16:50

Some people still don't seem to realise the measures were never in place to protect any individual from covid

This applies to people struggling with the ending of all restrictions.

The idea that individual risk should mean they continue, makes them going a cause of anger or anxiety.

GoldenOmber · 13/02/2022 18:52

@LyricalBlowToTheJaw

Two points that have already been made but apparently, judging by some of the recent contributions, need making again.
  1. This is not a hindsight thing. It was already known by March 2020 that there are problems with public health messaging relying on shame and stigma. If you personally didn't know, that's ok, but you need to understand that this isn't new knowledge.
I remember in particular discussion about the stupidity and unfairness of public transport shaming on here at the time too. Think there was a thread about a particular newspaper headline in a similar vein. It was clear even in spring 2020 that bitching about people crowding onto public transport when they need it to get to their work out of the home was problematic.
  1. Public health messaging isn't a binary choice between approaches reliant on terror and shaming or rainbows and unicorns.
Indeed - well said.

And I don’t understand why some seem to be arguing that these ads weren’t designed to scare people? Of course they were, in the same sense that the photos of blackened lungs on cigarette packets are meant to scare you off smoking, or the “little Johnny will never play football again” adverts about trespassing on the train lines were meant to scare people.

You can reasonably argue that they didn’t succeed in scaring people, or that they did scare people but it was justified, but I don’t see how you can say they were justified and effective and also weren’t causing fear. If they weren’t scaring people they weren’t doing what they were designed to do.

(Personally as a regular public transport user I quite like “coronavirus takes the train too.” Nice mental images of coronavirus waiting on the platform, checking its watch, sighing loudly at the announcement of delays, eventually sitting across the aisle from you and kicking back with the Metro before a hard day’s work…)

Flaxmeadow · 13/02/2022 19:01

Ah that's much better. Sorry I couldn't find any fluffy kittens but hope this goes some way to healing the poster traumatised

Government messaging
Monsterathai · 13/02/2022 19:20

@Flaxmeadow

Ah that's much better. Sorry I couldn't find any fluffy kittens but hope this goes some way to healing the poster traumatised
Fuck me... you are way too invested... ShockGrin
MarshaBradyo · 13/02/2022 19:21

@Flaxmeadow

Ah that's much better. Sorry I couldn't find any fluffy kittens but hope this goes some way to healing the poster traumatised
Good effort, although I’m pretty sure this is how some who like restrictions on here feel when they see the posters - eg glad they’re there.

I will feel more celebratory when everything goes Smile

Original poster
OliveTree75 · 13/02/2022 19:30

@Flaxmeadow

Ah that's much better. Sorry I couldn't find any fluffy kittens but hope this goes some way to healing the poster traumatised
Well done.
OP posts:
Flaxmeadow · 13/02/2022 19:38

Fuck me... you are way too invested...ShockGrin

Grin
SparkleSky · 13/02/2022 19:39

Bending the rules costs lives

LyricalBlowToTheJaw · 13/02/2022 19:51

Careful flaxmeadow, the Tories will nick that off you next time they want to shame people for being poor enough to need public transport.

Monsterathai · 13/02/2022 19:54

@SparkleSky

Bending the rules costs lives
Don't think Boris saw that one 😆
SparkleSky · 13/02/2022 20:01

@Monsterathai I took that photo of the bus stop in February 2021.

I thought at the time that the messaging wouldn't age well but this government make themselves ridiculous!

LyricalBlowToTheJaw · 13/02/2022 20:02

Boris probably rues that one now...

StarCat2020 · 13/02/2022 20:08

I am disgusted that in BCP we were told that "if you go out, people will die".

That is NEVER acceptable.

www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/19016790.people-will-die---bcp-puts-strong-covid-message/

BestKnitterInScotland · 13/02/2022 20:24

[quote StarCat2020]I am disgusted that in BCP we were told that "if you go out, people will die".

That is NEVER acceptable.

www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/19016790.people-will-die---bcp-puts-strong-covid-message/[/quote]
And if you scroll down the page, 68% of people thought it was fine! What is wrong with them??

MarshaBradyo · 13/02/2022 20:29

Well I guess we’d know how people on here would vote - maybe similar split

I find them almost farcical but maybe a sign we’re moving on than anything else

StarCat2020 · 13/02/2022 20:30

And if you scroll down the page, 68% of people thought it was fine! What is wrong with them??
How can I say this sensitively??

I can't.

Basically, there is a certain demographic that reads the Bournemouth Echo.

My friend's DD saw this advert on Instagram and she was terrified by it.

Xenia · 13/02/2022 20:55

I have been against every mandatory covid law since March 2020 so not really personally affected by the advertising. I just hope they soon remove masks laws from the tubes in London and flights and expensive testing for those of us returning to the UK who have not had the covid vaccine. I live in hope....

XenoBitch · 13/02/2022 21:10

Yes, the "Look into their eyes" thing was over the top. Like a few pp said, you would see them about taking bus trips when you were an essential worker.
Then you also had the ones the general public made. I saw one that had beach ball size Corona virus things floating about in the air in the street, with the caption "would you go outside if you could see it?".

2X4B523P · 13/02/2022 21:37

It’s good to hear that the virus is environmentally conscious and takes the train. It should also be encouraged to walk or cycle where possible too.

greenteafiend · 13/02/2022 23:02

I'm just going to repeat a point I've made a few times during this pandemic: people were encouraged to associated the outdoors with "fear," while almost no effort was being made to stop within-household transmission, even though that's where most of the infections were actually taking place.

So, pretty useless for actually stopping transmission, but very useful for encouraging the more nervous people to become frightened of going outside and getting stuck in a trapped, sedentary and housebound way of life.

We'll be seeing the long-term fallout of this for a long time.

Flaxmeadow · 13/02/2022 23:06

Yes, that was a good one XenoBitch
Quite arty and makes you think

Government messaging
greenteafiend · 14/02/2022 00:28

I hope you're being sarcastic. Teaching people to fear the outside and hide indoors with the windows closed probably increased within-household transmission without preventing a single outdoor case, and will have tipped many people with anxiety/agoraphobia issues over the edge. Utterly irresponsible image.

XenoBitch · 14/02/2022 00:48

@Flaxmeadow

Yes, that was a good one XenoBitch Quite arty and makes you think
It was dangerous. The admin of a mental health group I was in was constantly posting it... scaring already vulnerable people. 2 years on, and many are still too scared to leave their house.
user1477391263 · 14/02/2022 00:59

Quite arty and makes you think

It makes me think you're an idiot.

The focus of the pandemic right from the start should have been "ventilate indoor spaces as hard as possible and shift all possible activities outside as much as can be done," not "fear fresh air."

We knew as early as spring 2020 that outdoor transmission was very rare and that ventilating rooms was key.

I wonder how much this image contributed to the very many elderly and mentally fragile people we all know who are still stuck in their houses getting hardly any fresh air, daylight or exercise.