In another sign of the coming apocalypse – the one where we’re entirely, instead of only partially, run by prodnoses – the advertising standards people have decided to ban jokes. At which point, of course, they can go stick their colei* in a mangle.
The background issue here is that if you show a man as a domestic incompetent then this is sexist and you’re not allowed to do that, it’s gender stereotyping. Bad that is. Thus you can’t do it. And making a joke about it is no defence either:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] Female scientists, astronauts and firefighters should appear more in adverts following a new ban on “harmful” gender stereotypes, campaigners say. A rule to prevent sexist portrayals of men and women was introduced by The Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) on Friday. It says adverts must not contain “gender stereotypes which are likely to cause harm or serious or widespread offence”. The ban will cover depictions of men struggling to change nappies, women who are unable to park and girls being less academic than boys. If an advert is complained about under the new code, the use of “humour” or “banter” is unlikely to be considered a valid defence. [/perfectpullquote]This being, of course the general problem with allowing politics to rule life. We end up being ruled only by those willing to undertake the tedium of politics in order to gain the power to rule us. Which does indeed that all such boards, commissions, authorities and committees end up being run by right on monomaniacs.
Still, this opens up a new career opportunity for Young Owen, doesn’t it? He can be the one going ecstatic over a Cadbury’s Flake, nothing stereotypical about that now, eh?
*Gibbon.
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Butter banned by TFL, humour by CAP, twits by Twitter, what happens when there is nothing much left to ban?
We could try banning bans.
‘... what happens when there is nothing much left to ban?‘
North Korea.
Could we have a statistically correct proportion of mixed-race couples, esp. with a black male? I don't mind one or two, but this is ridiculous. It ain't just nudging, it is intrusive.
Reminds me of the restrictions placed on alcohol ads back in the 90s. They were not permitted to show people buying a round of drinks, having more than one themselves, or suggesting that drinking made you more successful with the opposite sex. As an American friend of mine said at the time “Why else do you drink beer?”
Jokes now only allowed by left-wingers on the left-wing BBC, where it is absolutely, totally OK to bring to life the most revolting images.
So that slimming advert "I can't get my but in my little black dress" has been banned?
On a more serious note - where's the print function gone?