Public Service Announcements (Because the More You Know...)

[InDueTime]

I can't hit mute button fast enough for this one.

 

Hey Truth, I don't want to be around cigarette smoke, or a bunch of gross looking butts making fart noises. So, I beg to differ with your message. Plus, they sort of look like testicles.

[Jamoche]

On 1/8/2019 at 4:30 PM, InDueTime said:

Plus, they sort of look like testicles.

No "sort of" about it - I have never seen a hairy butt drawn with hairs like that. Hairy balls, OTOH - oh yeah. Lots of graffiti versions of that.

[AntiBeeSpray]

On 1/8/2019 at 7:30 PM, InDueTime said:

I can't hit mute button fast enough for this one.

 

 

Hey Truth, I don't want to be around cigarette smoke, or a bunch of gross looking butts making fart noises. So, I beg to differ with your message. Plus, they sort of look like testicles.

 

I see that Butts commercial all the time on Teen Nick when I watch Double Dare. Can't hit either mute or fast forward fast enough. Same goes with that Truth commercial.

Edited January 13, 2019 by AntiBeeSpray

[janie jones]

On 1/11/2019 at 11:14 PM, Jamoche said:

No "sort of" about it - I have never seen a hairy butt drawn with hairs like that. Hairy balls, OTOH - oh yeah. Lots of graffiti versions of that.

Also, you wouldn't think a butt would be animated to be so...wobbly.  Balls, yes.

[cynicat]

On 1/13/2019 at 12:49 PM, janie jones said:

Also, you wouldn't think a butt would be animated to be so...wobbly.  Balls, yes.

Do you think they could be Schweddy balls?

[smittykins]

I can’t help thinking that “balls” was what they were aiming for, but knew they’d never get away with it(especially on a PSA aimed at teenagers), so they went with butts instead.

[janie jones]

But what would testicles have to do with cigarette butts?

[smittykins]

I love this one because he reminds me of my Shadow(also a shelter rescue whose original name was Elvira).

[Prevailing Wind]

When my stray kitty was found on a playground, the little girl that found him named him Cupcake. Two days later, when I brought him home, I changed his name to Bosco.  He looks like the cat in the ad, except he's gotten pretty big. I swear, if I didn't know he's a neutered male, I'd think there were kittens in that round belly. Gains weight even on rationed diet food.

[catlover79]

As a kid growing up in the 80s, this is the one I remember the most next to "This is Your Brain on Drugs":

[Annber03]

Oh, yes, I definitely remember that one, too. 

Another memorable one I used to see a lot when I was a kid:

That one used to scare me when I'd see it on TV. Probably because of the creepy way the voiceover guy kept saying, "Friends die...". 

[catlover79]

Yes, I definitely remember that one. Along the same lines, I seem to remember four friends in a car, all drinking beer, driving down the street and they all turn into skeletons. Did that one really exist or did I just imagine that one when I was a kid?

More recently:

[Annber03]

12 minutes ago, catlover79 said:

Yes, I definitely remember that one. Along the same lines, I seem to remember four friends in a car, all drinking beer, driving down the street and they all turn into skeletons. Did that one really exist or did I just imagine that one when I was a kid?

Is this the one you're thinking of?

I don't remember seeing that one when I was a kid, but I read about it on here:

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/NightmareFuel/PublicServiceAnnouncementsSafety

(There's quite the lengthy list of horrifying ads shared on that TV Tropes page. Just reading the descriptions of some of them is scary.)

That "Afterlife" ad's tagline. Very unnerving. 

Edited June 2, 2019 by Annber03

[catlover79]

Oh my gosh, that's it. I must have seen it at some point as a kid growing up in the 1980s and it stuck in my brain. Thanks for posting it.

[Jynnan tonnix]

These made me flash back to the old seatbelt PSA's from, probably back in the 70's, with people's reasons for not wearing them interspersed with photos of people in hospital with obviously (though not particularly graphic) horrendous injuries. Don't recall whether any of the people in them ended up dying, though. The one which always stuck in my mind was the woman saying, "I never wear them just to go shopping...besides, they wrinkle my dress".

[chessiegal]

My mother was in a car accident and was thrown out of the car because she was not wearing a seat belt. She died at the scene. I wear a seat belt.

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

My mother was in a car accident and was thrown out of the car because she was not wearing a seat belt. She died at the scene. I wear a seat belt.

Condolences to you. 

I always wear one, too. I've never once thought not to. There's some new PSA I've seen on TV of late showing people in car accidents and giving their reasons for why they weren't wearing seatbelts, and I think it's pretty effective. 

[smittykins]

2 hours ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

These made me flash back to the old seatbelt PSA's from, probably back in the 70's, with people's reasons for not wearing them interspersed with photos of people in hospital with obviously (though not particularly graphic) horrendous injuries. Don't recall whether any of the people in them ended up dying, though. The one which always stuck in my mind was the woman saying, "I never wear them just to go shopping...besides, they wrinkle my dress".

[Colleenna]

On 6/2/2019 at 12:33 PM, Annber03 said:

Condolences to you. 

I always wear one, too. I've never once thought not to. There's some new PSA I've seen on TV of late showing people in car accidents and giving their reasons for why they weren't wearing seatbelts, and I think it's pretty effective. 

I'm such a seat belt freak that when I bought my first car --- a $500 1963 Comet, way back in 1970 --- I went to Sears and spent $50 to have seat belts installed. For you youngsters, way back then, seat belts were NOT standard equipment. 

[Prevailing Wind]

My brother installed my lap belts in my 67 Beetle.

[Moose135]

On 6/5/2019 at 11:04 AM, Colleenna said:

I'm such a seat belt freak that when I bought my first car --- a $500 1963 Comet, way back in 1970 --- I went to Sears and spent $50 to have seat belts installed. For you youngsters, way back then, seat belts were NOT standard equipment. 

They were in 1969, but there was no requirement to retrofit them to previous model years. My father bought a 1969 Plymouth, it had separate seat and shoulder belts. I was a little kid (9 years old) and whenever I rode up front, I wore them, just like Dad.

[Colleenna]

5 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

They were in 1969, but there was no requirement to retrofit them to previous model years. My father bought a 1969 Plymouth, it had separate seat and shoulder belts. I was a little kid (9 years old) and whenever I rode up front, I wore them, just like Dad.

But they didn't become mandatory until the late 70s/early 80s ...

[Moose135]

2 hours ago, Colleenna said:

But they didn't become mandatory until the late 70s/early 80s ...

I was wrong - seat belts were required to be installed in cars with the 1968 Model Year.

https://icsw.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/FMVSS/#SN208

Quote

Passenger Cars (Effective 1-1-68)
Lap or lap and shoulder seat belt assemblies for each designated seating position. Except in convertibles, lap and shoulder seat belt assemblies are required in each front outboard seating position.

It wasn't until the mid-80s when the first laws mandating that drivers and passengers actually wear seat belts were first passed.  New York state was the first to enact a "primary enforcement" law covering mandatory seat belt usage, which went into effect in January 1985.

Edited June 6, 2019 by Moose135

[Prevailing Wind]

I'm pretty sick of the woman who smoked all through her pregnancy and now gives us a tip that if you speak through the hole in the incubator unit, your baby can hear you better. Hey, twit...you smoked all through your pregnancy and we should take ADVICE from you?  I think not. And I bet she's still smoking.

[Silver Raven]

On 6/6/2019 at 5:59 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

I'm pretty sick of the woman who smoked all through her pregnancy and now gives us a tip that if you speak through the hole in the incubator unit, your baby can hear you better. Hey, twit...you smoked all through your pregnancy and we should take ADVICE from you?  I think not. And I bet she's still smoking.

There's the one with the woman with throat cancer or something who lost half of her face, and she said that she became a dependent and her son had to run the family, and then she said her tip is, "Whenever I wanted a cigarette, I thought of my children."  And what?  Looks like you smoked anyway.

[Jamoche]

On 6/6/2019 at 5:59 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

I'm pretty sick of the woman who smoked all through her pregnancy and now gives us a tip that if you speak through the hole in the incubator unit, your baby can hear you better. Hey, twit...you smoked all through your pregnancy and we should take ADVICE from you?  I think not. And I bet she's still smoking.

Yeesh, she's back? What does it take to convince them that maybe they should replace her with a spokesperson who acts like she actually cares about her kid?

[Prevailing Wind]

8 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

"Whenever I wanted a cigarette, I thought of my children."  And what?  Looks like you smoked anyway.

I almost always talk back to the ad with just that comment. Stupid people. Stupid ad campaign.

[AimingforYoko]

South Dakota starts an.....interesting anti-meth ad campaign.

From the people who brought you McDonald's "I'd hit that" campaign.

[Popples]

1 hour ago, AimingforYoko said:

South Dakota starts an.....interesting anti-meth ad campaign.

From the people who brought you McDonald's "I'd hit that" campaign.

South Dakota also ran ads five years ago called "Don't Jerk and Drive."

[Ashforth]

46 minutes ago, Popples said:

South Dakota also ran ads five years ago called "Don't Jerk and Drive."

I didn't read the entire article, but I was amused that at least part of the voiceover was in a British accent. Use the cocktail stick!

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

South Dakota starts an.....interesting anti-meth ad campaign.

From the people who brought you McDonald's "I'd hit that" campaign.

I like the people pointing out how the money spent on this could've gone to actually funding ways to combat the meth epidemic. Besides that, I live in Iowa. Numerous people in my state have been in trouble for or died from meth-related offenses over the years. I don't need an ad campaign to tell me meth's a serious problem here. And I'm pretty sure the residents of South Dakota and many other states where similar things are happening would say the same. 

I appreciate the importance of reminding people that drug abuse of this sort can happen to people of any and all demographics, because yeah, there are people who still believe "this can't ever happen to me/somebody I know". And talking about this problem is a great, and necessary, first step. But if all we're doing is talking (and, in the case of this ad, mocking), and there's no followup action, then yeah, the message does ultimately come across rather hollow. 

[InDueTime]

When I first saw this ad, I initially thought it would about being on social media too much. Nope.

"Here's an upbeat guy who takes too many selfies and saved a turtle! Now he's dead! Now his organs are up for donation! Yay!" Don't get me wrong. Being an organ donor is a great thing. However, the way this ad goes about it feels a little morbid to me.

Edited November 20, 2019 by InDueTime

[chessiegal]

31 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Besides that, I live in Iowa. Numerous people in my state have been in trouble for or died from meth-related offenses over the years. I don't need an ad campaign to tell me meth's a serious problem here. And I'm pretty sure the residents of South Dakota and many other states where similar things are happening would say the same. 

As a forensic scientist - meth is now a problem everywhere in the US. I remember over 30 years ago we saw a lot in California, and then it just took off. I've lost count of the number of papers given at forensic meetings saying what a problem meth is in their area. Now it's everywhere.

[Bastet]

15 hours ago, InDueTime said:

"Here's an upbeat guy who takes too many selfies and saved a turtle! Now he's dead! Now his organs are up for donation! Yay!" Don't get me wrong. Being an organ donor is a great thing. However, the way this ad goes about it feels a little morbid to me.

I can't decide yet, but I think I might like it.  You don't have to be someone whose every thought and deed is altruistic to accomplish something as incredible as saving a life:  Chad's a typical, everyday, utterly non-heroic, even doofus of a dude in the way so many people today are, but he's not as vapid as he seems by his social media postings; he took the simple step of assuring that if he was going to die, any of his organs that could survive to help another would indeed be used.

I'd have to follow up on the "Chad's fine; check him out here" thing to see if it undercuts anything, and check out the organization in general, but on the surface, that commercial as one of Oklahoma's ways of encouraging its residents to become donors sits just fine with me.

Plus, Chad wears a Golden Girls t-shirt.

Edited November 20, 2019 by Bastet

[Prevailing Wind]

They probaby didn't recycle Chad's fatty liver, though.

[cynicat]

I love that they're bringing this commercial back (~3 min)

 

[cinsays]

5 hours ago, cynicat said:

I love that they're bringing this commercial back (~3 min)

 

wow

never saw this before - pretty lovely

 

[Gramto6]

Wow from here too! I hadn't seen it before either.  It is indeed lovely.

[Annber03]

I'd not seen it before, either. Brought a tear to my eye. 

I love that it highlights the different kinds of love that exist among people, too-romantic, familial, and friendship :). 

[InDueTime]

I saw this Real Cost PSA this afternoon. Disgusting.

 

[Nicmar]

On 3/29/2015 at 6:37 PM, smittykins said:

Remember Time For Timer?

 

 

 

One thing that's always bugged me about the "Breakfast" one is his dismissive comment "Now, I don't want you to think this is the best way to eat breakfast..." Well, what if you don't care for traditional breakfast foods? The suggestions he makes do seem somewhat nutritious; there's not a donut or Pop-tart in sight.(I like Pop-Tarts as much as anyone, but I don't pretend they're healthy).

As my late husband would've said(TMI warning): "It makes a turd."

That hanker for a hunk o cheese, I always thought it was gross that crackers and cheese were not on a plate but on the counter top.

[Ubiquit0us]

On 6/2/2019 at 12:36 AM, catlover79 said:

Yes, I definitely remember that one. Along the same lines, I seem to remember four friends in a car, all drinking beer, driving down the street and they all turn into skeletons. Did that one really exist or did I just imagine that one when I was a kid?

I remember that commercial!  Someone in my dorm knew the guy playing the driver.

 

On 11/19/2019 at 9:25 PM, Popples said:

South Dakota also ran ads five years ago called "Don't Jerk and Drive."

I did not know masturbating while driving was a problem! 😱

[Automne]

 

Donald Pleasance in all his creepy, sinister glory. 

[janie jones]

3 hours ago, Ubiquit0us said:

I did not know masturbating while driving was a problem! 😱

When my aunt was an ER nurse, she had a patient who was pulled out a ravine because of it. (But it's also not what the ad was about -- I don't know if you clicked on the link.)

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, Automne said:

 

Donald Pleasance in all his creepy, sinister glory. 

This one was in one of those scary PSA compilations I saw once ,too, I think. I've heard about how so many kids were traumatized by this and yeah, I can clearly see why. It's very unsettling. 

[Maverick]

 No, up your antibody, Jeff Bridges.  WTF with this commercial?  With his gravely rambling, the tinkly music and some bullshit about finding...whatever he was going on about it sounds like an ad for some illicit drug that will take you to some new plane of existence.  Man. 

[Prevailing Wind]

2 hours ago, Maverick said:

 No, up your antibody, Jeff Bridges.  WTF with this commercial?  With his gravely rambling, the tinkly music and some bullshit about finding...whatever he was going on about it sounds like an ad for some illicit drug that will take you to some new plane of existence.  Man. 

He was getting chemo for lymphoma, which meant his antibodies were WAY down - and then he got Covid (pre-vax availability). (The chemo facility informed him he may have been exposed during a treatment.) Several times, he nearly died. I understand his point of view, but I don't understand how you're supposed to "up your antibodies: - the print is too small and goes by too fast for me to read what it's all about.

[Prevailing Wind]

UPDATE: It's something about monoclonal antibodies, a commercial for Astra-Zenica.

https://www.astrazeneca-us.com/media/astrazeneca-us-blog/2022/introducing-up-the-antibodies-helping-the-immunocompromised-community-get-back-to-what-they-love.html

[InDueTime]

Every time I see this CDC PSA, I always wonder why poor Geri's responsible for the Thanksgiving cooking. Can't someone else in the family cook at their home? Maybe each person can bring a dish, potluck style. Why does all of the  cooking fall on the frail family member with COPD?

 

 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

1 hour ago, InDueTime said:

Every time I see this CDC PSA, I always wonder why poor Geri's responsible for the Thanksgiving cooking. Can't someone else in the family cook at their home? Maybe each person can bring a dish, potluck style. Why does all of the  cooking fall on the frail family member with COPD?

 

 

I just hope if she's cooking a month in advance, she's putting that food in the freezer and not the refrigerator.  It's going to be special by Thanksgiving.

And yes, others should share in the cooking or help her if she insists on doing it.