WARNING

The link posted here, original courtesy of Robin Brown at his and David Quinn's brilliant "AdTurds - Adverts That Are Shit" site should not be watched while eating as it is liable to make the viewer vomit.

[Maybe that's how Victoria Beckham is a size 0, she watches AdTurds with every meal - a bulimics dream - sorry wandered off topic a bit there.]

Anyway, check out the post for Wed 9 Sept - "Hitler is Aids - or Something" at :

http://advertsihate.blogspot.com/

Now while I agree with Robin that the Toolstation ad is just crap, crass, stupid and so bad it's funny he also makes a serious point about the Hitler ad.

Aids campaigners have, quite rightly IMO, been up in arms about what Robin calls "this utterly fucking awful and stupid and ridiculous ad showing a man turning into a leering, shaking Adolf Hitler while shagging a on't woman" - "a German effort to warn of the dangers of contracting HIV from unprotected sex, apparently"

He goes on to add "I voice an element of doubt, because looking at it it's impossible to discern any kind of cogent message in this piece, beyond instilling in me the idea that the next time I have sex I might turn into Hitler."

He quotes the Telegraph (I'm a Daily Star girl myself, so I missed this!) as stating that "the campaign also features poster adverts of Saddam Hussein and Joseph Stalin, and a radio spot that re-works a famous speech by Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propagandist."

As Jimmy from Southpark would say, "Come on!"

What have Hitler, Saddam, Stalin and Goebbels all got in common? Apart from being dead. If there's a common thread here that I have to work out it'd have to be that they were all dictators. Nope, Goebbels dictated speeches not people. Right try again Lila, maybe they were all fascists? Wrong again, Stalin was a communist. I see - directly (Hitler, Saddam & Stalin) or indirectly (Goebbels) they were all responsible for the deaths of millions!!! So now I finally see the light - these four genocidal maniacs = AIDS because it's responsible for the deaths of millions too.

As Robin says, "AIDS charities are understandably aghast at the association with sufferers as Nazi Jew-murderers, and also point out that the ad features no helpful messages regarding barrier devices such as condoms."

This ad is sick and twisted in so many ways I don't even know where to start! It brings back to me memories of AIDS being called "the gay plague" and "the wrath of god".

What really scares me is that not only do ppl have to watch this crap, ad agencies , governments, health ministers, consultants (as in advisers) all get paid loadsamoney to think it up, make it and broadcast it.

Instead of spending god knows how much on an ad no-one even wants to understand why not just make one with  maybe some REAL ppl with HIV talking about their lives and how they've changed since their diagnosis. Or is that too simple for an ad agency?

I usually think that most crap ads or tv shows can be so bad they're good in a perverse way but this is beyond bad, well done Robin Brown for highlighting this one.

Bet I've bored you all to sleep,
Sorry, rant over,

Love

Lila
xoxo

If the people responsible for this actually wanted to do something about HIV related deaths, they would be doing something on global access to decent health care, not pictures of young attractive men and women shagging in dark rooms somewhere in Germany.

But hey, this might win an award or two whereas the reality just isn't sexy enough.

Couldn't agree more. How much treatment for HIV and AIDS sufferers could the money put into this scary movie have funded I wonder? Or free condoms for teenagers?

I've noticed a trend in Northern Ireland over the last ten years where mums just put their daughters on the pill, take them to the doctor for an implant or a contraceptive injection. It really worries me.

I brought my daughter up to know that there are far worse consequences to indiscriminate unprotected sex than falling pregnant. Like STDs for example. She's 21 now and has been exclusively with her boyfriend for four years. Bless him, he's 2 years younger than her so when they got together he was 15 and she was 17, she got some stick - "cradle-snatcher" being the main one!

My partner's brother's daughter has just announced that she's pregnant at 16. Her mum had her on the pill but she "only forgot to take it twice". As her Dad said, it only takes the once.

Have people forgotten about STDs? Don't they care anymore if their kids get the clap as long as they don't get pregnant?

Over here AIDS is seen as "not our problem". Most people don't know anyone with HIV or even Hep C so it gets brushed under the carpet as a virus that only infects dissolute Londoners, poor people in Africa and gay Americans.

Ostrich syndrome has well and truly set in here methinks. Stick your head in the sand and your ass in the air and hope no-one sticks anything up it when you're not looking.

Saddened

Lila
xoxo