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The "Look him in the eye" adverts

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Islineclear3_1

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What gets me ever since the first lockdown as to why fast-food outlets and takeaways are considered essential when my local hardware/diy shop had to close. I haven't been at home enough to watch TV - do any of these "look me in the eye" adverts involve a takeaway of any sort?
 
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A Challenge

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The advert saying "Look him in the eyes and tell him it isn't real" (or similar) advert made me think they were implying that they were saying that if you are not staying at home that means you are denying the existence of COVID.
 

yorksrob

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The advert saying "Look him in the eyes and tell him it isn't real" (or similar) advert made me think they were implying that they were saying that if you are not staying at home that means you are denying the existence of COVID.

Yes, that's the way the groupthink is being pushed.
 
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Another one here who finds these distinctly sinister. I’m old enough to remember the HIV/AIDS television adverts in the early 1980s and those were nowhere near being as chillingly manipulative.
 

Ediswan

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I think the Government should be forced to reveal how all of the participants in the advert have fared after recording.
Did all patients fully recover, did all of the medical staff avoid infection.
I know this is a rhetorical question, but if these people weren't genuine, are the Government guilty of misrepresentation.
I just watched the ad in question carefully. There is no claim made that the people shown are NHS staff and patients. They might be, but if so, why not say so.
 

bramling

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This is what I don't understand. Are we supposed to believe that everyone who dies is an innocent victim and everyone that doesn't get ill or die is a reckless idiot? Where are people getting infected? I know some vulnerable people and the only indoor place they go outside of home is the supermarket.

The fact remains that a lot of infections are still occurring in hospitals, presumably less so in care homes now vaccinations have progressed.
 

Skimpot flyer

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I just watched the ad in question carefully. There is no claim made that the people shown are NHS staff and patients. They might be, but if so, why not say so.
My employer used to have weekly meetings where we got to watch a short video, with spokespersons from the company updating us on issues affecting the business. There was also a lady in a uniform shirt who appeared to be ‘one of us’, putting questions to senior executives.
I googled her name.
There, in plain sight, was a link to her Facebook page.
She is an actress!
 

david1212

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I've caught a few of these now mostly on the radio but one on BBC TV last night. I really do not like the style at all.

My view it that it is those who are already following the law and guidelines that will think twice when they ought not to while those who are already significantly and / or consistantly breaking them will just give the ' two finger salute ' and carry on.
 

Darandio

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What gets me ever since the first lockdown as to why fast-food outlets and takeaways are considered essential when my local hardware/diy shop had to close. I haven't been at home enough to watch TV - do any of these "look me in the eye" adverts involve a takeaway of any sort?

Are you suggesting takeaways should have been closed as well, or just for collection? A delivered takeaway is one of the few pleasures we have left right now.
 

brad465

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I do think not only are these adverts desperation from the Government, but I reckon they're using them because 3 word slogans on their own have run dry.
 

Mojo

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Even some visitor attractions remain open (for example a paid for gardens is still open near me, still charging admission and claiming it's for local residents to "exercise").
Especially amusing is the fact that Kew Gardens and Wakehurst are still open, given that the Royal Botanic Gardens is a public body rather than one run privately.
 

Parallel

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I see the 'look him in the eyes' advert iconically sits more towards the government than just members of the general public.

Before the current lockdown, the government:
- Weren't generally testing arrivals at UK airports
- Weren't enforcing quarantine of people arriving at airports, except from a small number of countries
- Left it too late to shut schools and colleges, meaning kids became super spreaders
- Still didn't supply adequate PPE to hospitals (reported on the news several times)
- Acted weeks too late when implementing new policies/rules when the hospital admissions were already escalating


I'd argue that the government have been negligent at the very least. It's all well and good blaming the public for the rise in cases (yes, that may be partly true) but even if everyone followed every rule, I doubt it'd make a significant difference if the government weren't doing 'all they could' to keep everyone safe, by actioning the points above at an earlier time.

Mental health related services also seem to have taken a back seat, when surely these services are needed most at the moment. I think the nation will start seeing mental health issues begin to rise soon, if lockdowns continue and sufficient professional support isn't in place. There's more to life than staying at home and working, and many have been doing that now for the best part of a year.

People shouldn't feel guilt tripped by leaving the house to nip out for essentials/well needed reasons because of these adverts, when the government think is fine to go to work and be in the vicinity of colleagues and customers from outside of your household. I've changed my job recently - and before, it was deemed acceptable for me to speak face to face with 150 students, but obviously not fine to go for a weekend break with 3 friends. There's no consistency.
 

Islineclear3_1

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Are you suggesting takeaways should have been closed as well, or just for collection? A delivered takeaway is one of the few pleasures we have left right now.

OT but to answer the question... yes, they should have been closed but open for trading for delivery. A takeaway/fast food establishment is hardly "essential" if you compare the "essentiality" to a small, local DIY shop

Which country are you in ? My local hardware/diy shop (England) has been open throughout.

At the time, London
There was also a lady in a uniform shirt who appeared to be ‘one of us’, putting questions to senior executives. I googled her name. There, in plain sight, was a link to her Facebook page. She is an actress!

And she was being paid no doubt!
 

STINT47

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This is a disgrace it seams they are putting the blame for all the blunders on us.

I think you are right. The governments line will be we did everything we could, we are sorry things went badly but people broke the rules so nothing to do with us. Move on.
 

py_megapixel

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Here's a quick photoshop I did earlier, for anyone interested!

boris-lookhimintheeyes.jpeg
 

DorkingMain

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Another one here who finds these distinctly sinister. I’m old enough to remember the HIV/AIDS television adverts in the early 1980s and those were nowhere near being as chillingly manipulative.
I find the messaging pretty disgusting tbh.

Working people probably already feel under immense pressure with financial struggles, worrying about getting the virus themselves and having to keep working.
Now they have to travel to work surrounded by posters telling them they're responsible for people dying.

This government's fixation on getting us to blame each other for the COVID situation is divide and rule.
 

Freightmaster

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What gets me ever since the first lockdown as to why fast-food outlets and takeaways are considered essential when my local hardware/diy shop had to close.
For clarification, at no point in the past ten months have hardware/DIY shops in England "had to close",
so if your local one did so, it was because they unilaterally overreacted, not because they were forced to shut.





MARK
 

Darandio

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I find the messaging pretty disgusting tbh.

Working people probably already feel under immense pressure with financial struggles, worrying about getting the virus themselves and having to keep working.
Now they have to travel to work surrounded by posters telling them they're responsible for people dying.

This government's fixation on getting us to blame each other for the COVID situation is divide and rule.

And expect it to increase ten-fold now Sir Captain Tom has passed. I'd be incredibly surprised if they don't jump on it and tell us it was all our fault.
 

hst43102

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I came across one of these ads on YouTube earlier and I found it chilling and awful in every way imaginable. We've already got enough mental health issues caused by the lockdowns, so why does the government need to make it so much worse by calling me a granny-killer?
 

greyman42

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I came across one of these ads on YouTube earlier and I found it chilling and awful in every way imaginable. We've already got enough mental health issues caused by the lockdowns, so why does the government need to make it so much worse by calling me a granny-killer?
They can call me a "granny killer" all they want, as i know i am not. Water of a ducks back.
 
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Tracked

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And expect it to increase ten-fold now Sir Captain Tom has passed. I'd be incredibly surprised if they don't jump on it and tell us it was all our fault.

How long will it be before the "Who Killed Sir Tom" witch-hunt starts in the tabloids? I'm thinking Thursday ...

(RIP Sir Captain Tom, by the way)
 

py_megapixel

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And expect it to increase ten-fold now Sir Captain Tom has passed. I'd be incredibly surprised if they don't jump on it and tell us it was all our fault.
How long will it be before the "Who Killed Sir Tom" witch-hunt starts in the tabloids? I'm thinking Thursday ...

(RIP Sir Captain Tom, by the way)
According to the BBC he was already on a lengthy course of medication for pneumonia before he tested positive for Coronavirus.
Surely most people will realise that, although it may have been exacerbated or accelerated by the virus, the pneumonia must also have had a significant part to play?
 

Darandio

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According to the BBC he was already on a lengthy course of medication for pneumonia before he tested positive for Coronavirus.
Surely most people will realise that, although it may have been exacerbated or accelerated by the virus, the pneumonia must also have had a significant part to play?

You have more confidence in the general population than I do, facts are now there to be ignored and agenda has become more important to the brainwashed.
 

Tracked

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According to the BBC he was already on a lengthy course of medication for pneumonia before he tested positive for Coronavirus.
Surely most people will realise that, although it may have been exacerbated or accelerated by the virus, the pneumonia must also have had a significant part to play?
You would hope so, wouldn't you :|
 

duncanp

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According to the BBC he was already on a lengthy course of medication for pneumonia before he tested positive for Coronavirus.
Surely most people will realise that, although it may have been exacerbated or accelerated by the virus, the pneumonia must also have had a significant part to play?
Not to mention the fact that he has been treated for prostate and skin cancer over the past five years, which must have weakened the immune system in someone of that age.
 
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