Friday 13 April 2012

You'll think what we tell you to think


Transport for London have banned already approved bus adverts that read,
Not gay! Post-gay, ex-gay and proud. Get over it!
These were meant to play off of an earlier Stonewall bus campaign that read,
Some people are gay. Get over it!
The advert in question was censored on the grounds that it wasn't "tolerate and inclusive", which is surprising, since the Stonewall version with its bullying "shut up or else" message is about as exclusive and intolerant as it's possible to get.

What's truly dismaying is that Boris Johnson, the allegedly conservative Mayor of London is behind this censorship.  Apparently the Tories are not only adopting the Left's policies, but its practice of refusing to engage in argument in favour of just shutting down the debate.

6 comments:

Longtime Reader said...

I didn't know standing up for one's freedoms is considered bullying.
Perhaps it would be nicer to turn oneself in, then listen to a tedious yet loud 2-hour motivational speech on making love to women, then try to succesfully make love to a woman while repeating slogans heard during said speech, and then go hide somewhere and cry.

David said...

Standing up for one's freedoms is not bullying. Telling those who disagree with you to shut up and then having them censored is not only bullying, it is tyranny.

Longtime Reader said...

Those ads may not have the kindest choice of words, but they are not infringing on any of your liberties, they are merely defending those of another person. Surely you know how personal liberties work. It seems that you are deliberately neglecting those principles. If you are doing so, you should at least share some reasons why you think gay people should convert. There are legitimate reasons for such thinking.
The censoring of the second advert is a different subject worthy of discussion

David said...

Longtime Reader: Have you even read the post? Every single thing you are saying is completely irrelevant to it. The censorship of the second advert is the subject.

The point is very simple. London Transport posted an offensive, bullying advert from an activist group, but when another group opposing the first tried to buy similar space for an advert countering the first, it was censored on the grounds that it wasn't "tolerant and inclusive" despite the blatant fact that the first was flat-out intolerant and exclusive. And this was at the command of the government.

To put it bluntly, we were told that only one opinion will be allowed and everyone else should shut up.

As for this thread, I've said my piece and will no longer participate.

Longtime Reader said...

OK, some biased censoring has been going on. But none of the ads can be called bullying. The second one is only mildly invasive.
If I decide to ride my bike through town wearing a Pickelhaube, it might make me a twat, but not a bully. Once I get off the bike and start impaling people, is when we have a problem. But until that happens, you have no right to tamper with my choice of headgear, however rude I might be while defending my tastes.

jayessell said...

Could it also be the program advertised is known not to work?