ASAI- Alway the Same, Always Ineffective?

You Don’t Have to Be Sexist…but you do have to have a lack of imagination. Part 2

It seems that the lack of imagination continues to haunt the Irish advertising industry. I’d heard the Hunky Dory ads were back, something confirmed when the guffawing on the radio, the ‘I don’t know what your problem is’ and of course, the obligatory ‘You just don’t have a sense of humour’ comments were rolling on the airwaves. People have forgotten that there are thousands of women in sport who are “demeaned and diminished all the time, in terms of funding, in terms of coverage, in terms of attitude”, Tom Humphries, The Irish Times (May 2010). This kind of campaign ‘shows’ that women playing sport only do so for the leering lads on the side-lines. It is so far from the reality this whole thing is ridiculous.

This is what we’re talking about, the attitude to women. We have the same products, same objectification of women for the sake of selling a few more packets of crisps. Where is the ASAI in this? Last year the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) (or should that be Always the Same, Always Ineffective?) received more that 300 complaints. The campaign ran its course and those who objected might even have helped sell even more crisps!

Welcome to Ground Hog Day Hunky Dory style. The ASAI doesn’t have the capability to prevent our social spaces, the advertising hoardings, the bus stops, print media and so on, from being saturated by these ads.

What is the function of the ASAI? It is the ” independent self-regulatory body set up and financed by the advertising industry.” There is a Code of Practice where there are rules applicable to this and other advertising. It is worth reading these rules for some perspective on these ads.

2.15

A marketing communication should contain nothing that is likely to cause grave or widespread offence.

2.16

Marketing communications should respect the dignity of all persons and should avoid causing offence on grounds of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race or membership of the traveller community.

2.17

Marketing communications should respect the principle of the equality of men and women. They should avoid sex stereotyping and any exploitation or demeaning of men and women. Where appropriate, marketing communications should use generic terms that include both the masculine and feminine gender; for example, the term ‘business executive’ covers both men and women.

2.18

To avoid causing offence, marketing communications should be responsive to the diversity in Irish society and marketing communications which portray or refer to people within the groups mentioned in 2.16 should:

(a) respect the principle of equality in any depiction of these groups;

(b) fully respect their dignity and not subject them to ridicule or offensive humour;

(c) avoid stereotyping and negative or hurtful images;

(d) not exploit them for unrelated marketing purposes;

(e) not ridicule or exploit religious beliefs, symbols, rites or practices.

2.19

Advertisers should take account of public sensitivities in the preparation and publication of marketing communications and avoid the exploitation of sexuality and the use of coarseness and undesirable innuendo. They should not use offensive or provocative copy or images merely to attract attention. Marketing communications that may be considered by some to be distasteful, might not necessarily conflict with 2.15 above. Nevertheless, advertisers are urged to consider public sensitivities before using potentially offensive material.

Does this repeat of last year’s advertising campaign adhere to these rules?

From the Business and Leadership site last year:

“Frank Goodman, chief executive of the ASAI, said today that his organisation had written to Largo Foods requesting the withdrawal of the campaign, due to the level of complaints received. He said that the authority had not, however, imposed a ban.

“We asked them to withdraw it and a lot of them have come down,” he said. “We obviously felt at that stage it was sufficiently grave to request that and the code allows us to do that. We don’t do it very often. One of the measures we take in looking at taste and decency or the equality issues is the level of complaints. But it’s only one of the issues.”

Unable to stretch my imagination beyond last year’s post, here it is again. Same story, same issues. It’s Groundhog Day Hunky Dory style…

You Don’t Have to Be Sexist…but you do have to have a lack of imagination.

The Grey Stuff Taking up Space in My Skull

When I ungracefully upended myself for the ‘nth’ time I considered a helmet more appropriate than the woolly hat received as a Christmas gift. The snow and ice made travelling horrendous for everyone in December but add to the hazard of slippery streets a tendency to lose your balance and we’re getting into a whole other dimension of injuries.

It got me thinking about the material in my skull, the millions of nerves so delicately encased in my spine and how easy it would be to damage the fundamental messaging system which controls every aspect of my being (all this thinking with the very same stuff I was thinking about…thoughtful tangent-mental bliss).

Neurology is the branch of medicine that deals with the nervous system. Disorders of this system are usually referred to as neurological conditions and they can affect each and every aspect of the body. Movement, thought processes, emotions, speech, expression and other aspects of life can be affected.  Many of us are familiar with Alzheimer’s disease, Epilepsy, Motor Neurone disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Strokes and Acquired Brain Injury but might not have realised that they all affect the same part of the body- the nervous system.

So, why is this important? Its important because 700,000 people in Ireland have a neurological condition. Add the number of friends, family and colleagues and it turns out most of us are, or know someone, affected. Services for people with neurological conditions have historically never been top of the priority list in terms of medical care. Ireland has just 23 neurologists, significantly below the 42 (1 per 100,000 people) recommended for our population and way behind our European colleagues.  Waiting for diagnosis is a traumatic time, made all the more difficult if there is a wait of up two years to see a neurologist.

Since 1998 the Neurological Alliance of Ireland (NAI) has been the umbrella organisation representing people affected by neurological conditions. The NAI and partner organisations are calling for the Government to “Think Ahead” and implement a national strategy for neurological care to get Ireland’s system up-to-date.  Unless the Health Service Executive (HSE) commit to the development of services for the other 44,000 people who are diagnosed each year, people with neurological conditions will continue to lose out. With VOTE FOR THINKING AHEAD the NAI wants to prevent any reductions in medical care, to protect access to care and non-statutory organisations that provide support and advocacy for thousands of people affected.

There are plenty of other things on our minds right now, in fact we’ve thought of hundreds in the last few seconds from wanting another cup of tea, calling a friend, financial concerns, unemployment, emigration, sunny days, fun in the sun- the combinations are endless! One thing to keep in mind when venturing out (ice, snow, wandering in the hills) is to take precautions and responsibility. Its only when something bad happens, neurologically speaking, that the care of the grey matter and the body become a priority.

Please sign the NAI petition today http://www.nai.ie.

Your brain…it does so much more than take up space…

Thanks to Mags Rogers from the Neurological Alliance of Ireland.

Snow walking clears the metaphorical cobb-webs

When it came, it dumped more than one foot of snow and ice, creating all sorts of cabin fevers, delirium tremors and general harrumphing. However, I’m **free**!! I’m back on two feet, able to walk and travel, dance and prance should the fancy take me.

Mobility is dreadfully under-rated. I was on crutches, could not move with ease, was forced to slow down and couldn’t do all the things I was used to do. Even now, more than one week later, there is a certain element of regret for what seems like a massive ‘waste’ of time. Three months of hobbling, healing and howling inside like a crazed wolf as the frustration took hold.

Thankfully, that time is over. There are significant improvements to my foot, no pain other than the general pain that comes from weakness. For that, I am sincerely grateful.

The Joy of Movement

Being free to exercise has meant a improvement in terms of general fitness but more significantly, my mental health is also better. As the weeks passed it was as though ‘cotton-wool’ gathered in my mind. Looking back, the time is something of a haze. Keeping note has helped, otherwise, without acknowledgement, the days all slipped into one another. However, the snow and ice of the last two weeks means the roads/streets are very dangerous. No matter though. Three months of limited movement and extreme cabin-fever has pushed me out into the slippery whiteness.

Earlier in the week I put on two layers of thermals, two jackets, ski-pants and hiking boots and took to the hills. On occasion, my balance can be seriously dodgy. Add ice and snow and there are certainly ‘interesting’ outcomes and I’ve more than three notches on my ‘fell on my posterior’ bed post. Luckily, I went down like a leaf; softly and without harm. As well as the cabin fever, another reason for walking as far as I can is in an effort to re-build the muscles which have wasted away. It will take time but by pushing my legs through relatively deep snow I felt the challenge to my thigh and calf muscles for the first time in months. There was a fresh fall of snow, more than 8cms, bringing with it sharp clean air; tough to breathe sometimes but definitely a revitalising way to clear the metaphorical cobb-webs!

Hanna’s House Summer School- Arpilleras

It has been a hectic few weeks. There have been times when I was fit to pass out with fatigue but thanks to the supply of black coffee juxtaposed with little meditative moments, I arrived at all my stops in one piece.

The height of the experiences was the Hanna’s House Summer School held in Belfast from 27th-29th August. Arriving in on the Friday afternoon in the University of Ulster in the hall area was a fabulous display of creative art from around the world. For anyone who attended the workshop on arpilleras and quilting they provided inspiration and reminded the rest of the attendees of the different ways we can capture lives through creative use of different materials and media.

The arpilleras were colourful and evoked scenes from societies across the world. Two of the workshops were based around stitching experiences into works of creative expression. It is in the minute details of these works, the simplified versions of life, that the harsh realities are so well captured.

This arpillera shows what is now a typical scene from Ireland. A couple sit at a kitchen table which is covered in bills. The desperation is stitched into their faces. A sickening reminder of the reality of some people’s lives.

Survivors of symphysiotomy call for inquiry into ‘wide-awake surgery’

This week there was a re-screening of the film, ‘Whistleblower’. It is about the experiences of pregnant women in a hospital where the procedure of symphysiotomy was regularly performed. What follow is a press release from Survivors of Symphysiotomy- SOS.

Survivors of symphysiotomy call for inquiry into ‘wide-awake surgery’

Following RTE’s showing of the Neary drama last evening, Survivors of
Symphysiotomy (SOS) have again called for an independent inquiry into
the surgery.  SOS says ‘“Whistleblower” exposed a hospital world of
cover up and concealment that is still with us. Symphysiotomy was also
a form of institutional abuse. We call upon the Government to initiate
an independent inquiry into these childbirth operations that amounted
to medical malpractice.’

Speaking on behalf of SOS, Marie O Connor said: ‘Patient safety is
still taking second place to misplaced collegiality. The last decade
has been one of denial in relation to symphysiotomy.  Based on
misleading advice from the Institute of Obstetricians and
Gynaecologists, the Minister for Health has four times refused to hold
an independent inquiry into the practice. Yet, whatever the Institute
may pretend, symphysiotomy was an abuse of medical authority. These
operations were not usually carried out on the grounds of medical
necessity’.

‘Symphysiotomy is an 18th century birth operation that unhinges the pelvis,
splitting the pubic joint and its ligaments. Doctors also appear to
have practiced pubiotomy, a related operation that severs the bone
rather than the joint, and results in a compound fracture of the
pelvis. The consequences for mothers were usually horrendous and
lifelong.’

Ireland is the only country in the developed world that practiced
these mutilating operations in the 20th century.

The SOS Press and Public Relations Officer underlined the cruel nature
of these operations: ‘The surgery was generally performed wide-awake
in the labour ward: women were then required to labour for as long as
it took to give birth vaginally, despite being in excruciating pain,
and labours of 24-48 hours were not uncommon. Caesarean section was
withheld in order to “achieve” vaginal delivery.’

She explained why doctors chose to sever the pelvis rather than
perform a Caesarean: ‘Long discarded on account of its dangers,
symphysiotomy was rescued from oblivion at Holles St Hospital by
Catholic doctors who were strongly opposed to birth control. For a
doctor to carry out a Caesarean section on a woman was to limit the
size of her family. Once a Caesarean, always a Caesarean: this was the
medical rule and four was the upper safety limit.  So Caesarean was
associated with family planning, particularly sterilisation.’

‘Symphysiotomy, on the other hand, was the gateway to a large family.
Obstetricians cut the joint or the bone over the birth canal,
permanently widening the pelvis to facilitate unlimited childbearing
by performing a procedure that they hoped would ensure a lifetime of
vaginal births.’

At least 1, 500 of these mutilating operations were carried out across
the State from 1944-84. The operation carried a high death rate for
babies, while pelvic pain, walking difficulties and bladder injuries
were among its known risks for mothers.

‘For the vast majority of our members, symphysiotomy has been a life
sentence without remission.’

**Please contact me by mail for further information on SOS**

Equality and Rights Alliance- It’s About You

You may have seen little U?s around the city at bus stops, on the pavements and wondered what’s it all about?  The Equality and Rights Alliance wants us all involved in the campaign. This is our society where equality and human rights are of fundamental relevance to our lives, never mind what anti-egalitarian people say…

It is about us; it is about the lives we lead, from our selves out; it about how we relate to our selves and how in turn we relate to others. It is us who can make our lives and voices relevant and ensure we the people create the Ireland we want to live in. Get out, get active and be part of the people’s movement.

As Eleanor Roosevelt said about human rights, “Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world….Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”

It is making us realise that equality and human rights are issues that are integral to living positive, fulfilling lives without the threat of violation by the state or others who do not have our best interests at heart. But it is more than this. It is not just about the prevention of violations, it is about the promotion and respect of people’s fundamental freedom and dignity; the promotion of equality, the living of equality.

Sign up to the campaign, load up your images and be part of our campaign!

“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood s/he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where s/he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”  Eleanor Roosevelt

reBlog from genderacrossborders.com: What Passes for Prevention in Rape Culture

I found this fascinating quote today:

To refer to alcohol voluntarily taken as a rape drug distorts the meaning of the phrase by removing the actions and ill-intent of the rapist. In other words, here the phrase no longer refers to a drug given to someone (usually a woman) by someone else (usually a man) to facilitate an assault. Instead, it refers to a drug which leads to rape apparently without any agency on the part of the attacker. It treats rape as if it were a force of nature so that when it happens to a drunk woman it is the fault of the alcohol (and, if she chose to drink it, the woman). This is rape culture in action.genderacrossborders.com, What Passes for Prevention in Rape Culture, Oct 2009

You should read the whole article.

Dublin Writers Festival 2010

Natasha Walter & Susan McKay

Venue Project Arts Centre
Date Saturday, June 5^th
Time 4:00pm

Price €10.00/€8.00 Concession

There are many excellent events during this festival including Antony Beevor. The ticket prices might put some people off but here’s hoping there will be some events that are free and  everyone has the chance to enjoy hearing the writers speak of their work and their place in the world.

One event is of particular interested. Natasha Walter and Susan McKay will talk about the return of sexism in modern society. Here’s the blurb:

“What message does our hypersexualised culture and its airbrushed version of femininity send out to women and young girls whose ambitions often stop at fame, glamour and endorsement by men? To what degree are we limiting their futures, and what actions can we, as a society, take to counter the slide?”

Check out the rest of the schedule here and enjoy mingling with these wordy folks!

Dublin Writers Festival

Employee from Athens bank speaks out.

The writer has been flumoxed with all the news, views, opinions and semi-factual comments being made in the news lately. This is a comment from Counterfire about the tragedy in Greece. It does not make for easy reading but it does put some things in perspective. The bank was not taking care of the staff- health and safety issues were not a priority but having staff in the bank during a wild strike day was.

Employee from the burnt bank in Athens speaks out:

ITN news report

“I feel an obligation toward my co-workers who have so unjustly died today to speak out and to say some objective truths. I am sending this message to all media outlets. Anyone who still bares some consciousness should publish it. The rest can continue to play the government’s game.

The fire brigade had never issued an operating license to the building in question. The agreement for it to operate was under the table, as it practically happens with all businesses and companies in Greece.

The building in question has no fire safety mechanisms in place, neither planned nor installed ones – that is, it has no ceiling sprinklers, fire exits or fire hoses. There are only some portable fire extinguishers which, of course, cannot help in dealing with extensive fire in a building that is built with long-outdated security standards.

No branch of Marfin bank has had any member of staff trained in dealing with fire, not even in the use of the few fire extinguishers. The management also uses the high costs of such training as a pretext and will not take even the most basic measures to protect its staff.

There has never been a single evacuation exercise in any building by staff members, nor have there been any training sessions by the fire-brigade, to give instructions for situations like this. The only training sessions that have taken place at Marfin Bank concern terrorist action scenarios and specifically planning the escape of the banks’ “big heads” from their offices in such a situation.

The building in question had no special accommodation for the case of fire, even though its construction is very sensitive under such circumstances and even though it was filled with materials from floor to ceiling. Materials which are very inflammable, such as paper, plastics, wires, furniture. The building is objectively unsuitable for use as a bank due to its construction.

No member of security has any knowledge of first aid or fire extinguishing, even though they are every time practically charged with securing the building. The bank employees have to turn into firemen or security staff according to the appetite of Mr Vgenopoulos [owner of Marfin Bank].

The management of the bank strictly bared the employees from leaving today, even though they had persistently asked so themselves from very early this morning – while they also forced the employees to lock up the doors and repeatedly confirmed that the building remained locked up throughout the day, over the phone. They even blocked off their internet access so as to prevent the employees from communicating with the outside world.

For many days now there has been some complete terrorisation of the bank’s employees in regard to the mobilisations of these days, with the verbal “offer”: you either work, or you get fired.
The two undercover police who are dispatched at the branch in question for robbery prevention did not show up today, even though the bank’s management had verbally promised to the employees that they would be there.

At last, gentlemen, make your self-criticism and stop wandering around pretending to be shocked. You are responsible for what happened today and in any rightful state (like the ones you like to use from time to time as leading examples on your TV shows) you would have already been arrested for the above actions.

My co-workers lost their lives today by malice: the malice of Marfin Bank and Mr. Vgenopoulos personally who explicitly stated that whoever didin’t come to work today [May 5th, a day of a general strike!] should not bother showing up for work tomorrow [as they would get fired].”

URGENT: Please send some creativity to Irish advertising

The campaign continues with semi-naked women all over bus shelters in Dublin city and elsewhere. What is the point of this advertising campaign but to raise publicity so we will buy CRISPS! For flip sake. Whoever thinks its ok to have women’s bodies diplayed for objectification and as a product placement, to appeal to the inner male-child who seems to yearn for that ever elusive mammories of their memories…puh-lesse! Do men really need more pornographic images than those that already pollute the newsagents and local shops? I thought humans were progressing beyond this?

Unfortunately given that the posters are still up and the campaign is still running it seems the ASA is not taking swift enough action. Some people in Dublin are taking things into their own hands with many of the posters tagged with “Send sexism to the sin bin” and other comments.

Someone today suggested a petition and a boycott of the products. Could this be a dreadful kick into touch by the advertising agency who produced the campaign? Still waiting for more information but know that there are many, many very angry people who do not think these methods are a valid way to advertise products.

Remember: You don’t have to be sexist. You too can be a respectful human even when eating crisps!