Posted by Ben @ October 27th, 2009 2:58 am. Filed under: Duplicate Petitions,The Nasty Television Upset Me!,We Have To Save Christmas!,You Know - We Haven't Banned Anything Lately.,spelin an grammer — Tags: DH Herold, Ian Mansfield, James Barker —
People take Christmas really seriously for some reason. Even though it’s not really a Christian celebration anymore but more of a secular excuse for family and friends to get together, get drunk, and give each other free shit, they really want to hold on to it and keep it “pure”. Oh, the exquisite irony is not lost on me!
by James BarkerCurrently we are seeing advertising for Christmas starting as early as September or October.Which in my opinion is an utter disgrace and is nothing but commercial greed and the exploitation and abuse of a greatly loved and respected religious occasion. Therefore, why can’t the Goverment at least consider bringing in a code of practice or legislation whereby,advertising for Christmas does not begin until the beginning of December. (Just like they do in many countries on the continent) Surely that’s got to be a better solution, than the commercial greed fest we’re forced to witness ever earlier, every year.
(As originally submitted by DH Herold)
by Ian MansfieldAdvertising in the media based on Christmas themes is felt by many people to be appearing earlier each year. Apart from the usual annoyances expressed when such adverts can be seen as early as the middle of October, it can also put pressures on families at uncomfortably earlier times.
The date chosen would also result in media advertising being more focused on the earlier festival of Halloween and the Bonfire Night celebration – two events which are now increasingly subsumed by Christmas advertising. The delay on advertising would assist in reintroducing variety into the winter season festivities.
This legislation would in no way impinge on the press’s freedom of speech, and should not cause a significant impact on advertising revenues as advertisers can be anticipated to concentrate their Christmas spending within a shorter timeframe.
The legislation would not seek to define which messages are Christmas themed, as such matters can be address on an ad-hock basis by the existing ASA.
I honestly don’t understand why this annoys people so much. It’s advertising. It can be tuned out. Consider yourself lucky you don’t live in America, where at this time of year you can walk into a supermarket and, I shit you not, buy a Halloween tree. With ornaments. Then I have to put up with Thanksgiving crap for the better part of a month, and I happen to think that celebrating the casual genocide of a race of indigenous people is far worse than celebrating the birth of a baby whose only real significance is that he might have been conceived in part by a magical space wizard.
I envy your early Christmas, I really do.
[Full credit for the post title goes to Andrew, who said more or less that in a comment on a petition we posted earlier in the month.]