The Billboard below, promoting Channel 4’s Disarming Britain season, which takes a look at the current rise in violence on Britain’s streets, was brought to my attention today by photographer Lloyd Best.
Best (a black man) say’s he walks past this Billboard on a daily basis and finds it offensive. He is currently in the process of getting the authorities to remove the billboard from the public’s view.
I am interested to know what your thoughts are on this matter?
Is the billboard offensive? should it be removed ASAP?
Categories: UK News
MAD NEWS UK 
Well, the poster is promoting Channel 4’s “unflinching look at the increasing use of violence and weapons by young people on our nation’s streets” (from Ch4 web site) so I guess the poster is appropriate.
If it was a poster advertising the latest video game or fashion brand then yeah it would be offensive.
Does LLoyd Best think the poster glorifies the violence in some way? Or maybe he feels that the use of Black children in this particular poster unfairly paints all black children as potentially violent. If all the promotional material features black people exclusively then it would be well dodgy, but I’m not sure it does.
welll i was struck by it because of everything thats going on
and i remember wincing standing next to some american tourist yesrerday !!!
BUT THEN I THOUGHT YES
WE NEED THAT MESSAGE LOUD AND CLEAR IN FULL VIEW TO HIT HOME FOR EVERYBODY ELSE
!! BLACK /WHITE /ASIAN.. AND EVERY ONE ELSE
OUR CHILDREN ARE DYING ..
“THERE NO POINT IN HIDING THINGS JUST BECAUSE THERE EMBARESSING!!”
(QOUTE CHARLOTTE NWOKENNA)
People find this offensive? I personally find it way more offensive the amount of youts dying lately on the streets. Its way easier for people to ignore that our children are dying than be confronted by the reality of what is happening in society.
@ Pheva
Lloyd didn’t really give a reason apart from “I’m a black man so it should be obvious why I’m offended” – words to that effect…
But I agree with you the poster is appropriate in this case (I’m afraid its reality), and upon further inspection the promotional campaign doesn’t just feature black people exclusively.
It looks like the GTA posters and I don’t see anyone asking for them to be taken down.
We can’t ignore it anymore, I think the poster is appropriate.
To say this bill board is offensive is a understatement!!! It is just sad on so many different levels!!!!
I think the poster is definitely needed, no matter how much it makes people wince.
“I personally find it way more offensive the amount of youts dying lately on the streets. – @ Chanti, I could not agree more. Something has to be done and ……Fasssssssst !!!
Diverse influences on the intellect through the vast social padigrams (thus simplified = the nature v nurture debate) will always equal diverse opinions, which, will, inevitably have no in-betweens at the best of times.
Having said that, in my opinion, the poster is a fractional reflection of a somewhat lopsided reality of what is indeed happening in SOME OF OUR “communities”
Offensive? Maybe to some of a squeamish nature who wish certain things (albeit negative) to be swept under the carpet under the good old “Sterotyping Us – Discrimination” wife-beater rhetoric.
Personally, I don’t really see what the above-mentioned hoopla is about because the so-called nanny state will always use shock-value tactics on the plebs to warn them of the “evils” of their shenannigans when in a social setting.
Its an English tradition dating back to Victorian times at best. So-called Chavs have been targeted for their binge-drinking, fighting, druggie, drunk-driving antics with similar campaigns – if anybody has cared to notice.
It is not an issue of race, it is very much a class issue.
They dress up to go shoot clay pigeons & pheasants, we wear hoodies, trainers & ridiculous tracksuits to shoot & stab people.
Simple as…..