Saturday 5 March 2011

Offensive Census Campaign Posters?

I was very disappointed to see that the Census Campaign posters intended for railway stations this month have been rejected by the rail companies who feared the risk of offending people.

I'm not quite sure what is "offensive" about these posters, but as luck would have it I don't actually subscribe to religions carefully honed "easily offended" subterfuge myself. I have no such restrictions. So here's my poster.I will however be looking out for the buses with the redeveloped slogan and I'm especially looking forward to seeing the first grumpy Christian bus driver who refuses to drive it.


BTW I'm sure you knew anyway, but the quote is from Paul Heinrich Dietrich, Baron d'Holbach. Although I may have tweaked it slightly.



UPDATE:

Here's another poster I received from @seroma made by the @HantsHumanists:

Here a couple more from:

Tim McGregor's Musings of a lapsed Pagan:

and another from @Tetenterre
Keep 'em coming and I'll post them here.

15 comments:

Tetenterre said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tetenterre said...

Your quote is d'Holbach, but your picture is Paine. Here's a Paine quote for you:

Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and tortuous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we call it the word of a demon than the word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind; and, for my part, I sincerely detest it, as I detest everything that is cruel. [Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason]

Crispian Jago said...

Well spotted. Quick fix applied

Glendon Mellow said...

Brilliant!

Alex M said...

Wikipedia says the picture is Hume:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume

Crispian Jago said...

Bugger, you're right. Bloody Google image search. Right third time lucky.
Perhaps I can do alternative posters with Paine and Hume.

Just zis Guy, you know? said...

Count yourself lucky. Lisa Jardine went to press with a cover picture supposedly of Robert Hooke, which turned out to be Jan Baptist van Helmont.

Anonymous said...

EXPOSING QUACKS & SH*THEADS!

graveyardofthegods.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=11181

Michael Kingsford Gray said...

I have posted a link to this image and article on my new anti-theist website:
www.incivilityinstitute.com
(or: www.incivilityinstitute.org)

If you object, I shall remove the link.
If you do not object, I shall be ecstatic! ;)

Crispian Jago said...

Thanks Michael,

No objections whatsoever. Thanks for sharing.

Tetenterre said...

Re your "any more?", may I offer my own meagre (by comparison) effort:

http://tete-enterre.blogspot.com/2011/03/adults-with-imaginary-friends-are.html

Timmeh! said...

One more for you:

http://lapsedpagan.blogspot.com/2011/03/if-you-must-be-religious.html

Enjoy.

Dan G Swindles said...

Its a comfort to think that at least some people think this way

I'll probably go for Jedi again this time round though

aimee said...

Hey Dan, it would make more impact if you would tick "No religion". To find out why, see http://census-campaign.org.uk/

Ollie said...

I agree with the message but to me the sneering tone in the delivery of these ads does more harm than good. Surely it's better to promote rational thinking than rag on religion? It just comes across as arrogant and self congratulatory.

And Dan, if you're an atheist stand and be counted, it's important and will do more good than sticking down Jedi for a quick laugh!