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Thought-provoking article from the British convert

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Thought-provoking article from the British convert
Anonymous
10/19/02 at 02:59:02
Why are you here?

Why have so many Muslims chosen to forsake Dar al-Islam and settle in the West where
there is so much that is injurious and unconducive to their Islamic faith and morals?  Is
Islamist activism among immigrant communities just a glaring symptom of a guilty conscience
among those who have migrated not for the cause of Allah but for worldly benefits?  A
self-righteous magazine article prompts British convert, Michael Young,  to question the
methods,  priorities and very commitment to Islam of Muslim immigrants.

"Stripping off street porn", proclaimed a headline in a British Muslim magazine I came
across a while back.  The accompanying feature detailed the activities of a group of
Birmingham Muslims who paint over advertising billboards which they deem offensive.  An article
on the website of Muslims Against Advertising or MAAD, as they style themselves, gives a
flavour of the posters they object to:

an advert for a car which featured a man looking inside his pants with the legend “size
does matter”.

a poster selling hair dye with a picture of a woman looking inside her pants with the
slogan “so long lasting you’ll forget your natural hair colour”.

an advert for a bra which showed two people simulating sex and the words “moan, moan,
moan”.

How could a Muslim not take offence?  How could we do other than have sympathy with the
motives of the "poster improvement experts" of MAAD.  Indeed does not the Quran say:

"They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency,
and vie one with another in good works. These are of the righteous."
(Quran 3:114)

But perhaps things are not quite that simple.  Perhaps there is more than one dimension
to this issue.  Sympathy with MAAD's motives is one thing, but their actions?  And what
about the wider picture?

Firstly, are not men commanded to look down when they see a woman and vice versa?  And if
they happen to look, although the first glance is excused, is not the second haram?

"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that
will make for greater purity for them, and God is well acquainted with all they do.  Say
to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty."
(Quran 24: 30-31)

Now I can't help thinking that the young men of MAAD spend quite some time looking at the
immodest images of scantily clad women on these posters.  Indeed, instead of lowering
one's gaze, their website advises others who may wish to emulate their actions to actively
seek out "multiple locations displaying the same advertisement".

Another reservation I have about MAAD's activities is that by their "direct action" they
are imposing Islamic moral values on the wider population.  It is quite legitimate for
Muslims or anyone else for that matter who are offended by certain adverts to take action
through the official body, the Advertising Standards Authority. And if the advert in
question has gone beyond the generally accepted guidelines, then the ASA will take appropriate
action. But the UK has long since ceased to be an actively Christian country sharing many
moral values with Islam.  And it is certainly not a Muslim country either.  Indeed the
entire combined ethnic minority population of the UK - Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and
Afro-Caribbeans (some Christian, many non-religious) - is only 7%.  Therefore many people in this
society do not necessarily have a problem with the advertising posters which MAAD objects
to.  For example, they may view them as humorous, sexy (a positive attribute in their
eyes) or simply in keeping with the spirit of the age and popular culture of this country.

When MAAD take matters into their own hands and explicitly identify themselves as Muslims
acting out of Islamic religious motivation, I cannot help but feel that this group and
their fellow travellers are violating Allah's command that "there is no compulsion in
religion". (Quran 2:256)

Would it not be more appropriate to follow the commands of Allah (swt) and the example of
prophet Mohammed (saw) and deal with this issue in a milder way?

"Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them
in ways that are best and most gracious." Quran 16:125

"You have two characters which God likes; gentleness and deliberation."  (Muslim).

"Verily, God is mild and is fond of mildness, and He gives to the mild what He does not
give to the harsh." (Muslim)

Why not request the advertisers to respect the sensibilities of the local population in
predominantly Muslim areas and close to mosques?  And why not speak to the advertisers in
a language they understand, that of commercial gain.  It stands to reason that by placing
such advertisements in areas with a significant Muslim population, they are targeting the
wrong audience thereby wasting their money.  In fact, they are actually creating ill-will
against their brand, not enhancing its appeal.

The real issue for Muslims
Turning now to the more general point of how Muslim who choose to live in a non-Islamic
country should behave towards that society; just as non-Muslim visitors to and residents
of Islamic countries are expected to respect the way of life of the local population, is
it not reasonable for the non-Muslim natives of Britain to expect a bit of peace and quiet
to go about things their own way in their own country?  And do they not as a bare minimum
have the right to expect that these "holier than thou" Muslim immigrants obey their own
Quran?

"Give the unbelievers some respite.  Deal with them gently for a while."
(Quran 86:17)

Muslims constitute a small minority of the UK population and the great bulk of Muslims
who do live here are non-indigenous - first or second generation immigrants.  They either
chose to settle here and/or not return to their (extended) families in an Islamic country.  
Which brings me to my final and most important point.  What Muslims consider "indecent"
advertising is but one small aspect of a British society which places little or no worth
on the values Islam holds dear.  It is a society which prevents Muslims from attending to
even their most basic duties - how often in the last year have you been able to attend
weekday Zuhr salat in a mosque or even pray it anywhere on time?  It is a society which
corrodes the Muslim soul and whose all-pervasive influence imperils the Islam of the next
generation of Muslims - do you have any idea of the atrocious behaviour of many Muslim
pupils, male and female, in the state school system?

This begs the question:  Why have so many Muslims chosen to forsake Dar al-Islam where
these influences are much less to the fore?  Why have they chosen to come to live here and
stay here where there is so much that is injurious and unconducive to their Islamic faith
and morals?  Prophet Mohammed (saw) has told us:

"To strive for the cause of Allah from daybreak to noon and sunset is better than the
goods and enjoyment of the whole worldly life."
(Bukhari)

And in another hadeeth from Sahih Bukhari, Allah's Apostle (saw) said,

"The reward of deeds depends upon the intention and every person will get the reward
according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for Allah and His Apostle (peace be
upon him) then his emigration was for Allah and his Apostle (peace be upon him). And
whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was what he
emigrated for."

Could it be that all this posturing about un-Islamic advertising is simply a token
gesture to appease a guilty conscience?  Could it be that the many Muslims who have left the
lands of Islam and made their home in the West, have in fact emigrated not for the cause of
Allah and His Apostle but for material, worldly benefits, with their Islam coming off a
poor second?

Oh, and a word in passing here to those Muslims who have come to Britain claiming not to
be economic migrants but to be seeking refuge from persecution, often on the basis of
their Islamic activities.  The Organisation of the Islamic Conference has fifty-five member
states in which to seek refuge in a Muslim environment.  Funnily enough, the last I
heard, the United Kingdom was not one of them!

Short of moving to an Islamic country, it appears there’s no escaping sex in advertising.

That was the conclusion drawn by the writer of the feature from the MAAD website which I
referred to earlier.  That article was originally published in the Sunday Times.  The
writer was one Matthew Taylor who, I assume, is not a Muslim.  "Short of moving to an
Islamic country…"  Or staying put in one.  If even a non-believer can recognise that, then why
can't so many Muslims?


Re: Thought-provoking article from the British con
jannah
10/20/02 at 03:28:38
[slm]

I find this article very problematic.

First of all, I don't care for the assumption that "immigrant muslims" only do good deeds due to their collective guilty conscience.  That they all moved to the West solely for material gain. Nor do I think there is any such concept of Dar al Islam and Dar al Harb in our times.  Where on earth is this Dar al Islam?

Now I totally agree that the methods of this MAAD group are ... quite mad..pun intended. It's what I like to call ANTI-DAWAH: Going about doing a good thing, the completely wrong way which will no doubt alienate everyone to Islam in the process.  But that is still not enough reason to say that they are violating "no compulsion in religion". There are limits when talking about forcing everyone to one person's religion, from having laws to govern society. This is really an interesting question. Does having Islamic rules in public society mean you're being forced to be Muslim? Does having secular laws mean you are forcing everyone to atheism? If you have laws that are compatible with Christianity is that forcing everyone to be Christian?

Anyway I totally agree with the author's suggestions for actually making a change in society in this specific matter, but I really wonder why he/she is using this and then making the point of this article to criticize Muslims living in the West.  I've been to majority Muslim countries and I've seen Victoria's Secret Ads staring me in the face too, so I don't get it?

Re: Thought-provoking article from the British con
BrKhalid
10/20/02 at 03:56:28
Asalaamu Alaikum ;-)

I remember speaking to Br Abu Atheek when we in Madinah together, saying I couldn't believe what some of the Saudi youngsters got up to.

He told me it was reflective of the younger generation and that their numbers were declining at the Masjid.

It just goes to show that wherever you are in the world, Shaitan will always be there trying to tempt you and mislead you!!!
Re: Thought-provoking article from the British con
Kashif
10/20/02 at 11:54:48
assalaamu alaikum

I think this article was terrible. I can understand a Muslim criticising another Muslim(s) over something in which there was a difference of opinion, but to criticise Muslims who are going out to make the streets a cleaner place is just not on.

The author maligns the characters' of the MAAD brothers more than once, and uses ayaat out of their correct context to undermine their efforts.

Masha'allah, what they're doing is great: going out and disfiguring the filth that is apparent on every major street is a wonderful idea, and *i* support them in it.

Public commanding of good and removing of evil is one of the main things that prevents Allah's wrath coming upon a people. These are brothers who deserve our support.

The author writes.. "Another reservation I have about MAAD's activities is that by their "direct action" they are imposing Islamic moral values on the wider population."

And....??? Is the spread of Islamic moral values among the wider population a bad thing? If the people of the East or the West were to observe Islamic morals, their societies would be much better places to live in than they currently are.

Personally i find myself embarrassed that a Muslim would criticise the work of an organisation like MAAD and write in such a way as if to support the stance that there is no issue with putting up pictures of half-clad women.

And lastly, he keeps referring to them as immigrants, but i have a little difficulty in believing that immigrants would get up to things like this. Below is an excerpt from their website. Sounds perfect English to me... just as if it were coming from someone who had lived their whole life here.

"Maad activists were caught improving the "Opium" advertisement that features Roald Dahl's granddaughter, Sophie Dahl in her birthday suit. The police gave chase after spotting our heroic brethren in the act. Our nimble brothers were no match for the Police though, at one point a truncheon wielding police man running after 'pretty boy' Shazad and 'Hong Kong Fui' Akram fell over for no apparent reason, help from the unseen perhaps.

After a short chase 'Fireman' Sam and Abdullah 'B. A.' turned themselves in to the Police and were taken into cars and questioned. The Police were sympathetic to the MAAD cause and gave them tips on how to cover the posters without breaking the law, a policewoman summed it all up when she said that the MAAD cause was a noble one. All the activists were released without charges. "

LOL. May Allah reward them!

Kashif
Wa Salaam
NS
Re: Thought-provoking article from the British con
se7en
10/21/02 at 00:30:15

as salaamu alaykum wa rahmatAllah,

[quote]Masha'allah, what they're doing is great: going out and disfiguring the filth that is apparent on every major street is a wonderful idea, and *i* support them in it.  [/quote]

I don't know anything about maad as an organization, or the people that are affiliated with it.. but I have to agree with what jannah has said, and also add that I think their method in this instance is really contrary to how Rasulullah [saw] performed daa'wah.  I don't mean to belittle the actions of any sincere Muslim, but I think there's a right way and a wrong way of doing things; and the right way is in accordance with the way of Rasulullah [saw].  If I remember my seerah correctly, Rasulullah [saw] didn't begin conveying the message of Islam by marching into homes in Makaah and busting down people's idols, or forcibly covering women in the street.. actually, to take it a step further, the way Islam was *revealed* wasn't along these lines either.  It was a *gradual* process in terms of the prohibitions and injunctions that were revealed, as can be clearly seen in some of the choronology of certain verses dealing with specific issues, like that of khamr.  The emphasis from the beginning was on belief in God; tawheed.  That is the trunk from which the branches of legislation in terms of mu'amalaat stem.  And *that* is where daa'wah should start.  Not forcing shari'ah down people's throats.  w'Allahu a'lam.

To take it a step further, I think this type of daa'wah is shallow in terms of how much it actually effects people on the individual and collective level.  It's a lot like protests, in that they make a statement, but in general have no long lasting impact or effect on *anything* - unless done in a systematic campaign with other efforts *through* the system to change things.

I definitely think as Muslims we have a duty to the societies we live in; and our efforts to better where we live is not rooted in a guilty conscience, but simply a desire to live out our deen which teaches us to uphold what is good and right and just and shun what is wrong.  but I think that there is an *intelligent* way of trying to do this.  And this is not it.

w'Allahu a'lam.

wasalaamu alaykum wa rahmatAllah.
Re: Thought-provoking article from the British con
bhaloo
10/23/02 at 02:03:26
[slm]

[quote author=Kashif link=board=british;num=1035010742;start=0#3 date=10/20/02 at 11:54:48]Our nimble brothers were no match for the Police though, at oje point a truncheon wielding police man running after 'pretty boy' Shazad and 'Hong Kong Fui' Akram fell over for no apparent reason, help from the unseen perhaps.

After a short chase 'Fireman' Sam and Abdullah 'B. A.' [/quote]

Hey don't be ganging up on "Kenobi Kashif"   :P  heheheheh, just messin.  I think you all make some good points.  Let's look at things from the point of view of the brothers.  They see all this deviant behavior around them and it makes them mad that no one is doing a thing to stop it.   So in their rage they have gone to another extreme and transgressed limits in trying to combat this extremism.  But can we really blame them?  If anything we should be blaming ourselves for not standing up and taking a stand, having the proper knowledge to deal with these types of situations.  Where are the rest of the Muslims?  The sad reality is, they are too occuppied with their internal affairs to care about what's happening to the Ummah.  Unless we work hard to change our condition, to become better Muslims, we are going to continue to suffer and face humiliation.
10/23/02 at 02:03:54
bhaloo
Re: Thought-provoking article from the British con
The_Naeem
10/23/02 at 10:01:22
salaams.
      If we ourselves aren't front runners in doing good in the society, we can't complain when others do the job.  I wouldn't personally go about this the way these brothers did, unless all other means we're done first.  I think generally Muslim stay silent until some front runner takes the charge of correcting an ill, and they do it in a way we aren't please with.  2 current events lead me to this, Afghanistan and Iraq.  If a wrong is being done, and we don't do something about it, someone will! With either good or self-satisfying intentions.  Who is the blame? :-[
 People of eliquent discourse, strategic planning, and positive movement building need to take the front line.  The longer we wait, the worse the "other" front runners will be. ;-)
10/23/02 at 10:03:40
The_Naeem
Re: Thought-provoking article from the British con
Barr
10/23/02 at 11:16:11
Assalamu'alaikum :-)

[quote] If a wrong is being done, and we don't do something about it, someone will! With either good or self-satisfying intentions.  Who is the blame?   :-[ [/quote]

MashaAllah, akhi, wot U said is so true. This reminded me abt smt a sister shared with me.

She related how people who do have the competency sometimes, have misplaced "humility", think they are unworthy of doing something for a just cause and took a step back.. and someone who is not as competent would have to take their place (with good intentions, or self satisfying ones :)).

She quoted an incident when she was a young'un, and was new to Islam.  She had to lead the prayers, eventhough there were other sisters who knew the Qur'an and Islam better than her, coz, they feel they're not "worthy". That was just about leading the prayers... wot abt the other things that need to be done as you've mentioned?

The challenge is to know our own strength and offer oneself for services for the ummah.. and yet, remain humble.

Not bring ourselves down by sugarcoated-modesty and constraints. And.. worse... complain, when things don't turn out right when others did it.

[quote]People of eliquent discourse, strategic planning, and positive movement building need to take the front line.  The longer we wait, the worse the "other" front runners will be.   ;-)[/quote]

Sah, akhi.. however, in addition to that, sometimes, different strategies are taken, to combat certain evils in society... of which, some efforts may not seem to be very visible as others, and hence, not as "frontline".

Have we thought how then, can we bring the other "front runners" to collaborate and be on the same side? How do we make full use of all available of resources.. for doing the right thing, and doing a thing right.


Alalhua'lam :-)

10/23/02 at 11:30:29
Barr
Re: Thought-provoking article from the British con
Kashif
10/23/02 at 12:16:01
assalaamu alaikum

We are getting bogged down in theory brothers and sisters. This is a clear case of enjoining good and forbidding evil - an issue in which there is no disputation.

Remember, we *must* stand up so that it is known that the Muslims are the ones who have a defined morality, that they believe some things are good and proper, whilst other things are evil and corrupting.

Whenever someone looks up at one of these disfigured billboards in Birmingham, UK, they will know that this was done by those people who do not accept lewdness and pornography as acceptable.

And believe it or not, there will be many kuffaar who will support this action (especially amongst the middle-elder aged group) and there are others who don't care. We shouldn't fear the bark of a small but vocal minority when it comes to removing evils like this.

Muslims may disagree with the stance that these brothers have taken because they don't wish to create any ripples in their relationship with these 'oh-so-cool westernised people', or stand out as being somewhat different to them.

Brothers and sisters we are different to them.

If you do not stand up to this evil (or even support those who stand up) you will be washed away in a sea of corruption that is growing day-by-day, across the globe. And if it isn't you, it may be from those who are closest to you. And then wait for Allah to bring forth a people who will believe in Him, enjoin the good, and forbid the evil, and not be swayed by the blame of those who blame.

Kashif
Wa Salaam
NS
10/23/02 at 12:26:30
Kashif
Re: Thought-provoking article from the British con
jannah
10/23/02 at 13:47:23
[slm]

No one is disputing that lewd ads are messed up and that we should work to rid our world of them. But what I'm disputing is the method those people used and used _under the banner of islam_. There is no vigilantism in Islam. I don't know why a bunch of kids from London think they can enforce Shariah in a foreign country. What will they do next throw acid on people not wearing hijab. Is that Islamic? and enjoing the good?

There's a system to be used when trying to change society. It's called the Sunnah. It's all there in the Seerah for anyone interested. I think when people keep claiming to be under the banner of Islam they should actually follow it. Legally when you are in a non shariah country you MUST follow the laws of that country that are not in conflict with your deen. And there's a maxim in Islamic law that when the harms outweigh the benefits it should not be done. We should follow this in our own life.

The two path those guys could have taken:
1. Start a petition, complain to the ad board, get media attention to remove the ad. While getting some positive attention for Muslims. Wow Muslims want moral ads.. they don't like objectifying women?

2. Paint over the ads. Get arrested by the police. Have a record. More negative publicity for Muslims. Apparently they don't care about anyone or anything and are always willing to take the law into their own hands.
Re: Thought-provoking article from the British con
The_Naeem
10/23/02 at 13:55:19
salaams,
    Do muslims prefer "due process" or "vigilanteism"?  I think the loudest group prefers this vigilanteism, where it's ALL ACTION, no comming to a common understanding.  I agree with the message but not the method.  
    In the states we've, had similiar problems with cigarette ads and alcohol ads in inner city black nieghborhoods.  Through "due process", legislation now stands that these forms of adverts can no longer be displayed.  Through "due process" it gives the other party a chance to understand your concerns and make amends. Through "vigilanteism", one only sees an attack on ones property and belongings.  
  Do good acts have to be always aided by machismo in the Muslim community?  So far in my many years of living, time and time again, the answer is more YES than NO!
10/23/02 at 14:01:32
The_Naeem
Re: Thought-provoking article from the British con
BroHanif
10/23/02 at 18:33:37
Salaams,

Interesting discussion, I'd like to hear what the brothers and sisters would do if you had a poster of the wonderbra ad and this billboard was in front of a mosque. In Bolton, this is what happened the musalis got sick and tired of ads month after month so in the end they took down the ad.

Sure, others may see it as a wrong, yet I'm sure another statistic many of our male drivers would agree as well that these boards cause more accidents. Whenever a wonderbra add goes up on a busy road the number of accidents also increase.

Today we muslims can't even get our dawah right.  We can't even agree on dawah let alone how we gonna solve our many problems.

What we've got to realise is that theres bound to such groups like these brothers, we all have a common goal and thats to please Allah. Its high time we got together and worked towards that common and clear solution rather than the bickering.

Salaams

Hanif
NS
10/23/02 at 18:38:06
BroHanif
Re: Thought-provoking article from the British con
BrKhalid
10/24/02 at 04:35:24
Asalaamu Alaikum ;-)

[quote]This is a clear case of enjoining good and forbidding evil [/quote]

As Br Kashif says there is no argument that this is the ultimate purpose.

The difference of *opinion* comes in how we deal with it.

Obviously people differ as to what is most effective. Nothing new there.


A subsidiary problem though, is that we start lashing out at people for holding different *opinions* to our own. I'm sure each one of us has encountered this personally.

What we, as an Ummah, have to acknowledge, is that when an issue is open for debate, there is room in the religion for holding different opinions and for each stance to be valid.

As to which opinion is the most valid? Well, as ever, only Allah knows best.
10/24/02 at 04:36:23
BrKhalid
Re: Thought-provoking article from the British con
Kashif
10/24/02 at 05:06:54
assalaamu alaikum

Did anyone notice on their homepage they've got a link to Jannah.Org's Mamalist page? hehe...

The visual character of Balsall Heath or any community—the appearance of its streets, neighbourhoods, and business areas—is essential for its long-term economic viability and helps determine how residents and visitors alike perceive it. Residents are by now accustomed to the copious amounts of litter that inhabits the streets of Balsall Heath. This physical rubbish has attracted much attention but this article is about the mental rubbish that taints our landscape: it is a rant against billboard/advertising pollution in our area. Take a walk from the junction of Stratford Road with Walford Road, down Highgate Road until you reach the island on which the architectural monstrosity called PCWorld is situated; the place where Birmingham City Council recently spent £1.5 million to shovel some dirt. This stretch of road is plastered with billboards and the question arises: why are they there? Are they there to benefit the residents, economy, and ascetic quality of Balsall Heath? I think not. The billboards are located around the Highgate Road area because it is a popular commuter route thus increasing the advertisement’s audience size, the majority of whom do not reside in Balsall Heath. (Incidentally, billboards significantly increase levels of commuter stress resulting not only in bad-tempered people but also increasing the likelihood of road accidents.) In exchange for these prime locations billboard companies pay Birmingham City Council rental fees allowing the Council to make a tidy profit from Heathen land. This money is then spent in whatever manner the Council chooses. Balsall Heath does not benefit directly from the revenues generated by billboard fees. In fact we may suffer economically as recent research suggests that house prices are lowered by the presence of billboards. But this is a dry economic argument, the simple fact is billboards ruin the appearance of our area.

Observe the more prosperous areas of Birmingham: Solihull, Shirley, and Kings Norton for instance. These areas are virtually devoid of billboards, the residents of these places will not tolerate visual pollution. After all, is there anything appealing about numerous gigantic pieces of brightly coloured wood attached to fences and walls? If not, why are they in Balsall Heath turning our community into a putrid outdoor commercial? So Birmingham City Council allows and encourages the construction of billboards in economically-deprived areas such as our own while more affluent districts are spared. To me this seems most unfair.

We should also remember that billboards destroy the distinctive visual character of our community. Why? Because billboards look the same everywhere, whether in Sparkbrook, Cotteridge, or Balsall Heath. Billboard proliferation neutralises the prominence of our distinctive landmarks—the stunning Edwardian swimming baths on Moseley Road for example—replacing them with the fickle fads of consumer culture to be found almost anywhere in the world. In addition, the billboard industry destroys tens of thousands of trees every year. Trees are a threat to advertisers for if they grow uncontrolled in billboard areas they render the image on the billboard invisible. Hence the trees must be cut down, at a stroke killing a precious object of outstanding natural beauty, and this at a time when the Balsall Heath jungle is encouraging us to take photographs of trees in our community.

Advertisers and billboard companies alike reiterate the age-old doctrine that advertisements give us freedom of choice. This is far from true. We can choose the magazines we buy and consequently the advertisements they contain, but with billboards we have to look at them. This is what they are designed to do; they cannot be ignored as we pass them by. In fact, billboard associations openly boast: ‘you can’t ignore them.’ Our children also cannot ignore them. Recently, advertisers have been considering using the Electroencephalogram. A machine that literally reads our brains. By using this device our core emotions are tapped into enabling advertisers to understand how to put consumers into a dreamlike ‘alpha’ state close to hypnosis. Advertisers can then pinpoint roadside images that activate deep human impulses such as hunger. When a passer-by looks at a billboard promoting fast-food he/she then feels hungry for that particular product hypnotised into buying it as the last remnants of human freewill are eroded. Over time advertisers will have to combat human adaptability to this new technique. They will have to go to further and further lengths to shock you. This is precisely what we are witnessing in Balsall Heath at present. The recent Marks and Spencer campaign for the first time in billboard history featured a fully naked woman (and it is always the female body that is used as if women have nothing else to offer), while Gossard’s latest promotion (as seen on Highgate Road) showed, again for the first time, a naked female breast and captions referring to female sexual acts. Some communities were offended and they deserve to be listened to if they form a sizeable population and if we believe in democracy. For many, however, such images only mildly shock if at all because our human adaptability has rendered us immune to such illustrations. So what next in Balsall Heath? What pictures can we look forward to given that advertisers need to shock us more and more in order to attract our attention? Perhaps our ever-growing number of billboards will soon expose us to child pornography. Sound ridiculous, disgusting, or unbelievable? It seems realistic to me, for if you had suggested sixty years ago that posters of naked women would adorn our roadside (à la Marks and Spencer) then most people would have disbelieved you.

We have a choice to make. We can sit back and allow the environment of Balsall Heath to be vandalised by billboard companies armed with a sophisticated arsenal of advertising techniques that will constantly push the boundaries of human taste towards animalistic desires. Or, we can drastically improve our community by getting our Council and the Councillors who represent us to stop treating the residents of Balsall Heath like second class citizens when compared to our counterparts in Shirley, Acocks Green, and even neighbouring Moseley. It’s in our hands…

http://www.geocities.com/no_adverts/invaders.html
NS


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