5 Most Shockingly Stupid Anti-Drinking Ads

Won't they ever learn?  Kid's just laugh at these Public Service Announcements (PSAs).  My generation thought the anti-LSD PSA with the talking hotdog was ridiculous and I'm sure today's generation are laughing just as hard at the following:

From the April 1, 2010 issue of The Week:

5 most shocking anti-drinking ads

Shame-inducing alcohol PSAs only make American college students drink more, says a new study.  Good thing they're not watching these (far more brutal) international PSAs.

Anti-drinking ads aimed at college students often backfire, reveals a recent Northwestern Kellogg School of Management study. Ads that link drinking to "shame and guilt" may actually provoke viewers to imbibe more, say the researchers, who suggest that "positioning PSAs in less heavy-handed environments, such as a sitcom, could reduce resistance." Good thing Americans are not seeing these PSAs from overseas, where anti-drinking ads are routinely much harsher . Here, five of the most shocking: 

1. "Tequila Slammer"
With its shaky, Blair Witch Project-like camerawork, this 2010 ad — part of the £25,000 Cocktales government program aimed at youth in Derbyshire, UK — is a clear attempt to make the PSA "go viral." As so often in this genre, a fun night turns tragic. But this time, it's shot from the POV of a camera-wielding observer who himself seems far from sober:

2. The "anti-baby-swinging" ad
The producers of this controversial 2008 PSA from New Zealand "evilly sensationalized" it, alleges one blogger, by coopting its child-abuse theme from a viral video. A spokesperson for the New Zealand Alcohol Advocacy Council said it asked focus groups of parents whether the ad should be screened in prime time: "The uniform response was yes."



3. The key-wielding Canadian killer
This PSA, produced by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) takes a more metaphorical approach to highlighting the dangers of drink driving, and shows it's not just binge-drinking kids who get DUIs:

4. "Shame"The fact that this classic spot — produced by the Irish government in 2000 and originally shown in cinemas — begins with the soothing sounds of Fleetwood Mac and dreamlike slow-motion shots arguably makes its "hard-hitting and uncompromising" conclusion even more shame-inducing:

5. "Never"
The inevitable crash comes early in this 2007 PSA, produced by Australia's Transport Accident Commission, but the ad depends less on shock tactics and more on skillful emotional manipulation. It's the fall-out that stays with you, a cross-cut look at the impact a deadly crash can have on survivors — concluding with typically Australian bluntness:

Here's the anti-LSD PSA with the talking hotdog that I mentioned.   We saw it in 7th grade and were roundly scolded for laughing at it.  It's hilarious.  And it was extremely effective...at making everyone want to try LSD.

Former MADD President Arrested For D.U.I.--Oh, The Irony!

From the Gainesville Sun:

Former president of MADD arrested on DUI charge

By Cindy Swirko
Staff writer

Published: Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 11:58 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 11:58 a.m.

A former president of the defunct local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving was arrested recently by the Gainesville Police Department on a DUI charge.

Debra Oberlin, 48, was arrested after she had difficulty on a field sobriety test. She registered a .234 and .239 on breath alcohol tests. Florida's legal limit for driving is .08.

Oberlin, a Realtor, had no comment when contacted Thursday by The Sun.

On Feb. 18 at 1:10 a.m., an officer spotted Oberlin driving erratically on Northwest 19th Street, swerving and crossing lanes, an arrest report states. Oberlin was pulled over in the 3600 block of Northwest 39th Avenue.

The officer wrote that Oberlin smelled of alcohol and had watery, bloodshot and dilated eyes. The report states that Oberlin told the officer she had four beers.

Gainesville's MADD chapter existed for several years in the 1990s before closing in 1996 because of lack of financial support. Oberlin was the chapter president for three years.

Oops!  What confuses me is why she lied and told the officer she had four beers.  That's more than enough to be over the legal limit (it takes only two).  And it certainly wasn't enough for the whopping .239 she blew.  I thought the president of MADD would be a little more knowledgeable about D.U.I. laws.  I hope she appreciates the strict punishment she'll get as a direct result of MADD's lobbying efforts.

My experience with the New Hampshire workers who run the Impaired Driver Intervention Programs (IDIP) suggest that they are mostly self-loathing, hateful, former alcoholic AA true-believers and religious fundamentalists whose mission it is to get you to admit that you are an alcoholic and get you to AA to find God and sobriety.  They are of low intelligence, gullible, rigid and inflexible thinkers, who are afraid of change.  They've been give some power by the state and want to flex it by bending you to their will and making you suffer as much as possible.

MADD, like AA, is a religious fundamentalist anti-alcohol movement.  The Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League spearheaded the constitutional prohibition effort. Groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) assume that mantle today.  They are a neo-prohibitionist organization founded on self-righteous anger and grief.  MADD wants to eliminate alcohol consumption entirely.  The founding president of MADD, Candy Lightner, left in disgust from the organization that she herself created because of its change in goals. "It has become far more neo-prohibitionist than I ever wanted or envisioned," she says. "I didn't start MADD to deal with alcohol. I started MADD to deal with the issue of drunk driving."  MADD is now the most powerful anti-alcohol lobbying group in the country. 

There are many good sites that accurately describe MADD and which include citations to record.  One is Dr. David Hanson's "Mother's Against Drunk Driving:  A Crash Course in MADD."  I've also posted some in the margin on the right.  (In general, don't trust Wikipedia for information on powerful groups like MADD or AA.  Their multitudes are no doubt constantly editing the pages, putting forth what they want you to read.  Only trust pages that cite to reliable sources for their information.)

Perhaps I'm jumping to conclusions about the typical MADD member, but I doubt it.  When I look at Oberlin's mug shot, I see the same self-loathing, hateful, self-righteous, stupid stare I saw in all the people involved in New Hampshire's IDIP program.  It has been frightening and infuriating to be at the mercy of people like this.  Don't let it happen to you.  If it already has, read on and arm yourself for the battle ahead!