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Chocky
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Location: The Land of Do-As-You-Please
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 Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:55 pm Post subject: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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Anyone know if this sign is real? It's almost like someone is carry out a bizarre social experiment to see how closely they can replicate 1984 without anyone noticing. |
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Carlhole
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| Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:26 pm Post subject: Re: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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| Chocky wrote: | | It's almost like someone is carry out a bizarre social experiment to see how closely they can replicate 1984 without anyone noticing. |
It really does seem so!
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Loki
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| Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:34 pm Post subject: Re: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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Reminds me of this poster, allegedly from Baltimore's train system (I can't verify this as I live on the other side of the country):
Last edited by Loki on Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:00 am; edited 1 time in total |
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emersonbiggins
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| Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:39 pm Post subject: Re: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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How were the original propaga...errr, posters originally created? Were they done with airbrush or acrylic or something else? I realize they can now be done in Illustrator/Photoshop, but I am interested in how they were originally conceived. Very effective, to say the least. 1984 or not, they are pleasant on the eyes.
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Cobra_Strike
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| Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 1:10 am Post subject: Re: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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scary crap....but...it worked in the past, it will in the future too.
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coyote
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| Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:51 am Post subject: Re: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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Pretty sure the second one is airbrush, with either acrylics or gouache. First one, hard to tell.
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gg3
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| Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 3:29 am Post subject: Re: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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The reasons that style of poster is pleasant on the eye are:
Absence of high contrasts and glares. Soft colors that are not harsh. Style of illustration that emphasizes shapes rather than detail. Typography that is easy to read. General "retro" impression that suggests simpler times.
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I don't understand what's gotten into England lately: a country that was once a bastion of liberty and sanity is now under the literal eye of Big Brother, where on average, a person is photographed by these cameras about 300 times per day. Perhaps it's the unchecked influx of Middle Eastern immigrants (legal and otherwise), scaring people into becoming cowardly. Perhaps it's a logical extrapolation from the times of Mad Cow Maggie. Perhaps Bush has a deal with Blair to beta-test new ideas for him. I don't get it. Creepy as hell.
Even putting on "Goth makeup" to make one's face as white as a whitewashed wall or as black as an old telephone, doesn't prevent Big Brother tracking you. The simple geometric measurements between your eyes, nostrils, mouth, and ears, are quite sufficient to enable a computer to identify a face and track it wherever it goes.
Tell this to Tony Blair: I've always wanted to visit the place. Now I'm not so sure.
Hey if nothing else I can stay here and enjoy the benefits of our very own authoritarian regime, but without the cameras everywhere. |
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Chocky
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| Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:12 am Post subject: Re: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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| At least the Baltimore poster is an obvious spoof of a soviet ww2 poster, the one where everyone's holding shovels. The UK one is just sinister. |
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Loki
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| Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:50 am Post subject: Re: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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The poster from Baltimore is apparently real. Here's an article about it that was originally published in the Baltimore Sun.
I also find the London poster much more disturbing. Very Big Brother. |
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Chocky
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| Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 6:27 pm Post subject: Re: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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| Sorry, I meant that the artist who created the poster probably did it as a spoof of similiar Soviet ones. The UK one is just plain sinister particularly as it means exactly what it says. |
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Tyler_JC
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| Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 6:37 pm Post subject: Re: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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Ever seen V for Vendetta?
Or The Children of Men?
In the end, all that will be left are the Brits.
Maybe a police state is the only way they feel that they can maintain their civilization.
As for the poster, I happen to believe that most British citizens strongly support the added security on their subways. Afterall, there have been several recent terrorist attacks on the subways, why not increase security a little?
American airports and English subway stations now have a lot in common.
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gampy
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| Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 6:47 pm Post subject: Re: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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Oh god, that poster is just creepy. I cannot believe the UK gov is behind this. Well...maybe I can.
It's sick. Civil servants at work , eh?
I have always been a socialist at heart, and a libertarian in practice, but I am beginning to wonder. |
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untothislast
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| Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 4:55 am Post subject: Re: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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And yet, amazingly, despite this saturation CCTV coverage, the UK authorities have yet to come up with a single clear and convincing image - either as a movie or a still - of the alleged 7/7 bombers en route to their suicide missions on the London underground in July 2005.
http://julyseventh.co.uk/7-7-cctv-evidence.html |
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Bas
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| Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 1:04 pm Post subject: Re: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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how Stasi
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JPL
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Location: Last outpost of Civilisation
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| Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 5:50 pm Post subject: Re: Bizarre 1984-esque UK poster |
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| gg3 wrote: |
I don't understand what's gotten into England lately: a country that was once a bastion of liberty and sanity is now under the literal eye of Big Brother, where on average, a person is photographed by these cameras about 300 times per day. |
Hi gg3,
I don't see why people are so surprised. Firstly, the poster is in the 'Constructivist' (1930's) style. In a 21'st century context it's SUPPOSED to be provocative. I spotted the 'badge' of the Mayor of London office in the bottom left corner - Ken Livingstone - for the benefit of our American friends here - this guy has made his name out of being controvercial. This poster has his name all over it ;o)
Also you mis-understand our somewhat doom-laden British sense of humour ;o)
gg3, if you ever want to visit the UK, you will find it an interesting & friendly country & probably one of the safest in the world (for a visitor). If you ever want to get involved in British politics, you would probably have to stay there for 20 years to understand it and I would also personally advise, it is not worth the effort.
I have had a few beers so I will short-cut the learning curve, for anyone that will listen ;o) Here is my rant:
England became a Police State 900 years ago, after the Norman conquest. Ever since then the top 1-2% of the country has run everything else. We are still a Police State now, the methods have changed, the fundamental intention has not.
For examples from history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levellers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclosure_Act
Under Saxon (commons) law - Land Ownership was impossible. The Normans took our land, declred it theirs, and English society has been in a state of near-civil-war ever since.
The discontent of the Saxon was put to good work by TPTB and used to create an Empire. Thus our overlords secured their reign over most of the planet.
Then it all collapsed (the British Empire I mean) but by then it was too late. The 'unseen war' in British society had already sown it's next seeds of destruction on an unwilling world - the British underclass had had their revenge on the ruling classes and created 'Socialism'. (OK Marx was an immigrant but we made him our own pretty quickly;o)
The war between the Saxons and the Normans was instutionalised and turned into what we call the 'British class system' but it is still as alive today as it ever was.
As for the 'Police State' - gg3, you have no idea. In Britian, we have NO constitution. Nothing, yadda, zilch, zip. Our current queen has the same powers as the kings/queens had back in the medieval times. Imagine having a president who was elected 900 YEARS AGO and his successors are still ruling the place! Then give that son-of-a-son-of-a-son- of a president total contol over: a) ALL Armed Forces b) ALL Federal & State Police services c) ALL Taxation (State, Local & Federal) d) ALL Land Ownership e) TOTAL CONTROL over Religious Expression/ freedom to worship. Etc etc etc
But people fight back  I think the British 'Police State' is here to stay - like I said it has been around for a long time. But it's the same old fight...
For example, a friend of a friend was talking some years ago with a retired 'operative' from MI5. They were were both very drunk. The 'operative' asked his friend why no-one ever considered why the 'Ministry of Intelligence' numbering system started at '5'.
[For the benefit of our American visitors - MI5 is (roughly) equivalent to the NSA, MI6 is the Brritish equivalent of the CIA]
"You don't want to know" - was the drunken burble, what MI1,2,3 & 4 do. Apparently one of them (the MI's) was an 'internal' assination squad for people that rocked the boat too much - for example - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Cook ???) - funny how the good people seem to die young these days?? - another was, well I don't to go on, I feel a bit unconfortable between the shoulder-blades right now...
JPL
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