We need a public health film.

@offbeat Said

In the past few weeks, as the virus threat seemed to lessen, we have seen a return too knife murders. I live in London and the past few years has seen a very high incidences of murders by stabbing with a knife. One of the official reasons given for this is the 'county lines system' ( adopted from the usa ). This is a practice whereby urban drug dealers force children and other vulnerable people to take drugs to customers in more rural areas. Given that, for some weird reason, the authorities aren't allowed to hunt drug dealers down and shoot them dead, i've thought of something that might help. I've been around for quite a number of years now and i distinctly remember short Public health films being regularly played on tv during advert breaks. I can still remember how terrified i was when watching a film about the effects of not brushing your teeth. And i doubt anyone will forget the A.I.D.S film/s. More general films have covered drinking and smoking, the latter of which went a long way towards turning people off of the habit. I think we need a regular hard hitting public health film that should be shown to young people about drugs. Including as many nasty pieces of information, graphic scenes of blood covered pavements, knife victims being treated in hospital and dying on the operating table etc, grieving parents, scarred drug dealers and skeletal, brain addled low drug addicts. Illegal drugs are destroying the fabric of our society and we must attack the glamourous, fun image that is so prevalent.

@mrmhead Said

I bet if you guys opened up gun ownership, there would be fewer knife stabbings. We have very few knifings here in the states.



We also have PSA (Public Service Announcements) on smoking, drugs, and now Wearing Masks.

@darkman666 Said

i don't know if america schools do anymore public service films. schools still sex education have better films describing sex. back in 50's through 70's, when i was in school, films were so lame. you get sex information watching " wild kingdom " on saturday nights.

scientists said believe that people's attention span last less 2 or 5 minutes. america do their public service on tv, in commercials, that probably do better than a public film.

@offbeat Said

Yes i meant an advert length film. Sorry, i didn't explain myself well. I think drugs need to be made 'uncool' by pumping negative images and messages to the younger generation in particular. The authorities must believe that such methods work because there have recently been programs that attempt to make white kids feel guilty about a supposed lack of privilage for non white kids ... And also the introduction of courses covering gender and trans. If they beleive they will work then why not an anti drug and gang indoctrination too?

@dookie Said

If you keep your ears to the ground, especially on local news broadcasts, there are quite a few groups of people "doing the rounds" so to speak. Often the groups were formed by those personally touched by a particular issue. A case in point is Patrick Hutchinson, the guy who rescued a counter protestor at a BLM rally when he got into difficulties. Now given a voice and an opportunity, he, along with three others, is forming a group to combat all forms of racism.

Obviously, a lot depends upon Headmasters and local Council Officials becoming pro-active and inviting the groups in.

@darkman666 Said

years ago," scared straight! " this brilliant documentary came out. i saw this, it was right on the money teaching what happen after go above the law. not police side's eye view like does tv and movies. but the convicts eye view in prison, tell teenagers that enter the prison, how really is from the beginning and at the end, what they is doing really stupid in the long run.

Scared Straight! is a 1978 American documentary directed by Arnold Shapiro. Narrated by Peter Falk, the subject of the documentary is a group of juvenile delinquents and their three-hour session with actual convicts. Filmed at Rahway State Prison, a group of inmates known as the "lifers" berate, scream at, and terrify the young offenders in an attempt to "scare them straight" (hence the film's title), so that those teenagers will avoid prison life.


scared straight

@offbeat Said

That issue is being addressed. I'm talking about diverting 'd*** head' kids from carrying knives and killing each other over drug territories. The apologists for such behaviour keep banging on about them being deprived because they don't have any youth clubs. I never went to youth clubs as a kid and i never once felt i had to join a gang or stab someone with a knife. Why? Because i had a sense of right and wrong! These kids desperately need reminding of that.

@dookie Said

The BLM was an example, other examples - including knife crime - are certainly in existence, formed by people who have been directly affected.

Obviously the "answer" involves a whole spectrum of things - from our entire education system to parental responsibility for their own children.

Irrespective of your own experience, please look up the cuts to Youth Club funding over the past decade. In Wales alone, 163 Youth Clubs have closed just in the past three years. Such neglect of basic facilities will have an adverse effect.

@offbeat Said

I have to disagree.