Wednesday 24 August 2011

How Fake Charities Work

Remember this online survey by Alcohol Concern back in May? You might recall that they were quite excited about it at the time.

That was tweeted in early June but still no sign of them. In fact, the only footprint to show that the survey ever existed is this brief sentence in their latest evidence-free assertion that the drinks industry are targeting children.

In an Alcohol Concern survey of 2,484 young people in 2011, 80% of respondents stated that age affirmation pages are inadequate to prevent under-18s from accessing alcohol websites.67
The reference being ...

67. Alcohol Concern’s Youth Policy survey 2011, forthcoming.
So they haven't published it yet. Rather coy of them, don't you think? Perhaps the responses weren't much to their liking.

Still, there's more than one way to skin a cat, as they say. So, instead of relying on a large number of kids to provide the ammunition they need, why not just cherry-pick a few, eh? This, via a fellow jewel robber's son's inbox.

Earlier this year you completed the ‘Alcohol Ads and You’ survey. You wanted to be involved in future campaigns: here is a great opportunity!

The Youth Policy project is recruiting 6 young people to form part of the Youth Advertising Standards Authority.

Aim: To decide whether you feel alcohol advertising sticks to the rules. If it doesn’t, together we can create awareness and maybe even get the rules changed!

What: The group will meet every 3 months to judge new adverts against the existing rules. What you decide will be written up and published after each meeting. This has never been done before and we think it’s something that will generate lots of interest!

Who: Anybody under 18 years old

First meeting: Friday 26th August, 11:30-2:30pm, 64 Leman St, London E1 8EU

If you would like to be involved, or simply want more information email me with your contact details ASAP.

Travel costs covered and lunch will be provided
Aww, ain't that nice?

I wonder if there is anything in the progressive dictionary to rationalise such righteous consequentialism?


7 comments:

Mark Wadsworth said...

Wasn't that the survey that we all completed at your behest, competing for the silliest answers? I never got an email. Perhaps they didn't believe that I was only five years old or somthing?

Dick Puddlecote said...

At my behest? Not at all. I made it clear at the time:

"The survey can be accessed here and closes on May 29th. Remember that it's for under 18s only. I want to make that absolutely clear, not for adults, OK?"

If you filled it in, you were a very naughty boy! ;)

JuliaM said...

"If you filled it in, you were a very naughty boy! ;)"

Whoops! :)

Twenty_Rothmans said...

Why are these donshenkers asking children (who are too young to legally buy these products) what they think of the advertising? I've tried stripping off everything I've learned or been taught in order to get into the mind of creeps like Don Shenker and his handwringingmaidens but it's impossible.

Was this verbatim, Dick - was it really '6' and '3' and not 'six' and 'three'? I hate that.

It's a pity that we cannot administer an antihelmintic to society, to flush out parasites like Alcohol Concern and its lickspittle legions.

Whatever you do, for the sake of God, don't read the pdf. Please, please don't. Are you ready for:
“It could be anyone looking at the images, a
stalker, a paedophile.


Oh noes, not the PAEDOS!!!!

Twenty_Rothmans said...

Let's try that again:

Are you ready for...

ALCOPAEDO!

Clarissa said...

...stated that age affirmation pages are inadequate to prevent under-18s from accessing alcohol websites.

Age affirmation pages don't work? Well knock me down with a feather. I've a News Flash for you, you blithering, nannying idiots, they don't work for xxx sites, Facebook or indeed anywhere.

Anyone with a brain cell surely knows that they are simply there to act as a CYA policy for the person or organisation involved.

Are Alcohol Concern really stupid enough to think that it is possible enforce those pages? What do they want? People to enter their NI numbers and get it cross-checked against a government database?

On second thoughts I probably shouldn't give them ideas...

Dick Puddlecote said...

Or maybe fingerprint scanners, Clarissa? (you just know it'll be suggested one day)