Safety Announcement
Brief break for politics, well, sort of. Friend of mine in London sent this photo of a sign on the Underground:
It reads:
UPDATE: Reader henry points to this image which rather convincingly suggests this is indeed a fake. You can read through the comments for my thoughts about that. In the end, though, it's still sadly funny.
It reads:
These are the days you don't know whether to laugh or cry at it all.NOTICE TO ALL PASSENGERS
Please do not run on the platforms or concourses. Especially if you are carrying a rucksack, wearing a big coat, or look a bit foreign. This notice is for your own safety.Thank you.
UPDATE: Reader henry points to this image which rather convincingly suggests this is indeed a fake. You can read through the comments for my thoughts about that. In the end, though, it's still sadly funny.
posted by Edward_ at
10:06 AM
13 Comments:
I have no words to describe how shocked I am.
If you haven't seen the Hanif Kureshi film "My Son the Fanatic" 1997 you should. Sometimes I think he is writting a fictional biography of my life--he just gets what it's like for us post-colonial folks. And he's so funny. This movie is spooky to watch now--it sees the future--but I think even Kureishi didn't see a sign like this coming. good greif
thanks for the tip anon b...we'll look for it in our video store.
They have to wanr fools not to run at the site of a bombing.
moonbat lookout,
just for clarity...are you saying they shouldn't have to warn folks to run at the site of a bombing or anyone who doesn't run is a fool?
That sign is obviously a joke- I can't believe you all fell for it.
Of course it's a joke, MDV, but the humor is based on the grain of truth in the message.
The word "joke" implies it is an authentic photo with an unserious message. The word fake is the more accurate term, as the photo itself is not authentic. Note the black clothes, peach hand and white flooring in the right margin of the photo.
don't look to closely for tell-tale signs that it's fake, henry. I punched it up in photo-shop for easier readability.
you might be right, but I asked my friend whether it was "official" and she wrote back
It is on an official board in the station and would have been written by an officially employed person - and it is funny - but whether it is officially sponsored by London Transport - I doubt it!
Now, she didn't indicate how she came about receiving it, so it's possibly a fake, but I've known her long enough to know she's sceptical about such things and very likely snapped the photo herself. Either way, the implication is that unsuspecting commuters were exposed to it.
Edward_,
I have to admit I was a bit surprised by your response, especially lacking a clear report of the image's provenance. I also couldn't tell whether you examined the photos I linked to, but it doesn't seem like you have. I'll add to the list of similarities the white reflective circle above the word "Date".
I hope your friend can confirm the provenance of the photo soon. The image has also appeared on a number of other websites, some of which publish political views which I know you wouldn't subscribe to in a million years, so if your friend was the source, her image has traveled pretty far.
BTW, I wasn't the source of the debunking link above, and don't know who was. It was generated by someone else who responded to this spreading meme on their own. So I can't speak for that image's provenance either, but at least it has the benefit of being much less grainy than the one published here.
sorry for not checking your link henry (and thanks for that, btw, I love debunking items).
I have this bad habit of reading the comments folks post in the email notification I get when something is written and not in their original (hence, I sometimes miss links and such).
Your photo is much clearer, and I always did suspect mine might be fake, but, again, having no reason to doubt my friend, I took it at face value.
I've seen the image make the rounds a bit myself...on blogs I like and dislike as well...that's the blogosphere, you can't control the spin.
I'll ask my friend next time we talk to clarify how she came upon the photo, but in the end, I posted it here assuming folks would let themselves believe it momentarily and go through the same thought process you and I have about it (i.e., doubting its validity)...with the end result being the same, I hope...considering how the event in London affects us all in our day-to-day lives.
ps...I've udpated the post.
thanks again.
edward_, Thanks so much for the reply. It's a joy reading a site where the topics are so enlightening and the discussions are so civil.
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