My senses are being assaulted. Every palm tree and lamppost in Bahrain seems to be plastered with advertising boards. Its like a fungus, spreading uncontrollably and sprouting on anything that’s vertical (and in some cases horizontal). The budaiya road should have an epilepsy warning like they do for strobe lighting and video games. Our visual landscape is being polluted by advertising boards and it has gotten completely out of control. They reflect this incessant need from advertisers to shove their ads down our throats and we can’t escape it anywhere. There should be some breathing space for our minds, but none has been left. I do not want to have to be forced to see these ads, I feel like I live inside an advertising agency’s website that I cant click out of. And at the speeds that people travel at on the roads (myself included sometimes) trying to read them endangers myself and the occupants of my car…and for what? BAD ADVERTISING ?!
Which leads me to my next point: if I see another ad for another gated community development whether its on an island or a hill or a golf course (none of which were actually there), I am going to be sick. This bubble of elitist drivel (I live at…don’t let prosperity pass you by…urban living, island style, etc) is presenting us with concepts and images that feed into this aspiration of the lifestyle of the rich and famous, which is frankly tacky, blown out of proportion and deceiving. these ads are so far removed from the reality that I see around me that I simply anm not convinced by them at all. The spin is spinning and I feel sorry for those caught up in the whirlwind. The reality is that the majority of these projects are too vast and so result in poorly conceived urban planning, bursting with poor architecture and feeble lifestyle concepts. The result will be ‘disney’ like environments, superficial and lacking substance.
Not to be too negative and put a downer on the modernisation of these isles, I hope that some will result in pleasurable experiences, but only time will tell. I would only consider moving to one if they completely and absolutely banned all advertising…but there is an ad for a certain donut that’s not too bad…
Guest Post by BadArt
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5 comments:
well i guess the one who put these ads know that theyre not for us and know that there is Sar area which have the most richer ppl in the island,, so i think they have a point in the end?
I agree that sar is a target area because of the population demographics, however most of the main thoroughfares seem to be a target, like the highway from saudi arabia into bahrain is a minefield,to isa town, the highway past the Seef area into manama and all the way to Muharraq and the airport...maybe once we settle down with this boom, some of this will disappear and we will regain our public spaces. wishing you a pleasant Eid.
Ahhh those 7-days-to-digest-Krispy-Kremes, who hates them?
I agree with the billboarding all over the island, but what really ticks me off is that none of them show any really cute 5 year olds... any suggestions on how we can change that?
Hilarious post BADART x
i see you've deciphered my identity hmmmm.... yes i have an ethical dilemma! i went to a certain supermarket eid morning and overnight tv screens had been suspended from the ceiling advertising things from shampoo to bank loans. The thing that upsets me is that i can switch off the tv/radio,close the magazine/newspaper,but i cant drive/walk around with my eyes closed!!!
well, pull my pants down and call me sharice...
excellent
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