Topic: Important message from London Underground

[Bun]

This is an actual message that was posted at Notting Hill Gate
underground station Wednesday:

[Roy Bham UK]

:( Dire straits springs to mind :( So be it! :(

[Bun]

I posted this on a few sites & have had different responses from people thinking it was funny 'cos the man who wrote the message was being sarcastic about the way the police handled the whole matter, people thinking it must have been written by a racist who was having a dig at "foreign" looking people,  and people thinking that they shouldn't have written it 'cos it might give Al-Quida (sp?) ideas about training up 'fairer skined' Muslims!

I thought it was funny which was why I posted it. I did not think people would be offended about it or I would not have put it up.

I'd be interested to hear what you guys really think about it. Think of it as a study in humour. I think it could be a good discussion.

[Juliet]

I thought it was funny, but didn't think the writer intended it to be.  Also didn't think they were consciously being racist, just not very bright.  It was the dimness of it (ie writing "look a bit foreign") which made it funny.  Oh dear - laughing at someone else's perceived lack of intelligence - does that mean I'm being unintelligent-ist?

[Bun]

But I think that the writer did intend it to be funny & a sarcastic jab at the police

He wrote the bit about looking a bit foreign 'cos that is exactly what happened. The poor man was Brazilian & therefore had darker skin. He was from a warm climate so wore a padded jacket 'cos of our cool summer.  He "looked" different.

Apparently, people think he was running 'cos his visa had run out & he thought that all these armed men pointing guns at him & chasing him were there to arrest & deport him!
You don't have to be in this country very long to know that our immigration laws really aren't that extreme!

[Icyberjunkie]

Bun,  I must be one of the miserable ones for given the number of people killed, the difficult choice the police had to make when the idiot kept running and his family that this is in very bad taste.  S
Simply hadn't posted it before for each to his own and some must have thought it funny or they wouldn't have been able to display it in the station.

Iain

[silverback]

a man running away with rucksack reguardless of rce could you make the decision  coiuld you make the to do what is right  ?

[Bun]

Don't get me wrong, I'm 100% behind the police. I think that they were very brave running after & getting so close to a man they thought was going to explode a bomb at any time! But, this time they did make a mistake. They assumed because he had a darker complexion he was from eastern decent & because he ran he was guilty. I'm sure they'll learn lessons from this.
I think the notice just verbalised what a lot of people were thinking, albeit with ironic humour, & surely it's best to talk about this rather than pretend it didn't happen.
They messed up & a family is now missing a son.  But, next time something like this happens, and there will be a next time, I wouldn't want them to doubt themselves, I expect them to do their job. But like I said, I'm sure they've learned from this.

[Vony]

If you look very hard at the spelling of rucksack you may think like me it was a hoax ' Be it a sick one.    Bunn '.

Vony

[Yellow Petals]

Tsk @ people actually thinking this was put up for real - even as a joke.   ::) This spoof piccie came out at the same time as the new "transparent backpack" for people to carry when using London Underground.  I don't think I have the pic anymore else I'd stick it up here too.