I can’t believe that the group who had their banner rejected by Metro Transit are citing an abuse of freedom of speech. I’m of course talking about the banner that says “ThereÂ’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”. Now on a personal level, I, for the most part, agree with this statement, but there’s no doubt that there are thousands that don’t. Now before anyone gets on their idealistic high horse and rebuts saying “Metro Transit puts other ads that are just as or more offensive” I also agree, however, if a decision was made to not allow ads for Bacardi Rum (for example), do you think Bacardi would cry fowl claiming Metro Transit is not allowing their freedom of speech? To me, allowing this banner would be no better than allowing banners advertising religion, or anti-abortion messages. The side of a bus is no place for any of these ads. Grow up.
—Sick of whiny protestors
This article appears in Feb 19-25, 2009.
I don’t think that bus drivers would strike if Bacardi advertised on the side of the bus. They would, as some said, strike if the advertisements were put up.
Personally, I think it’s stupid. Just shows how much Halifax is behind the times. Every other city got over it. When you make the international news – you made a bad decision.
I like how they deny this ad, yet the one with a bloke sitting on a bench at a bus stop, looking annoyed, with the words “Good people have bad credit” or something to that effect, is still on MT buses. Saw one yesterday!
I’m not sure if bus drivers can legally strike based on advertising decisions.
It is unfortunate this group is crying their freedom of speech rights have been violated. This group has been all over the media in recent days and staged a protest in front of City Hall yesterday. I’d say their speech has been very free … and so has their advertising.
Just because you can’t get your message out in the manner you wish does not equate to being supressed. God is not watching you, please, get over yourselves.
Does anyone know anything about this group? Are they non-profit? How can they afford to advertise their message and how do they generate income?
It’s currently MT’s policy to not run ads for either side of the religious debate. This would be a recent decision as they advertised Jesus to the Nations last year. If they stick to the neutrality point of view, I see little problem.
I’m still seeing those bus stop = bad credit ads too. Was that not a municipal malfunction a while back?
As a Christian I don’t care if the atheists advertise but I wish they would have the courage of their convictions. “Probably no God”? Sounds more agnostic than atheist.
I’d rather hear someone’s view and know where they stand than guessing whether they’re an idiot or not.
I actually agree with the OP and MT in full on this one. While I share the idea that there may not be a “God” in the traditional sense, that doesn’t mean I go around and subject people to that belief. What this group doesn’t get is that even though it may be public transit, it’s private advertising, therefore, the ad may or may not be shown and it’s up to them whether they want the business or not. For MT to advertise this on their buses would be the equivalent of Jehovah Witnesses coming to your door step and asking if you’ve heard the word of “God” today. Please. Sounds like the Atheist group in question is taking what I call the “Whiny Scientologist” approach. Which basically means: “that if you don’t do as we say, we’ll sue/protest/complain, etc., if you don’t comply.” Not to mention they’re probably an organized “religion” (tax benefits galore!) themselves, making them just as hypocritical as the people they’re advertising against, but I digress. Bravo MT! Keep up the good work!
OP, Metro TRansit does run anti-abortion advertising – sort of. The “Pregnancy Care Center” (whose ads are all over MT) is part of a Christian-backed pro-life organization.
Now there’s a leap of intelligence! Advertising a family planning clinic is “anti-abortion advertising”. Isn’t family planning sorta important to the propagation of the species and relevant to the general public as in, like, every single one of us? Unlike abortion which concerns a relatively small percentage of the population and the vast majority of them female. I’m not so sure the question of having a God in your belief system really compares to the REALITY of family planning when it comes to making advertisements about it.
God doesn’t need to advertise… that “other guy” does, though. This bitch is just one example of that.
Kay– Christians advertise all the time, you just don’t see it on a billboard. When a Jehovah Witness comes to your door, that’s advertising. When you pass by a signboard at a church, that’s advertising and typically even have slogans. Who’s the other guy?
Mike— I’d say you’re right on that one, but it’s completely passive in it’s message. It’s not coming out and saying abortion is a sin and you’re going to hell for having a child out of wedlock.
By that definition, Fever, word of mouth is “advertising” but it doesn’t really compare to printing your message on the side of public transit, does it? I can not answer my door or let them know to move on that I’m not interested in their message but I certainly can’t avoid what’s printed on the side of a bus.
“The other guy” is the one who lies. duh
These slimeballs who are promoting this shit are going to face God’s wrath one day.
Since when do they run what might be advertised on a bus by the bus drivers first anyway? The problem is that the advertising choices have become public debate, which has turned into a religious argument.
Kay, if you’re going to comment on somebody else’s post, take a minute and actually read it first, OK?
Who lies? Oh, you mean the “Devil”? Careful there, you’re turning this onto a platform for religious propaganda, which is indeed a form of advertising. You’re preaching. In fact, religious groups advertise all the time, I just finished watching a commercial for the Salvation Army. When I go by a church, I, like you, cannot avoid the signboard. Word of mouth is a form of advertising as well, in fact my business uses it all the time. Referrals make up about 40% of my business and it’s the best type of advertising that I do, because it’s effective and free.
OP: I mostly agree with you. I’m an athiest myself, but I certainly don’t think these ads are appropriate. They’re essentially a subtle attack on people’s belief systems, which I think is wrong in any direction. I don’t care if a person is Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Bhuddist, etc, so long as they keep it to themselves. I don’t want to see ads on MT promoting Allah, Jesus, Shiva or Ganesh any more than I want to see ads promoting Athiesm. Faith is something very personal and should be kept that way.
Bro Tim: Not a lot of (non)religious people (again, be it Muslim, Christian, Athiest etc) are as tolerant of other peoples beliefs as you seem to be. A lot of them feel the need to force their beliefs down someone elses throat. Even if it’s a lack of beliefs/faith.
Smarter than U: Preach on, brother! Preach on!! I love the whole “Wrath of the Righteous” shtick!! I find nothing more entertaining than listening to a self-righteous religious zealot preach on about how they’re right and we’re wrong, because our beliefs are different. So StU, keep up the good work! Makes me laugh!
C. Mike Hunt: I was just thinking the same thing when I read this bitch about the Pregnancy Planning Centre.
It is, indeed, run by a pro life religious organization. That’s fine, I have no problem with that, what I *do* have a problem is how it misrepresents itself. If I didn’t know before hand from an expose I had seen on W5 I probably wouldn’t’ve picked up on it right off. The only way you can actually tell is if you really notice the part about “positive alternatives” or whatever they write. And I studied advertising at one point during my first degree! So if I didn’t pick it up right off…how is their target audience going to deduce that it’s a pro life, religious organization if they’re stressed out over an unwanted pregnancy and not thinking with a calm head? Anyway, according to the story I saw, organizations like theirs don’t tell you outright they’re a religious organization or even pro life and manipulate you into choosing pro life options for unwanted pregnancies.
The subject of the story wanted to have an abortion. She went to a place like the pregnancy care clinic out west and they kept putting her request off and off trying to sway her until she was past the cut off for abortions in her province. She had no idea they were religiously-affiliated and once she found out something wasn’t right, it was too late and finally ended up having to go to Ontario to have a second trimester abortion.
Anyway, tangent, but, those ads have always kind of bothered me on the bus for that reason (not because they’re pro life, but because they are sneaky in their representation in their ads).
When it comes right down to it Metro Transit can put whatever ads it wants to on the bus. In this case they chose not to because it would’ve caused too much shit they probably didn’t want to deal with because hey, they probably get enough complaints on their customer service line as it is, I don’t think they want more, and the drivers could stage a wild cat strike if they wanted to (not legal but that doesn’t mean they won’t do it), and it’s just best for everyone to keep the drivers somewhat happy.
In the same paper on the same day there’s a story about the Snow removal & METRO TRANSIT being OUT OF MONEY…Now this group wants to put an ad up & has a budget of $45,000.00 ! ! !
TAKE THE DAMN MONEY,Jesus H Christ why should the tax payers of HRM have to cough up more of our money…When they have someone who wants to PAY THEM & they say no…they don’t like ‘the message’
This message isn’t about religion. It isn’t hateful, it just tells people there is another group who are peaceful & want everyone to “be happy & enjoy your life”
All of you with your various religious belief’s posting here ,need to get over yourselves, what makes you think you’re so much better than someone
else ?
-How very Christian of you !-
Sorry for the second post…I forgot to add, you want to pay to advertise your local religious group . Perfect, as long as your willing to cough up the dough…& your message is not hateful, pay the damn Metro Transit & help them meet their budgetary needs.
If Metro transit had more money than say…the Catholic Church, I could see them turning down any ad they didn’t like, BUT when your other option is to stick your hand into the pocket of every tax payer in HRM to make up for a shortfall I for one say F… that.
Advertising dollars pay the bills, Take The Money
Pretty Kitty – right you are – I remember seeing the W5 piece (IIRC, it was a few years back). The reference to “abstinence education” is what tipped me off though.
Hey guys, I am the op. First of all, in regard to my comment about abortion advertising, I wasn’t commenting on any specific examples. I just likened allowing the atheists ad to allowing a hypothetical ad on abortion. Also, to More, that’s very fine that you are not concerned with the types of ads but on the side of ads, however, a large percentage (including most of the comments here) are, and it definently isn’t in MT’s best interests in allowing such ads regardless of your religious beliefs (or non-beliefs). The whole point of my bitch was to say that I find this group’s bitching about lack of freedom of speech unfounded.
Personally I think that an ad saying enjoy your life is a lot less harmful and mean than all the ads telling our kids to eat fast food, which is making them obese and unhealthy. So I am far more offended by a MacDonalds ad on the side of a bus. Do you think they’d say no to that one though? The only reason they suddenly have a moral conscience, is because the media is watching. Otherwise they barely look at what is written on the ad, and just look at the money, as we’ve seen with the current ad about bad credit.
Hey BRok , I am very aware of how the religiously biased feel about anything…Like the lovely stop abortion signs etc. that they have put up. I don’t like them, but I still feel they should have the right to post their opinions. With MT, the problem as I see it is they are again after the HRM taxpayer to make up their budget shortfall, well if they took the $40,000 that’s in the budget for advertising this point of view, WE the taxpayer would be on the hook for that much less.
IMO this type of message may offend some, but it hurts no one…& we all know you can’t say that about a MacDonalds diet & their paid for advertisement is everywhere !
So take the money, put up an ad for the Muslim idea that women should be covered in Burka’s, I won’t like it, but so what, they’re paying MT & that saves everyone money.
There’s all kinds of things in this world I really don’t care for, but others do & they should be allowed their views & beliefs especially when no one is being hurt & the money spent helps pay for a Mass Transit System .
What I don’t like about the ad is that it assumes a belief in God automatically makes one a worrier. Whether the ad should be banned or not, I don’t know. I find it insulting and patronizing, but then again I see ads of that ilk everywhere I go.
As for “family planning centers,” sure family planning is great when you’re being told all the available options and their pros and cons, rather than basically being told childbirth is the only option and abortion will make you hate yourself forever and/or go to hell.
Advertising revenue for transit is a small fraction of the total revenue. It isn’t even a million a year. Now, if transit ran said blatant ad, people would think twice about riding, transit would lose revenue, bad things would happen. Not worth the risk, plus the group got the attention they wanted whether the ads ran or not.
As far as the Pregnancy Care Centre, I had a feeling it might be pro-life when I read on the ad that they offer “abstinence education”. It’s slippery, but it doesn’t scream PRO-LIFE, plus they run condom ads so you get a balance. Point blank, running an ad like that isn’t worth the potential long-term revenue loss from the short-term gain. Plus, Pattison gets half the ad take anyways.
Not for profits get to advertise for free on MT busses. They just have to get their signs made by the group they have contracted to do their signage. I worked for a not for profit a while ago and looked into bus advertising. So in this case MT doesn’t get ANY of the revenue.
I’m wondering if the Pregnancy Care Centre is considered a “not for profit”….because if it is, it’s getting space on MT busses for free (except the cost of the signs).