Now we think we rant a bit on this forum but this was taken from another that I frequent and I have to share..   This man he speaketh the truth.   Ok, before I start my rant, let it be known that I'm an old hippy, both in appearance and attitude. I don't get on too well with authority figures, I never have and I never will.I can't abide jobsworths, officiousness, most politicians, the Government, traffic cops, misplaced political correctness, organised religion, evangelistic environmentalists, speed cameras, etc, etc, but the thing which hacks me off more than anything, is this nanny state which we all appear to reside in these days, the most visible evidence of which being the deluge of 'public information' advertisments that infect our tv screens and radio waves ad infinitum.Fire Kills - well knock me down with a feather, I never realised that.This is the sound of a child being hit at 40mph - no it bloody isn't, it's a sound effect, or did you actually mow down a child to make the recording?Know your limits - usually when I throw up or run out of cash.Don't undercook the Christmas turkey - why not? it may be the only way to get rid of the relations early.Don't carry a knife - you might fall arse over tit and pierce your nut sack.There's no way out... for vehicle tax evaders - crush my effin' car Sonny Jim and I'll be forced to dig out that assault rifle I've got stashed away in the attic.Not forgetting, don't drop your chewing gum, pay your TV licence, apply sun screen, reduce your carbon footprint, don't shag anyone or you'll get every STD on the planet, kill your speed, don't clog up your arteries with lard, don't curb crawl, tax doesn't have to be taxing, drive smoothly , you wouldn't start a night like this so why end it that way? benefit thieves - we're closing in, don't make them breathe your smoke (unless of course they've specifically asked you for a blow back) and so it goes on and on and on.What the hell is it all for? anyone with two functioning brain cells knows this stuff already and if they choose to ignore the knowledge they possess, then that's exactly what it is, their choice - added to which, the Government spends approximately 334 million pounds a year on this crap....334 million pounds of our money.But the campaign that has really tipped me over the edge, the one that see me screaming at the radio, the TV, the banner ads on Ebay etc, is this ridiculous F.A.S.T. campaign, the one that informs the public what to do if someone next to them collapses on the deck looking decidedly less than chipper.Of course, I can't speak for you lot but my first instinct would be to phone for an ambulance, it's a bit of an old fashioned reaction I know, yet one which has been moderately efficacious over the years but oh no....what I now have to do is check their Face, has it gone all droopy on one side? hard to tell really, what did they look like before they fell over? can they smile? Jesus wept, what are the chances that someone lying on the floor facing imminent death would even feel like smiling at that particular moment? I know if I were in that position and some daft **** asked me such an inane question, I'd probably kick them in the shin, that's if my legs still worked of course. Arms, can they raise both arms and keep them there? Ok then, so you've got this geezer lying prostrate on the ground and you ask him to put both of his arms up, the poor bast*rd wouldn't know if he was being helped, arrested or mugged, plus, what if he can raise one arm and not the other, has he had half a stroke? and just what exactly quantifies 'keeping them there?' 10 seconds? a minute? an hour and a half? it's all waaay too vague for me. Speech, is their speech slurred? well, depending on the time of day of course, most of the people I know would have slurred speech before they keeled over but my friends drinking habits aside, I'm willing to bet a large amount of cash that the only thing your supine sufferer would like to tell you, slurred or otherwise would be - "get me a f*cking ambulance, you f*cking procrastinating retard". Time, the faster you act, the more of the person you save, which brings me back to my original point i.e.that people don't normally collapse willy-nilly for the good of their own health, no, as a general rule of thumb it means that they are feeling slighly more than a tad under the weather and might benefit from some professional help ASAP. I therefore respectfully suggest that if someone in your immediate proximity, for no apparent reason, suddenly succumbs to the power of gravity, rather than put them through the Krypton Factor for horizontal people, you should act F.A.S.T. i.e. Fetch an Ambulance you Stupid Tosser.But Shirley 99.99999'% of the population know this anyway? which begs the question what is this advertisment's hidden agenda?I'll tell you what I believe it's subliminal message is. The F.A.S.T campaign, just like all the other Government (you and I) funded campaigns are designed solely to keep us living in a state of fear. They purport to inform and enhance our lives when really all they do is remind us of our own mortality, that we are fragile, that we need protecting and that we are incapable of making fundamental decisions on our own, the benefit of this being, that we won't kick up a fuss about stuff, we won't object to having the **** taken out of us constantly, we won't think for ourselves, we will be well behaved little citizens because after all, Nanny knows best.In short - a scared population is an obedient population - in my more conspiratorial moments, I really do think it runs as deep as that.Rant over - (for the time being at least!)                                                                                                                                                                                

The guy's not far off the mark.                                                                                                                                                                             

Medical fact time for those of you who are ranting. for the best chance of patient survival for someone suffering from a stroke, anti-thrombotic drugs need to be administered within 3 hours of onset. Someone who has met the criteria of fast are moved to hospital as a red call which is lights and noise and the hospital have a pre-warned call so they are ready with the drugs and the CT scanner is booked.   So of you want to reduce the life expectancy of someone you love bu approximately 1 year for every 2 Min's you waste ranting about the public information films the be my guest. Are you on of the never take a lid off a biker, i would rather stand there and watch then die brigade too?                                                                                                                                                                             

If I could fill this box with a squillion little smiley dudes clapping, I would!!                                                                                                                                                                             

I don't think the guy is debating the fact that you have to act fast when someone has a stroke, I think its more the case that people are fed up with being treated like idiots. I would rather someone rang for an ambulance straight away rather than sit and try and think what was on the information advert, when in emergency situations somebody who isn't overly bright in common sense could cause more harm than good if they think they know what they are doing because they have seen it on the tv. I also do understand where your coming from PP and the do not remove helmets is a good example, but I think calling 999 and letting the person at the other end talk you through things is a better way to deal with it.                                                                                                                                                                             

here here, the maneth taleth sense                                                                                                                                                                             

theres always bin public information films remember the comedian takin the pee out of em with mr chumley warner?personly i dont fink they do any harm an if nothin was done peeps would moan the gvt aint doin nowt!!                                                                                                                                                                             

Stranger danger, beware of the weavey bird to name a few. there is a big push for stroke awareness. It is one of the biggest killers in the UK. up until a few years ago stroke treatment was terrible. stroke units were open Monday to Friday 9 - 5. out of hours you were screwed. this campaign was rolled to the Ambulance service first and they had to be retrained to detect the early signs. until this campaign came about most people did not even know what a stroke was and how serious it is.   I take it then that the government should pull ALL the think bike campaign then but using this thread as a control. driver should already be aware of bikes on the road.   removing a helmet is not something that you can be talked through over the phone as it is a two person job than needs 4 hands. the only way to learn how to do it is on a first aid course. once that lid has come off you are responsible for maintaining neutral alignment of the head and management of the airway.                                                                                                                                                                                     

Nice one paganprince just finished first aid cource today think its a verygood idea to help people with the recognition of stroke victim can relay this info to get help much quicker.                                                                                                                                                                              

My son's autistic with complex learning difficulties ........  he has took note of the ad  & maybe just maybe knows what to do now !                                                                                                                                                                              

Not sure about the extrapolation of some of the arguments mentioned but here is my tuppence worth. Yes, there have always been Government awareness adverts but they had nowhere near the budget that is spent now e.g. a cartoon man with a hanky on his head explaining that someone is drowning not waving or a squirrel or Dave Prowse in a green costume making kids aware of how to cross the road. This advert is part of a £12 million campaign to raise stroke awareness, which in turn is part of a three year £100 million stroke strategy for England which was created last year after criticism that our stroke care lagged behind other European countries. I am afraid I cannot find any breakdown of that fund to show how much of that £100m will actually make it to the front line and how much will be spent on agencies and administration. If you look at the website of the advertising agency responsible for this ad, Delaney Lund Knox Warren, you will see that they have produced a number of adverts for the Central office of Information (COI) which is the "Government's centre of excellence for marketing and communications."   I understand PP's argument but I truly question whether this campaign is the way to go about it. I first saw this advert in a cinema just after it was released and I must say it is a very disturbing image on a large screen and the general consensus of the cinema audience was "what the ?". So disturbing that I was not actually taking in any of the information it was trying to present to me.   I would hate to think what effect this will have on the family of those who suffered a stroke to have to see this grotesque advert repeated again and again every evening while they watch television.   Once again, I repeat, I have absolutely no problem with making people aware of the signs of a stroke but I question if this advert is the correct way to go about it.   PP, am I right in thinking that the advert shows an exageration of a stereotypical stroke when in fact the symptoms could only be one of the effects shown and in a much lesser degree?                                                                                                                                                                             

Actually TeeCee, the signs can be a lot worse. They can also be very subtle. If you thing watching the advert in the cinema was disturbing then prey to a suitable God that you never actually see one happening.   Just to put things into context. there are two types of stroke. there is the clot type and the bleed type. If it is a bleed then pressure is being put on the brain and the patient is usually put in to a drug induced coma while they try and reduce the pressure on the brain and to stop the bleed. this type of stroke is not that common in the UK.   The advert is focusing on the clot type. What is actually happening is that the area of the brain that is behind the clot starts to die. Very Very quickly. If you can get then thrombilised in time you destroy the clot and resume blood flow to the brain. The quicker this Happens the less BRAIN DAMAGE happens and as the ad says the more of the person you save.   A lot of the £100 million is also being used to equip A&E departments with the anti-thrombolitic drugs the training of the staff yada yada.                                                                                                                                                                             

Growing up with a father who suffered several strokes Its heard breaking. If the adverts save some other kid from going through the same thing then good.   I think the origional post was about the nanny state and not focused on one subject                                                                                                                                                                             

I can imagine it IS more disturbing in real life, PP, as was dealing with the dying victims of a head-on crash but I don't want to be reminded of it half a dozen times each evening by a graphic tv advert of a road accident in the hope of preventing it in future.   As stated previously, my problem is not with the message but the manner of the advert.   I actually rang my brother-in-law whose father died of a stroke last year and he absolutely hates that advert and the memories it brings back - all a matter of perspective, I guess.   But yes, as Mick says, the original post was also about the nanny state...                                                                                                                                                                             

I went to see my mum this morning, now she is a very intelligent lady in her mid sixties but this advert has completely freaked her out. She suffers from a condition that causes her blood to thicken and because of this has been told by the quacks that she could have a stroke at any time. We have known this for a year or so and it was always just another thing to deal with when it happens, but since this ad she is paranoid, she had a mirror next to her chair today so she could keep checking her face. I wonder how many more people in her situation have been scared to death by this ad. I know that they do some good but we have to except that there are ways of getting information out there rather than scare tactics.                                                                                                                                                                             

my ex father in law suffered a mild stroke several years ago,he thought he had just had a dizzy spell that left him a bit fuzzy and he just needed to sleep it off.because neither he nor my mother in law knew the signs of a stroke a doctor wasan't called until that evening when he couldn't get out of bed nor make himself understood.He is now paralyzed down one side and sadly his mind was also affected.a mild stroke left undetected and untreated can have a devastating effect.It may be upsetting for people who have had experiance of stroke but if it enhances the quality of life for just one sufferer,makes just one person aware of what is happening so they can take the appropiate action,then i'm sorry,but in my book its worth it.

pehap's a warning 'this advert may upset people of a delicate nature who cant take the reality of life an hide behind there sofa's' as someone nearer to there maker than most on here they dont bother me a bit i find them interesting and makes me think a bit! an advert i find upsettin is the one where people think of nothing more for there kids than material things like takin the brats to Florida or watchin him score a goal! what? no Nobel prize ambition's? no Docterate's no saving the planet?crap!

My Dad never watched me scoring a goal ...   Mind you, I never played football.                                                                                                                                                                             

It's not about being of a delicate nature or not being able to take the reality of life   There are a lot of awful things that can happy to anybody at any time but do we need to be reminded of them all the time in such a graphic way?   Once again, at the sake of repeating myself, it is the manner of the advert I have a problem with NOT the message.   I have a choice to watch the advert or not, which I don't (along with a lot of others) which surely defeats the point of the advert.   I am just thankful they chose to show women rollerskating and paragliding to advertise tampons...                                                                                                                                                                                     

I am just thankful they chose to show women rollerskating and paragliding to advertise tampons...   yea me too T C   I wanna know why folk have to be naked just to advertise shower gel, now that's what I call not crediting me with an imagination lol