11 Comments so far

• Dee // Apr 1, 2011 at 22:01

  A very well produced moving piece addressing an issue that badly needs to be addressed in a fantastic creative way. I really really wish I didn’t have a but, but unfortunately I do. It looks to me that the ‘good guys’ (the people who we are sympathetic to) the fella who is being bullied, and the fella who stands up for him are coded middle class by accent and clothes and the ‘bad guys’ (who we are not sympathetic to), the bullies, are coded working class by accent and clothes. Is it fair to portray the issue by putting middle class on one side (good) and working class on the other side (bad)?

• Noel Rock // Apr 2, 2011 at 12:43

  Brilliant. Very nicely made..

  Hadn’t really thought of the ‘but’ until it was said above, but that’s a fair point.

• David // Apr 4, 2011 at 13:53

  I have to agree with Dee’s reservation and, like her, I really wish it wasn’t so. But it leapt off the screen at me the moment the bullies appeared.

• Tipster // Apr 4, 2011 at 19:56

  Holy shit. In four days, it’s had 134,712 views.

• David // Apr 6, 2011 at 09:40

  I too agree with Dee but also the fact that one of the guys runs away leaving his friend there with the gang, i think if he had been on his own and was later supported by the group that it would have worked almost better, how a gay character is depicted as an individual is crucial when a video is shown in schools, on the net etc.

• Conor McGahon // Apr 6, 2011 at 09:49

  I think the message of this campaign is the greater one. Homophobia crosses all lines and touches the lives of those in every sector of any society, anywhere. Courage and dignity, are equally found everywhere and anyone, who has ever been touched by the story of this kind of advert will get that. That can only be a good thing. Concerns about “social-economic” labelling, are just too “New Ireland”, for words.

• Jim // Apr 6, 2011 at 11:45

  Have to say that I didn’t see any “class coding” in this piece so I think that this might be a case of seeing what you want to see.

  I think that its a well produced, effective and non-condescending piece and I hope it gets as many views as possible.

  Is it being promoted in schools? I think it would be great if it was.

• Dee // Apr 7, 2011 at 14:01

  @David yes, interesting point about the fella being left behind on his own. My impression was that he knew the gang so that he would be ok? But that’s an assumption I’m making as there is nothing much in the clip to support that other than a few ‘looks’ and that his accent varies a bit depending on who he is talking to (I didn’t really want to mention that in case the actor didn’t mean it to be like that) so when he’s talking to the bullies, he gets a bit more of a working class dublin accent. That may really be reading too much into it! Or not – that was the impression I got but not based on anything really.

  @Conor Sure homophobia is found everywhere as are courage and dignity. It just seems a shame to me to portray the bullies as coming from a particular ‘group’, that is clearly different from the victim and supporters ‘group’, why victimise another group in an anti-victimisation ad?

  I have never come across the phrase “too ‘New Ireland’”, what do you mean by it?

  @Jim It could equally be a case of not seeing what you don’t want to see I think it’s clear from accents (middle class Dublin and working class Dublin) and clothes (tracksuits/hoodies and preppie style) that it is coded that way.

  Why it is that way is a mystery to me as these are not random but production choices. Why couldn’t there have been a mix across all the young people depicted in the movie, the bullies and their supporters and the bullied?

• david // Apr 7, 2011 at 15:39

  @Dee

  I watched it again and noticed that the gang all converge around one of the guys and direct a comment; ‘your bird’ to the second guy who then runs away, it was that aspect that i found scary, their attention is focused then on the guy left behind. Overall, it is a great video because it makes us all think.

• Dee // Apr 7, 2011 at 16:17

  @David I agree completely that it’s a great video that does make you think and I wish them well on the video going viral.

  I see what you mean – I hadn’t thought of that but it is a bit spine chilling alright to think what could happen in the scenario where the one teenager gets left behind.

• Conor McGahon // Apr 11, 2011 at 13:12

  A place so far over it’s own rainbow where reality never bites and glamour abounds. Oh, and is a little ….. short lately !!!!