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This is my personal blog which I began in February 2001. I called it The Obvious? when I wrote anonymously and chose the name to reflect the fact I have to overcome my inhibitions about stating the obvious!

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« The rise and fall of the professionalism of work. | Main | Volume control on mob rule »
Saturday
21Nov2009

How to change behaviour!

Reader Comments (7)

Fabulous!

November 21, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterWhitehall Webby

Nice helmets too - is this not the epitome of "Disarming"?

November 21, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterRob Paterson

What a disturbing video. It seems based on two faulty assumptions:

1) Anyone would welcome a hug from a policeman (or other total stranger)! Telling that they didn't show the cops trying to hug a woman. I'd tell them to eff right off.

2) The government is your friend! Politicians and their agents in the street just want what is best for you. Once you realize this, you will happily forfeit your birthright to do what you like with your own body.

What a creepy minute and seven seconds that was.

November 23, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterJackie Danicki

Jackie, that's a pretty cynical view. Is it about the police and government trying to be your friend, or is it more about the police picking less brains off the road each week, informing less next of kin about accidents and the government improving their own accident (or whatever) stats?

I wouldn't view this as 'them' being altruistic. From the little information I can get from the video, it seems like a good, sensible initiative (and they are pretty nice helmets too, Rob!).

November 23, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterAlex Manchester

It made me cry!

The hug was surely optional.

November 24, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterKathryn Edwards

Deeply creepy. If I do not want to wear a helmet, which I actually think is most unwise (as is taking to the streets in anything less robust than a car frankly... i.e. riding a bike in an urban environment), but it is *my* brains I am putting at risk and I do not want some paternalistic representative of the state showing how much they 'care' by trying to hug me. Yuck.

Like Jackie, I would be inviting them to eff off and suggesting to them that they might be better employed chasing real criminals and not reminding me that the state views my body as their property.

November 24, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterPerry de Havilland

Perry & Jackie you really have got a twisted view of this...

state views my body as their property

I am sure that you are happy when the state comes to pick you up in an Ambulance when you are of need of one... at that point you don't ask them to keep their hand off your property!

Giving people free helmets and a hug is hardly malicious or devious behaviour by any "agent", be it state or personal.

November 28, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterRobin Morris

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