See Something, Say Something?

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Knees and Toes, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes Knees and Toes...Eyes and Ear and Mouth and Nose....

The MTA in NYC's See Something Say Something campaign is quite possibly one of my favorites. They've come up with one million ways to remind you to report suspicious activities including announcements over the new fancy IRT trains. (So far the only BMT/IND line that I know to have recieved the updated cars are the N line...no love for the Q...and they say those distinctions don't matter...dont believe them...hate for the lines that don't do Wall Street)

Really , they're great and they only get better when you see them in Spanish. They also work, while riding the Q Train to work back in the summer of 2006, I saw something. My fellow passengers and I panicked and said something....and then I stupidly opened the briefcase and found someone's lunch. Oh well: A Spanish version for you...and then the connnection to London.

So yes, NY is scared of terror. America is scared of terror and so is Europe. They just acquitted 7 people in the Madrid cases and London has been shook up since 2005 (when my mother and I smartly visited after the attacks anyway). So it only behooves London that they should have similar advertisements in the tube. They just aren't as catchy...really I only stopped because it reminded me of home and because my last internship now has me obsessed with ad campaigns.
The best thing they have going for them are the "I, London" thing, forcing people to identify with the city, if you even realize that its highlighted. I'm more prone to note that there are 7 million people in London. There's also "Trust your Senses" thing which reminds me of my mother telling me to trust my senses when I'm in a weird situation. I only caught that because I have the mind of a kindergarten kid and like songs like Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

Plus, what about if you smell something suspicious or feel something ...like a cool breeze in the tube...that's cause for concern. Tsk tsk...I guess you cant trust all five of your senses, just two..not that I expect anyone to be tasting anything on the tube.Sadly there is no Spanish language counterpart. I'm still waiting to find the Hindi/Urdu/or other European language signs up for bilingual speakers in the tube...but that hasn't really caught on over here ( or maybe I'm taking the wrong lines), which is surprising. Even Boston advertisers put up a few Creole signs on the T.

I guess there were reaching for that inter-ethnic touch as seen in the "there are 16 million eyes" NYC poster by havig a blue eye and a brown ear, but that requires too much thinking.

I look kind of suspect in that pic...dont u think? Regretfully, a trenchcoat mafia joke is inappropriate at the moment, so instead I'll just go digest some Habermas. The public sphere: Fun!

HAUL!
The Queen