Australian For Dickhead, Mate!

Throw another shrimp on the barbie, pop open a Foster's, and wave your kid in front of a crocodile already.

In its ongoing bid to become the most retarded and fun-hating former British colony this side of the United States, government officials in New South Wales, Australia, have unveiled a truly stupefying ad campaign aimed at stigmatizing pot smokers as "dickheads."

The latest phase in the state government's cannabis awareness program was launched to screen before movies throughout the school holidays.

The advertisements, which will also be displayed in cinema bathrooms, bus shelters and on buses, highlight adverse health effects, physical dangers and social impacts of using the drug.

One includes the ad-line: "Pot. It mightn't kill you. But it could turn you into a dickhead."

Suddenly, the "This is your brain on drugs" shtick seems almost legitimate. Whole thing here.

[Thanks to Baylen Linnekin at the Drug Policy Alliance.]

Comments

[Constantine]

Help, help, I'm being oppressed! The government called me a dickhead!

[Lisa Simpson]

More like Thai-stickhead.

[Fred Gillette]

William Bennett = Dickhead
Narced on = Dickheaded
Flushing boyfreinds pot = Dickheadily
Create prohibition propaganda = Dickheadedness
20 years in prison = Dickwhomped

[Mr. Nice Guy]

Space cowboys aren't usually assholes unless they're drinking, too. That is one of the many things that irritate the fuck out me. Someone can be shit-faced drunk, but if there's THC in the blood then it's all about the weed. What a bunch of dickheads.

[Evan Williams]

Christ, if they outlawed everything that "could turn you into a dickhead", well, I don't think I need to speculate on the consequences.

[Linda]

I cannot believe that this is a legitimate anti-drug campaign. What in the hell were they smoking?

[Dan]

Anyone brainless enough to "Just Say No," "Be Cool--Stay in School," or otherwise let his conduct be influenced by PSAs in any way, shape or form, is a world-class dickhead.

Any kid who doesn't already know, without being told by the government, to stay in school and stay off drugs, is pretty much a dickhead, yes.

But you're strongly implying that it's more admirable to do drugs and drop out of school than it is to let a PSA dissuade you from doing drugs and dropping out of school. That's crazy. What's next -- will I be asked to respect ten-year-olds who still shit their pants, because they're independent enough to not just do what they've been told to do?

Kids who take drugs and/or drop out of school are idiots. If they stop being idiots because they happen, in addition to being idiots, to be easily-led, that's still an improvement. The important thing is that a kid who stays off drugs and finishes his degree is a kid who is a hell of a lot less likely cost me tax money for welfare or a jail cell.

[grylliade]

Christ, if they outlawed everything that "could turn you into a dickhead", well, I don't think I need to speculate on the consequences.

No more law school, therefore no more lawyers, is one that comes instantly to mind . . . A lawyer friend of mine says that law school teaches you "how to be an asshole" more than anything else. Close enough for me. Ban law schools!

[JD]

Too bad that "NSW Special Minister of State John Della Bosca" is too big to fit on a sticker to put over the word "you". OTOH, that sticker might work just fine over the word "dickhead". I see new Australian slang coming on: "I can't believe how rude that guy was. What a dellabosca."

[Bill]

Dan,
You don't know what you're talking about. You must be listening to too many PSAs. I did drugs and dropped out of high school, and I know many other successful people who did the same. Those who drop out and make nothing of their lives would do the same had they gained a worthless HS diploma. I now have a masters in physics and make damn good money. There was not a single thing I learned in the K-10 grades (skipped 11 and 12) that I couldn't have learned on my own. Actually, I have learned more on my own than I ever did in school. Read books and apply the knowledge; K-12 schooling is nothing but kiddie jail. BTW, I'd happily give up my degree for a system of testing for jobs that would replace the years in college listening to a bunch of out-of-touch-with-reality talking heads.

I don't really mean any offense. I just think that you should check your premises. 🙂

[Ron Hardin]

Dickhead is from German, dick meaning thick. Dickkopf, blockhead. It's just a happy coincidence.

[Franky]

What's always struck me is that there must be some real dickheads out there that actually listen to this government propaganda. They must be relying on at least a good portion of people to say "jeez sheila, I don't wanna be no dickhead, so nah mate, gonna have to turn that joint down." Smoke weed or not, your decision, but the fact that you could be influenced by such wimpy propaganda is terrifying.

[Dan]

You don't know what you're talking about. You must be listening to too many PSAs. I did drugs and dropped out of high school, and I know many other successful people who did the same. Those who drop out and make nothing of their lives would do the same had they gained a worthless HS diploma. I now have a masters in physics and make damn good money.

You're a drug-using high school dropout who gained a masters in physics and makes damn good money. You know many other successful drug-using high school dropouts.

Pull the other one, it's got bells on it.

[SteveInClearwater]

Sorry that someone once again popped your stereotypical delusions about anyone who may enjoy using drugs.

I graduated high school in a class of just over 1000 students. As someone who enjoyed using pot starting at age 16, I can state with confidence that at least 10 of the top 20 students in the class, including the valedictorian and the salutatorian were regular users of pot.

From this we can also conclude that the other 10 of the top 20 were NOT users of marijuana, at least not openly.

Success in life has to do with a lot of factors. But one is not disqualified from enjoying that success simply because they enjoy using marijuana.

Why, you might grow up to be a computer programmer or one of the original founders of Microsoft.

[Tingy Wah]

Coke turns you into a dickhead. Pot just makes you inattentive.

[bob]

uh...ummm...what did you say?

[WLC]

If it wasn't for the FCC, they'd probably do it here too 😉

[D Anghelone]

Well, if potheads are now dickheads then what will they call the English?

[Fred Gillette]

The problem isn't pot, the problem is people like NSW Special Minister of State John Della Bosca. And pot use doesn't effect driving ability, it effects driving speed. I could never get past 45 mph.

Social problems associated with pot use? Being unfairly stigmatized by brainwashed people who are terrified of being unfairly stigmatized and thus losing out on all the goodies (good job, beautiful wife, expensive car, large house and country club membership) that come with being a good, compliant citizen.

It wasn't always thus, but will ever be so. Our (or my) side lost back in the '70s. But after all, it is for the children. Legalize pot and 12 year olds could just walk into a store and buy some, but keep it illegal and children will never have access to it. Better yet, terrorizing children with threats of destroying their future if they use pot, now that's the way to help our youth succeed in life.

[Abel Tasman]

"Well, if potheads are now dickheads then what will they call the English?"

What they always have, "Flamin' pommie bastards."

[Mark S.]

"Better yet, terrorizing children with threats of destroying their future if they use pot, now that's the way to help our youth succeed in life."

Claiming that using pot somehow supports terrorism helps too.

[Ruthless]

Isn't this heartwarming?: government endorsing name-calling.
Next they'll teach France how to subsidize calling Jews kikes.

[andursonne]

France already does that through its immigration policy.

[fyodor]

"Our (or my) side lost back in the '70s."

When members of Carter's administration got accused of smoking pot and Jimmy got all pissy about it, I felt like a great opportunity had been missed to say, "So friggin' what?" And it's been all downhill since.

[Kevin Carson]

Anyone brainless enough to "Just Say No," "Be Cool--Stay in School," or otherwise let his conduct be influenced by PSAs in any way, shape or form, is a world-class dickhead.

I completely respect a decision to avoid recreational drugs, based on one's own independent assessment of the pros and cons. But what kind of shithead would give any respect or consideration whatever to a government propaganda ad? "Gee, I was thinking of doing drugs. But that 30-second sound bite says I'd be a loser. I guess I'd better reconsider."

[Fred Gillette]

So much in life is counterintuitive. Make pot illegal and now only kids and outlaws will have access to it. What's wrong with those prohibitionist Dickheads.

BTW, for those of you too young to remember, pot was made illegal in the US during the Depression as a way of ridding the Southwest of Mexican guest workers and for the general oppression of Blacks.

So those who want to continue with the prohibition, you are racists. Sort of like the WMD rationale for invading Iraq. The original reason for invading was to stabilize and create Western-freindly governments in that region and protect Isreal. But they don't want that too widely known, so they have the WMD argument.

They want us to know that marijauna prohibition is a racist law designed to destroy those hated minorities of ours. No, prohibition is to protect the children. Excuse me while I breakdown sobbing, thinking of the stupidity and general dickheadedness of the power elite who run the Free World.

[Neil Lindsey]

I bet those PSA's are pretty funny...if you're stoned.

[fyodor]

Kevin Carson,

Most people aren't stupid enough to believe advertising slogans either, but they somehow often work. Maybe it's subliminal or something....

[Fred Gillette]

Oops, sorry. "They don't want us to know that marijauna is a racist law..."

[Lisa Simpson]

Is "mightn't" a common antipodean contraction? 'Cuz to my Yank ears it sounds archaic and Dickensian.

[Jimbo]

Next you'll all be up in arms about their anti-prostitution campaign "Don't be a whore!"

[Dan]

I graduated high school in a class of just over 1000 students. As someone who enjoyed using pot starting at age 16, I can state with confidence that at least 10 of the top 20 students in the class, including the valedictorian and the salutatorian were regular users of pot.

If true, that's statistically anomalous. It also isn't relevant to anything I've said. All you're trying to establish is that it's possible to be successful if you did a lot of drugs as a kid. Obviously it's possible, just as it's possible to drop out of high school and be successful later on. It's just less likely. Doing drugs as a kid never helps your chances future success, and sometimes hurts them. Dropping out of high school also never helps, and virtually always hurts. Behavior that has potential (or likely) negatives, and no positives, is behavior that is worth discouraging in children.

[SteveInClearwater]

DAN, we never said a thing about being in high school and 'doing a lot of drugs'.

We did mention occasional or frequent use of marijuana by a wide range of students, many of who were very successful.

You don't know it to be a statistical anomaly.

Your comments are politely presented, but I would invite consideration that you desist with categorizing any and all use of illicit substances as "Using drugs". Your wording consistently implies that Marijuana=Cocaine=Heroin=Ecstasy=Amphetamine, which is of course nonsense in terms of accurately defining different substances in the pharmacopia.

Thus a listener can be misled to believe that the effects of using pot for instance, are the same as for using any other drug - a conclusion I'm sure you would agree is foolish.

[Skip Head]

Hey Dan,

Where are these statistics you mention? Can you link to a study that proves that using drugs as a kid negatively affects future success? Do all drugs have this affect or just illegal ones?

Or are you just spouting 'common sense'?

[Gregory Pecker]

Yeah, like Aussies need to be MORE laid back. Get those lazy down-underers on some Meth toot sweet!!!

[Dr. Heimlich Vonscrewyu]

To all hippies:

Put the bong down and get a job.

P.S. You smell.

[Yvan]

"...to become the most retarded and fun-hating former British colony...."

My response to that: You fucking moron.