Rugby’s occy strap ad ‘just not funny’
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27th November 2006, 11:00 WST
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ontentID=14640
A new Western Force advertisement featuring a man being hit by an over-stretched “occy strap” has raised the ire of health experts and Swan MHR Kim Wilkie, who have called for it to be taken off air.
Mr Wilkie said the advertisement, which he saw for the first time last week, trivialised injuries caused by the elastic straps known as occy straps which could cause blindness and even death.
“This ad is just not funny and it would be very concerning if young kids saw it and thought being hit by an occy strap would not hurt them but rather be amusing,” he said. He said he had raised his concerns with Channel 9 and Western Force but the advertisement was still going to air.
Rugby WA spokesman Tom Baddeley said the advertisement was meant to be in good humour and portray typical Australian larrikinism.
“We certainly did not mean for it to offend anyone. If anything we think it would act more as a warning of how not to use occy straps,” he said.
Mr Wilkie said he did not have any concerns with two other advertisements for the rugby team, one featuring a tarantula and the other a Lotto win.
“I wish the Western Force all the best in its international competition but I believe a different advertisement should have been used in the campaign,” he said.
Ophthalmologist at the Lions Eye Institute, Mei-Ling Tay-Kearney, said he saw hundreds of eye injuries caused by occy straps and would prefer the advertisement was taken off air.
“This sends the wrong message to the community, especially children. If the eye sustains a severe blow, such as that released from the occy strap, blood can leak inside the eye which blocks its drainage system,” she said. In severe cases, it could cause blindness.
Mr Wilkie said occy strap injuries were the second-most common cause of eye trauma and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission had put out warnings about the elastic straps.
In 1996 a 13-year-old boy died when an occy strap he was using to secure supermarket trolleys slipped and whipped him in the throat.
You can view the ad on RugbyWA site HERE
Must say the first thing that came to my mind when seeing it on TV was the trolley jockey incident too....
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Originally Posted by tragic
