Spirit of dark and lonely waters.
Aug. 10th, 2003 12:38 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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chockablockreunionAgain I have heard more items on the news about people drowning in lakes/ponds, etc, over the last few days due to trying to get some relief from this sodding heatwave. These days there seems to be no awareness what so ever about the perils these bodies of water can hold as there were in 'our day' (excuse me for sounding like an old bugger there).
Anyhow, it got me thinking back to the terrifying PIF from the late 70's, 'I am the spirit of the dark and lonely water' which, if you remember had that Grim Reaper figure standing at the banks of rivers, ponds and all that, face covered with brown cloth and a big, evil looking monk's habit thing. The PIF gave out three specific scenarios regarding water safety, two cumulating in death. The final, if memory serves (too terrified to watch it on Charley Live, to this day) had one little boy being rescued by some passers by and the Reaper saying 'I'll be back' or 'I'll get you next time', in one of those villains from Scooby Doo kind of ways. Needless to say it gave me nightmares.
To be honest I think it's about time the COI tried to recapture the 'horror' or the 70's and 80's PIF's as it seemed to me that they scared kids into having a lot more sense than they do now. One example from my own experience, my four year old son went through a phase of running across busy roads and no matter how many times I told him off, punished him for doing it (yes, I advocate smacking kids if totally essential and I think almost getting run over after not listening to a damn word, does constitute that), talking to him nicely about it...and so on, he still kept on doing it. My final solution was to show him the 'Children under 5 road safety' PIF from the TV ark site. He sat there happily watching it until the bit where the tires screech and it's implanted that the child has been run over and killed. The visuals and whole idea terrified the hell out of him. To this day he's not done that again. First hint he might and we say 'remember what happened to the boy who ran across the road?' His reply 'He got squashed. I don't want to get squashed.'
Since that he's come down with my PIF obsession and insists on taking 'Charley Says' with him everywhere he goes. I'm really happy with that, not in a way of he's enjoying the same things I do, but in the way that he's becoming educated towards potential dangers in a way he sees as fun. I'm yet to show him 'C.L' as I think a lot of things on there would be too much for him to handle. Shit, enough of them gave me the fear when I was a kid and they were shown during the ad breaks in TISWAS!
Enjoy the rest of the day peeps! I'm off to pray for rain. (an atheist praying?!)
Anyhow, it got me thinking back to the terrifying PIF from the late 70's, 'I am the spirit of the dark and lonely water' which, if you remember had that Grim Reaper figure standing at the banks of rivers, ponds and all that, face covered with brown cloth and a big, evil looking monk's habit thing. The PIF gave out three specific scenarios regarding water safety, two cumulating in death. The final, if memory serves (too terrified to watch it on Charley Live, to this day) had one little boy being rescued by some passers by and the Reaper saying 'I'll be back' or 'I'll get you next time', in one of those villains from Scooby Doo kind of ways. Needless to say it gave me nightmares.
To be honest I think it's about time the COI tried to recapture the 'horror' or the 70's and 80's PIF's as it seemed to me that they scared kids into having a lot more sense than they do now. One example from my own experience, my four year old son went through a phase of running across busy roads and no matter how many times I told him off, punished him for doing it (yes, I advocate smacking kids if totally essential and I think almost getting run over after not listening to a damn word, does constitute that), talking to him nicely about it...and so on, he still kept on doing it. My final solution was to show him the 'Children under 5 road safety' PIF from the TV ark site. He sat there happily watching it until the bit where the tires screech and it's implanted that the child has been run over and killed. The visuals and whole idea terrified the hell out of him. To this day he's not done that again. First hint he might and we say 'remember what happened to the boy who ran across the road?' His reply 'He got squashed. I don't want to get squashed.'
Since that he's come down with my PIF obsession and insists on taking 'Charley Says' with him everywhere he goes. I'm really happy with that, not in a way of he's enjoying the same things I do, but in the way that he's becoming educated towards potential dangers in a way he sees as fun. I'm yet to show him 'C.L' as I think a lot of things on there would be too much for him to handle. Shit, enough of them gave me the fear when I was a kid and they were shown during the ad breaks in TISWAS!
Enjoy the rest of the day peeps! I'm off to pray for rain. (an atheist praying?!)
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