Indoctrination

[Drago]

Got up early today when my 13 month old daughter awoke as I wanted to give the wife a bit more time asleep.

Into the lounge, flicked onto channel 5 as Amy likes the kids programmes on there, just in time to catch the presenter trying to influence a new generation by singing a ditty "always wear a helmet when you ride".

Now, I'm pro-helmet but otherwise not interested in compulsion etc, mainly because I'm not remotely bothered what other people do with their heads. So I was surprised with this piece of indoctrination.

We're C5 right to do this?

 

[Theseus]

No

 

[ohnovino]

Children probably should wear helmets, and if singing a fun song makes them more obliging I don't see the harm.

 

[mcshroom]

No they shouldn't have done so

(This thread should be in the Helmet debates sub-forum)

 

[Drago]

Ah, my bad.

 

[mcshroom]

No worries, just ask a mod to move it

 

[Octet]

I don't see anything wrong with it, they aren't so to say 'forcing them'.
Wearing a helmet doesn't do any harm, and if it reduces the impact then I think it is a positive. I, like you, are a pro helmet person but I wouldn't go and tell a person 'You must wear a helmet' although as I say, nothing wrong with a fun yet informative song about it.
Otherwise you could argue everything from a song about cleaning your teeth to children being told not to eat too much fatty food.

 

[Drago]

There's some evidence to suggest that while helmets may offer some impact protection, the increased diameter of the head+lid can increase the likelihood of torsion-type injuries to the neck, so saying they don't do any harm is a little over simplistic.

 

[CotterPin]

I think there are better messages to put across than wearing a helmet. I am not sure what age range the programme was aimed at as I don't watch childen's TV and I can't claim to watch Channel 5 (do they still show "The Mentalist" that was quite good?) but if is for children who might be about to start cycling on the road better messages would be about keeping alert and riding in a positiion where they can see and be seen, which in my opinion, is more likely to keep them safe on the road.

And another thought, would such repeated messages make the children and their parents think that cycling is dangerous and best avoided?

 

[Norm]

(This thread should be in the Helmet debates sub-forum)

I think it's a terrible message to give to young cyclists and their parents.

...so saying they don't do any harm is a little over simplistic.

Indeed. Wearing a helmet helped when I was riding off road and went head-first into a tree branch, but wasn't so useful when a bramble caught in one of the vents and pulled my head back. And the first incident might have been avoided without 5cm of helmet on my head.

Luckily, I'm old enough that my decision whether or not to wear one wasn't influenced by some squeaky young thing on C5 telling me to always wear one.

 

[Boris Bajic]

It is a weird one and I find it an unhelpful song for toddlers.... But that can happen if you plonk them in front of the TV.

That's not a criticism of your parenting; I did it too - although many years ago. It is hard to edit TV as it is broadcast.

Next time, put Drago Minor in front of Youtube clips of Pantani et al descending at speed before helmets became mandatory on the TdF.

That will balance up the books.

It could have been worse. I sat my then 3-year-old in front of a video of the Blues Brothers many years ago, because he loved the songs.

Leaving a restaurant after a christening, he was heard to yell "Don't you say a farkin' word!" a line which I'd failed to appreciate the film would expose him to.

How we all laughed... apart from some of the more elderly guests.

Seriously, balance the thing up with Pantani footage, but remember to reinforce the anti-doping message too.

 

[screenman]

My thoughts on this are, if a helmet was shown to have made an accident worse then a lot of companies, organisations, charities, schools etc. would have been sued by now. Have any? I can guess the answer.

 

[screenman]

We know track mits can help save your hands in the case of a spill.

 

[Drago]

It is a weird one and I find it an unhelpful song for toddlers.... But that can happen if you plonk them in front of the TV.

That's not a criticism of your parenting; I did it too - although many years ago. It is hard to edit TV as it is broadcast.

She loves Roary the Racing Car, so I'd switched on in readiness for that. Once that'd passed it was TV off, time for Planet Rock!