Public Service announcements everywhere.

 

It’s less than reassuring to know that our tax dollars are routinely used to tell us what to do or, more commonly, what not to do. We are told in no uncertain terms exactly what food or drink should pass our lips, what personal proclivities are acceptable, which not. The nanny state becomes the nagging state.

But insult is added to injury when these kind reminders also brutalize the language.  The suggestion to drive safely is logical enough. The grating grammar of the slogan might actually have caught people’s attention. Except that now it’s become common parlance so that “drive safely” might actually get people to take a second look.

Unfortunately, some of us are old enough to be reminded of something else – the old slang for latex contraceptives. There’s another public safety slogan in there somewhere…