Wanna See Something REALLY Scary? Extreme Canadian Workplace Safety PSAs
Josh Millican
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“Wanna see something REALLY scary?”
To horror fans who came of age in the 1980s, the line above instantly evokes memories of Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks in the opening scene from Twilight Zone: The Movie. Now, on a bi-monthly basis, I’ll be asking, “Wanna see something REALLY scary?” with the goal of shocking you with chilling footage plumbed from the darkest corners of YouTube.
Over the years, we’ve seen some pretty outlandish PSA’s. From the early days of “This is your brain on drugs” these appeals for public wellbeing have reached some bizarre extremes, like comparing smoking marijuana to an act of terrorism or convincing parents that the Internet is a one-way-ticket to childhood sexual slavery. While we can appreciate the good intentions behind most every PSA, some definitely approach the level of propaganda by appealing to irrational fears.
Then again, even the most straight-forward, non-sociopolitical PSA can go too far. While no one can find fault with promoting workplace safety, a couple of Canadian PSA’s are so extreme they’ve got the potential to trigger some serious PTSD. Take a look at one example below.
While definitely R-Rated, I’ve got to admit there’s something darkly humorous about the PSA above. The message is important, but the outcome is so over-the-top, so unexpected, it feels like a prank. Plus, the initial explosion reeks of CGI, so while the worker’s accident is shocking, this advert has an air of fiction that makes it relatively easy to dismiss.
Wanna see something REALLY scary?
The follow-up to the PSA above is so shocking, so brutal, so intrinsically tragic, it’s impossible to watch it without taking pause. While considerably less explosive, it presents an up-close look at a debilitating injury and the writhing agony that follows. I guess scaring people into never leaving their homes is one way to promote workplace safety!
Got an idea for a future installment of “Wanna See Something REALLY Scary?” Hit me up on Twitter @josh_millican!
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