Star date: 3rd January 2021

'STUPID'...SEXIST STEREOTYPED ...'LOSERS'

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 14th annual Salford Star Mary Burns Awards, which are given out to honour the most deserving individuals and organisations in the city for their stupid statements, dodgy dealings and iffy activities over the past twelve months.

Salford Council has tried to be so right on in recent years but then, in July, it launched its proposed anti-litter campaign with some cringeworthy, sexist, condescending slogans...didn't you, 'love'? Ladies and gentlemen, drop your banana skins and honk your clown horns for the winner of the Knowing Your Community Award...

Full details here...

Knowing Your Community Award

Goes to...

Salford City Council

Back in July, when Salford City Council asked its community to comment on ideas for a proposed anti-litter campaign in the city it was met with disbelief and scorn – and that was just from its own councillors!

On social media the Council was absolutely slated when it asked for people to vote on two "creative campaign concepts" for what it called a "hard hitting campaign across the city". The only thing 'hard hitting' was the response...

Litter Campaign 1 saw five slogans in pink boxes calling Salford people 'Stupid'...

"Stupid dropped her plastic bottle on the floor...Don't be stupid. Put your litter in a bin or take it home with you"... "Stupid left his burger wrapper on the grass in Peel Park...Don't be stupid. Put your litter in a bin or take it home with you..." etc

Litter Campaign 2 also saw five slogans in pink boxes urging 'R'Kid', 'Mate', 'Boss', 'Bro' and 'love' to "Pick it up"..."only losers' [apostrophe?] chuck rubbish on the floor, put it in the bin..." etc.

"So it's only males who litter? For a party who is trying to get rid of all male dominance buzz words..." wrote Kevin on Facebook, echoed by a zillion others...

"These slogans are extremely sexist, whomever came up with them needs to have a few words with themselves" wrote Karl "This reminds me of that time my friend's dad tried to talk like a teenager to fit in with us when we were thirteen, the problem is he spoke like a teenager from his generation and we all ended up thinking he was a bit of a weirdo...

"If I was to call someone LOVE in the tone implied on that mock poster I would be called a sexist condescending pig" he added "The tone and the wording is completely wrong..."

Karen agreed "Every single one is cringe"...while Mandi asked "Surely this is a wind up? People actually get paid to produce this 'rubbish'..." And Heather agreed "That's the most cringey thing I've ever seen...as if someone from the council trying to be 'down with the kids' is going to stop littering..."

Before the vote on the anti-litter campaign could get going, it was pulled and the actual page where it appears has now been deleted.

Fortunately, for posterity, the Salford Star has preserved the slogans and, in a further act of generosity, the judges of this year's Salford Star Mary Burns Awards have decided to create a special new category, the Knowing Your Community Award, just so it can be added to Salford Council's trophy cabinet (sorry, didn't mean to mention deer again...)

So ladies and gentlemen, trash your principles, melt your snowflakes and drop your daks (but not your litter) for the winner of the 2020 Knowing Your Community Award....

Salford City Council!!!

If someone from Salford Council would like to make an acceptance speech, please use the comments box below...

See also this year's other winners of the Salford Star Mary Burns Awards...

The Deer, Deer...Shot Ourselves in the Foot Award - RHS Bridgewater - click here

Feed The Rich Award – English Cities Fund – click here

The LS Lowry Award for Grotty Terraced Housing – Salford City Council – click here

Uncle Joe Stalin Award for Open and Democratic Government – Salford City Council - click here

The George Bush Read My Lips Award – Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett – click here