A new Berlin advertisement encouraging people to wear masks features an elderly woman holding up her middle finger.
The ad first appeared in a Berlin newspaper Tuesday and was paid for by Visit Berlin and the Berlin Senate, according to the BBC.
Berlin launches ad featuring elderly woman holding up her middle finger to people who refuse to wear masks https://t.co/QMipshg5YS
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) October 14, 2020
Spokesperson for Visit Berlin Christian Tänzler claimed that the ad was made to target people who don’t wear a face mask.
“Most Berliners and our guests respect and follow the corona rules but some people don’t. These people risk the lives of older people and people from the at-risk community,” Tänzler told the BBC. (RELATED: Germany To Provide $664 Million In Aid To Holocaust Survivors During Coronavirus Pandemic)
“We wanted to give attention to this problem,” he added. “For this reason we have chosen this provocative motif.”
Tänzler said the middle finger was chosen because it was a “direct way” to communicate the message to people in Germany.
“Berliners are very well known for their direct communication,” Tänzler said. “We use it in a very direct way to communicate to exactly the people who are not respecting the rules.”
I personally love this ad. It’s not that hard to just put a mask on and wear it. I can see why it might offend some people, but it’s really not about an individual, it’s about making society safer.