See it, Say it, SHUT UP!
Is anyone else driven to a frenzy of irritation by that public security announcement one keeps hearing at stations: See it, Say it, Sorted? It’s all over the place – both on the Underground and national rail networks. I have heard it in Lancashire, Lincolnshire and London. As soon as the voice begins ‘This is a security announcement…’ I grit my teeth in anticipation of what’s coming; and when it finally gets to that bright, smug, ineluctable, barely grammatical “See it, Say it, Sorted!” I want to cover my ears and shout out ‘La la la can’t hear you!’ like a little kid in the playground.
I’d be curious to know if the creative genius who thought up that slogan is still proud of themselves, or if, like me, they cringe whenever they hear it. I would like to think it is the latter.
Brandon Robshaw and the English Language 
It’s convinced me. The next time I see something I’ll say it and await the sortedness.
Couldn’t agree more Brandon. It makes me want to kick the loudspeaker in every I hear the announcement or see it on a poster. But whenever I hear the recorded voice, I am not sure if the speaker thinks it is, in fact, the cleverest slogan ever devised, or whether he shares our horror; do I sometimes detect the faintest tinge of embarrassment in his voice as well ?
I think it is the central phrase, ‘say it’, that annoys me the most. If it was, for example, ‘see it, tell somebody, sorted’ then I think I could just about live with it. I want to go up to a guard at the station and quietly but logically explain that simply saying ‘there is a suspicious package on the train’ will not change anything, whereas actually telling somebody (which is an altogether different thing) will bring it appropriately to their attention, after which – if you absolutely insist – it can be ‘sorted’.
There could be other announcements in the same vein.
Eggs: “ Beat it, Heat it, Eat it”. Cars : Strive for it, drive it, thrive in it.
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