Learn to Swim

ETA: (Wednesday 19th) I thought I'd posted this yesterday, but it seems I only saved it as a draft. Sorry!

Here's a 1973 PIF about learning to swim. You don't hear about so many campaigns on this any more, but back in the day it was highly publicised that having children taught to swim as early as possible was great fun, helped them to keep fit, and might save their lives if they fell into water. I'm not really qualified to talk about this beyond my Girl Guide badge in Water Rescue, but there is a very big difference between swimming in a nice, clean pool and suddenly finding yourself fully clothed in a filthy, freezing lake.

The Cinderella - esque protagonist of this cartoon has three wishes from her fairy godmother, and wishes to be at the beach with her crush, Dave. Not my idea of a dream date, I must say. Dave whips his shirt off, but SHOCK HORROR, he can't swim! What a turn - off! Infuriated, the girl makes her last wish, and up pops the nerdy - looking Mike. He "swims like a fish!" Away they go, leaving a miserable Dave on the shoreline. He summons the fairy godmother and wishes not to "keep losing me birds" (girlfriends), to which she replies "Then learn to swim, young man! Learn to swim!"

Oh, not "Look at her face rather than her bust", then? Or "Don't drool over Hustler in front of her"? Or ... well, you get the picture. Honestly, who cares whether their other half can swim, unless you happen to be an Olympic champion or something? Would you want to go out with a girl as fickle as this? As for Fairy Godmother, I think it's back to pantomime for her.

Personally, I'm not a bad swimmer; but if I couldn't swim, I don't think I'd be any more inclined to learn after watching this. The whole thing just makes me want to change the channel and reach for another beer.