Dear PA Liquor Control Board: Fixed That

Trigger warning for sexual assault and victim blaming.

Before anyone wants to misinterpret, quick clarification: It is awesome to do a public service campaign around the dangers of binge drinking; it is inexcusable to base any part of that campaign on victim blaming around sexual assault.

I’m sure some of you have seen this advertisement from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board floating around in recent days:

[Description: Photo of a woman's legs with her panties around her ankles. Text reads, "She didn';t want to do it, but she couldn't say no. When your friends drink, they can end up making bad decisions, like going home with someone they don't know very well. Decisions like that leave them vulnerable to dangers like date rape. Help your friends control tonight and stay safe. ControlTonight.com."]

Eff that.

The alcohol danger and sexual assault ad that should be instead:

[Description: Image of torn shorts. Text reads, "When your friends use alcohol as a weapon, they can end up targeting and sexually violating people unable to consent. Decsions like that make them rapists. Rape is wrong; so is victim blaming."]

Thing is? I will still be able to go to bed on time.

I’m not sure how placing the emphasis where it belongs was really so difficult.

About these ads

7 thoughts on “Dear PA Liquor Control Board: Fixed That”

Did you send this to them?
They should pay you–you are a LOT better at making ads than whoever they hired.

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Tori on December 9, 2011 at 11:22 am said:

I haven’t, no.

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- Me! on December 11, 2011 at 4:33 pm said:
  
  Please send it to them. I sent the link to the person who mansplained their ad strategy to me when I complained, maybe if they get the link enough they’ll also get the message.
  
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  - Tori on December 11, 2011 at 5:07 pm said:
    
    Can I ask the email address you used? I’m seeing one for the control board’s education division and another for the Control Tonight/Call the Shots campaign.
    
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I don’t know if I’ve ever commented here, but I just had to say thank you for this.

(I discovered after staring at that ad for a while, I’m pretty sure I have those undies, which has put me on a shame spiral for sh*t I know isn’t my fault. I am printing out your graphic and putting it on my wall to try to fight it. Thank you.)

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