PA Liquor Board pulls controversial ad

[sao123]

The ad in question can be viewed here:
http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2011/12/09/202518.jpg

Liquor board ad pulled after angry backlash
Image seen as blaming rape victim
Friday, December 09, 2011
By Bill Toland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

This is the ad pulled by the PLCB.




The bare legs splayed on the bathroom floor and the panties around the ankles were bad enough, but the caption alongside the image -- "she didn't want to do it, but she couldn't say no" -- was enough to convince some women's groups that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board missed the mark in its public awareness ad linking binge drinking to sexual assault.
The PLCB Web ad stirred up so much overnight controversy that it was purged from the Internet this week, following thousands of email protests and angry phone calls.
The "couldn't say no" ad was part of a the PLCB's broader "Control Tonight" media campaign, linking too much alcohol with negative consequences -- fistfights, jail time, alcohol poisoning, marital infidelity and even rape.
The new campaign urges moderation and says that "calling the shots starts with you" and your friends. It's aimed at young adults aged 21 to 29, the PLCB says.
But the ad that caught everyone's attention wrongly put the blame for rape at the feet of the girl who was drinking too much, rather than the person who carried out the assault, according to some women.
"The image itself is very triggering for rape victims," said Julie Mastrine, a junior from Penn State University who was alerted to the ad by the a university women's group called Peers Helping Reaffirm, Educate, and Empower. "But the message that it's sending is one of victim-blaming. We live in a society that seems to preach 'don't get raped,' instead of 'don't rape,' " she said.
The poster and Internet display ads, which have been popping up in bars and across the Web, match the tone of the new website, controltonight.com. The site includes an interactive feature that allowed you and your friends to play the role of the "victim" after a night of binge drinking. One of the imaginary scenarios, since scrubbed from the website, read:

"Sexual assault -- That's what [your friend's] attorney will call it a month from now. She said no, but he kept going. And now, your friend is on his bathroom floor, bruised and victimized."
The sex assault visual was running only online and at the "Control Tonight" website, but it was not a part of the bar poster campaign, nor will it be a part of radio spots going forward, PLCB spokeswoman Stacey Witalec said.
And as of Wednesday night, the free-standing Web ads were gone, Ms. Witalec said.
The $650,000 campaign (not including the cost of advertising) was unveiled in October and was designed by the Neiman Group, the Philadelphia ad company that had been the PLCB's marketing agency of record until this year.
It has been replaced by Tierney Communications, also of Philadelphia, as of the end of September.
Mr. Witalec said the PLCB had been getting a variety of feedback on the campaign since its debut two months ago.
The interest from women's groups came after a number of websites, including the popular Jezebel.com, began calling attention to the ad campaign, and to the sex-assault depiction in particular, three days ago.
"This is an emotionally charged issue," Ms. Witalec said. "We feel it's important to bring it to the forefront ... the overall point of the website is how to maintain control, before you get to the point where you've lost control completely."
But after the PLCB communications team, its "alcohol educational" awareness team and CEO Joe Conti discussed the ad Wednesday evening -- and began responding to the hundreds of phone calls and thousands of emails on the matter -- they decided to scrap the sex assault ad.
"We still believe in the message," Ms. Witalec said. But "in talking to a lot of these folks, especially the victims, we've heard that this image made them feel victimized again. That's when we knew it was time to pull it down."

Sue Frietsche, senior staff attorney at Women's Law Project's Pittsburgh office, said her colleagues were "shocked" at both the ad's visual depiction and wording.
"It presented a sexualized image of a partially undressed woman, [and] the explicit message was, 'Look what happens when you drink too much. You get raped,' " she said. "Clearly, it was blaming the victim."
Rape often goes unreported expressly because of characterizations like these, she said -- that the woman is partly to blame for putting herself in a bad situation.
"Survivors can be blamed and publicly shamed ... we're quite happy that the ad was pulled."
Not all women's and victims' groups were offended, though.
"I think it's a very graphic ad. ... And it's startling. But so is sexual violence," said Alison Hall, executive director of Pittsburgh Action Against Rape. And there's no use tiptoeing around the fact, she said, that alcohol plays a role in many sex assaults.
"If there was a way to [curb] sexual violence in Allegheny County, it would be to deal with the overconsumption of alcohol" by both women and men, she said.
That's where this ad is lacking, she said -- not in the suggestion that women can become more vulnerable after too much alcohol, but in failing to similarly implicate men.
"An ad campaign around alcohol and sexual violence absolutely needs to have a male component to it," Ms. Hall said.
​

​

​

i have a problem with pulling this ad... Often times it is the victim who is exaclty who should shoulder the blame.

It is time for people to start taking responsibility... your own safety is your own responsibility. Crimes are going to happen, it is your responsibility to make sure it doesnt appen to you. Time to stop putting yourselves at risk, take active precautionary measures to prevent being a victim.

If I leave my door unlocked, and my house is robbed... I am also at fault, not just the guy who robbed me. This is common sense!!
​

​

​

 

[zsdersw]

It is time for people to start taking responsibility... your own safety is your own responsibility. Crimes are going to happen, it is your responsibility to make sure it doesnt appen to you. Time to stop putting yourselves at risk, take active precautionary measures to prevent being a victim.

I agree.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

If I leave my door unlocked, and my house is robbed... I am also at fault, not just the guy who robbed me. This is common sense!!

WTF kind of stupid shit is this?

 

[sao123]

WTF kind of stupid shit is this?

I believe the term is Personal Responsibility.

 

[sm625]

I once posted a comment on alternet on this subject, and some butthurt chick takes my comment and turns it into a post on some women's group forum titled "rape is your punishment for having a good time" or something like that. These women's groups are often so collectively mentally damaged they cant even reason. If a girl goes out and gets drunk and ends up in the bathroom with some dude, it is the dude's fault that he didnt know she didnt want it, even when she's pulling him into the bathroom by his balls. Like a man is supposed to say "no you're drunk" when she drops down on her knees and starts unbuttoning his pants. Women will always say "go with the flow" but when they get all caught up in a man's sexual energy, when they feel that power over them, they sure do like it when they're drunk, but they will always refuse to accept responsibility for their part in whatever happens if they have regrets the next day.

To be perfectly clear I'm talking about when women aren't saying "no", until the next day anyway.

The sad thing is these women's groups really accomplish nothing when it comes to protecting women from date rape. Instead of bashing men who tell it like it is, why dont they write a "safedate" app that responds to a safeword or a failure to check in every 5 minutes or whatever.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

I believe the term is Personal Responsibility.

Yeah, let's see you connect those dots, genius.

 

[dank69]

I believe the term is Personal Responsibility.

While I understand the point you are trying to make, your analogy with the unlocked door isn't a good one.

 

[sao123]

While I understand the point you are trying to make, your analogy with the unlocked door isn't a good one.

exactly how not?

in the middle of the night, A petty thief is walking from car to car, checking the unlocked ones for change, wallets, purses, & loose items of value. Simply locking your doors will serve as a deterrant to most thieves.
No... not every one, but most.

likewise, you must take reasonable actions to make sure that you are not an easy target for rape.

1)be in a group of responsible adults you can trust
2)dont drink too much, maintain your sobriety
3)be aware of your surroundings, ensure no one has oppotunity to slip something in your drink
4)dont go anywhere alone with someone you dont know

 

[sourceninja]

I think the message here is simple. There will always be criminals. It is up to you to not make it easy for them.

For a woman, keeping her wits about her will help prevent horrible crimes like rape. Rapists are opportunistic criminals for the most part, just like muggers. They want an easy prey. Drinking until you are almost blacked-out drunk makes for easy prey.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

exactly how not?

Exactly how *is* it?

in the middle of the night, A petty thief is walking from car to car, checking the unlocked ones for change, wallets, purses, & loose items of value. Simply locking your doors will serve as a deterrant to most thieves.
No... not every one, but most.

Ok... so?

likewise, you must take reasonable actions to make sure that you are not an easy target for rape.

Ok and if a woman doesn't do what you think is "reasonable" to avoid being raped... it's partly her fault?

You're a religious person, aren't you?

 

[the DRIZZLE]

There is a difference between saying "she did x, so she deserved y" and saying "she did x which increased the likelihood of y happening". One is a moral judgement and the other is just acknowledging reality.

 

[monovillage]

WTF kind of stupid shit is this?

I thought the same thing when i saw it.

 

[sao123]

Exactly how *is* it?


Ok... so?


Ok and if a woman doesn't do what you think is "reasonable" to avoid being raped... it's partly her fault?

You're a religious person, aren't you?

if the event was forseeable and/or preventable...
it is absolutely partly her fault, for not doing what could have been done to prevent it.

 

[dank69]

While I understand the point you are trying to make, your analogy with the unlocked door isn't a good one.

exactly how not?

...

Your statement below is not common sense, it is crazy:

...
If I leave my door unlocked, and my house is robbed... I am also at fault, not just the guy who robbed me. ...

Sure, do your best to minimize problems, but if I forget to lock my door, I am absolutely, 100% not at fault if someone steals something from it.

 

[sao123]

Your statement below is not common sense, it is crazy:
Sure, do your best to minimize problems, but if I forget to lock my door, I am absolutely, 100% not at fault if someone steals something from it.

wow... what a sense of entitlement you must have. You fully expect the world to be a safe and padded place without having to take any effort from yourself at all.

You cant put yourself in risky situation after risky situation and cry foul when something eventually happens to you as a result.

 

[dank69]

... You fully expect the world to be a safe and padded place without having to take any effort from yourself at all.

...

Please quote where I said that before you go full retard on me.

 

[sao123]

Please quote where I said that before you go full retard on me.

if I forget to lock my door, I am absolutely, 100% not at fault if someone steals something from it.

if I go to bed and forget to lock my car, i fully expect it to be broken into, every time. i consider myself lucky if it wasnt.

if you forget to lock your stuff, it wasnt your fault, blame the criminal...


OR you can recognize that you set yourself up to be a victim, a ripe target.


There is a 100% chance that a crime will happen today... it is just a matter of who is the victim. Every action you take is fully and solely your own, and as a result you assume all liability and consequenses associated with those choices and actions.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

if the event was forseeable and/or preventable...

The only way to actually accomplish what you suggest would be to lock one's self inside an insulated room and never leave.

it is absolutely partly her fault, for not doing what could have been done to prevent it.

Only in the perverse mind of a moralistic conservative like you could the free exercise of one's indiviudal rights amount to the breach of duty. I'll keep this in mind if I ever see you speak on the subject of freedom or liberty in the future.

 

[feralkid]

i have a problem with pulling this ad... Often times it is the victim who is exaclty who should shoulder the blame.

Agreed. You have problems.

 

[dank69]

if I go to bed and forget to lock my car, i fully expect it to be broken into, every time. i consider myself lucky if it wasnt.

if you forget to lock your stuff, it wasnt your fault, blame the criminal...


OR you can recognize that you set yourself up to be a victim, a ripe target.


There is a 100% chance that a crime will happen today... it is just a matter of who is the victim. Every action you take is fully and solely your own, and as a result you assume all liability and consequenses associated with those choices and actions.

In my neighborhood, I could leave the car unlocked and my stuff won't be stolen. Just because thing are a certain way where you live, does not mean it is that way everywhere else.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

if I go to bed and forget to lock my car, i fully expect it to be broken into, every time. i consider myself lucky if it wasnt.

Yes, and we can clearly see, you're an idiot.

if you forget to lock your stuff, it wasnt your fault, blame the criminal...

Uh... yeah. How is the criminal not to blame?

OR you can recognize that you set yourself up to be a victim, a ripe target.

So what? Did he break a law or violate anyone's rights?

There is a 100% chance that a crime will happen today...

I think's it's pretty clear you don't have a firm grasp on probabilities.

it is just a matter of who is the victim. Every action you take is fully and solely your own, and as a result you assume all liability and consequenses associated with those choices and actions.

This is not only false, it's completely silly. In reality, you assume liability only for your negligent actions -- those that breach a duty. It's is logically incoherent to suggest someone could breach a duty in free exercise of his individual rights.

Maybe it's time for you just to STFU before you embarass yourself even more.

 

[sandorski]

Not sure what the problem is with this Ad. I think the OP's defense of the Ad is rather nuts though. The Ad is not implying the "Victim" is at fault, just that it's taking a huge risk at becoming victimized.

 

[OutHouse]

if I go to bed and forget to lock my car, i fully expect it to be broken into, every time. i consider myself lucky if it wasnt.

if you forget to lock your stuff, it wasnt your fault, blame the criminal...


OR you can recognize that you set yourself up to be a victim, a ripe target.


There is a 100% chance that a crime will happen today... it is just a matter of who is the victim. Every action you take is fully and solely your own, and as a result you assume all liability and consequenses associated with those choices and actions.

I never lock my car, ever. if somebody opens the door and robs me that is on them not me. ill be the victim and he will be the criminal, a unlocked door will not change that.

 

[OutHouse]

the ad is correct. im pretty sure every weekend there are many women who used poor judgment on getting shagged and regretted it soon after. If they were not under the influence they would not have put themselves in that situation.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

The ad in question can be viewed here:
http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2011/12/09/202518.jpg




i have a problem with pulling this ad... Often times it is the victim who is exaclty who should shoulder the blame.

It is time for people to start taking responsibility... your own safety is your own responsibility. Crimes are going to happen, it is your responsibility to make sure it doesnt appen to you. Time to stop putting yourselves at risk, take active precautionary measures to prevent being a victim.

If I leave my door unlocked, and my house is robbed... I am also at fault, not just the guy who robbed me. This is common sense!!
[/COLOR][/LEFT]

[/COLOR][/LEFT]

[/COLOR][/LEFT]

Amen.