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Domestic abuse that's painful all around
—Posted by Tim Nudd
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These are very powerful...
Posted by: Monique | May 19, 2008 8:38:29 AM
Those are creepy. Speaking as a (non-abusing) man I find them very, very effective, because they tie actual physical abuse right back to verbal aggression, which (except in advanced cases) nearly always precede the abuse turning physical.
Very effective; graphic, but not gory, draw attention to the source of the problem, not the problem as it exists in the popular mind.
If there's any unintentional comedic aspect to these, I don't see it.
Posted by: Snow Hawk | May 19, 2008 4:20:59 PM
My goodness. Can we borrow this? By "we," I mean Americans as we need to take partner abuse more seriously.
Posted by: gorgeousblackwomen | May 19, 2008 4:23:06 PM
Seems to based off the "No U" Internet meme
Posted by: crc | May 19, 2008 5:00:37 PM
Am I missing it, or why is there not one with a straight caucasian man and woman? White chicks get abused too, and white men do the abusing, but all I see here are ethnic people. It would be a shame for the ad company to subvert this truth by seemingly embracing the stereotype that only other ethnicities have this problem.
Posted by: RStewie | May 20, 2008 9:55:50 AM
I don't respect the idea of promoting passive victimism: (whining voice:) "Something's done to me because somebody said something to me! It's awful! My life is over!"
Grow up. Be an adult. Get a life.
Either you're intelligent enough to spot the 'abuse', or you're not. Pick 1) or 2):
1) If you are, and maintain the relationship in its status, it's your fault.
2) If you aren't, you may belong where you are, and we can hope that the gene pool will clear eventually.
Posted by: al | May 20, 2008 12:40:01 PM
@ RStewie:
You are missing something. This ad campaign was created in Thailand and is ultimately used there. There is no reason for there to be a Caucasian couple in the ads because the mass public in Thailand would not be able to relate to the photographs.
Posted by: WryBeauty | May 20, 2008 7:19:34 PM
@WryBeauty.
This post and the source link indicate this campaign is from Singapore, not Thailand. I'm curious why you think it's from Thailand - because you know Singapore is not in Japan or China, so oh! Must be Thailand?
Thailand and Singapore are both countries. Separate countries.
Posted by: LMR | May 22, 2008 12:13:01 AM
These are fantastic! The execution, not the subject.
They remind me of a Yoruba saying back where I come from -- "Use strong words to hit him in the stomach."
Posted by: 'Segun Olude | May 22, 2008 12:01:09 PM
These are great ads but one thing...what about the verbal abuse from women?
Posted by: arthur | Jun 6, 2008 5:18:10 PM
Re: RStewie,
As someone who spent time as a child in a refuge for victims of domestic abuse and have since gone back to work there as a young adult I cannot believe how ignorant you are. People do not stay in abusive relationships because they are 'too stupid' to realise it is abuse. People stay because they do not know how they will support their children afterwards, they stay because they have been bullied into believing that the abuse is their fault, they stay because they are too ashamed to tell anyone about the abuse and ask for help because many have the same opinion as you do, they stay for hundreds of different reasons, none of which are to do with stupidity.
Why is it that in so many cases like this it is always the victim people look to for blame. 'She was asking to be raped', 'She was too stupid to realise she was being abused', 'the guy lying in hospital after an attack must have provoked the fight in some way'. There are times when people do blow things out of proportion and try and make out they are a victim when they are not but domestic abuse is one of the countless times in which victim blaming is entirely ignorant.
Posted by: Gemma | Jun 8, 2008 4:21:43 PM
RStewie: I was in a verbally abusive marriage and you DON'T always recognize it because the abusers aren't always swearing at you; most of the time they're controlling you, blaming you for anything (and everything) that is wrong in their lives) without ever raising their voice. Between that and a public that promotes an "adjustment" period when you first get married and advise that includes "fighting is normal, in fact if you're not fighting something’s wrong. And give in a few months, don't just give up" so women stay in and try to "fix" a marriage that can't be fixed. So don't you dare assume you know what its like; if recognizing verbal abuse was so easy ads like this wouldn't be necessary.
Posted by: Staar84 | Jun 8, 2008 5:22:20 PM
Very powerful. Makes it's point.
What people don't understand is that psychological abuse is so subtle that you don't realize it's abuse. You can blame yourself for a man hitting you, but you really can't convince yourself it's not happening. You can't misinterpret or mishear a fist in your face.
People do not stay in abusive situations because they're stupid to see what's happening. They stay because they think love can change a person, because they want their children to grow up with both parents, and, the vast majority of the time, because they can't afford to keep their children on their own, and know how dangerous it is to leave them with an abuser.
Here's a fact. Battered women leave. On average they leave at least 6 times before leaving for good. So, the real question is: Why do they come back?
Posted by: Debbie | Jun 8, 2008 7:53:55 PM
These ads are well executed and poignant.
Bravo to everyone who berated RStewie for his ignorance. He and people like him are a HUGE part of the problem.
As an extermely strong woman, I don't necessarily understand the mindsets of women who cannot leave their tormentors, but I would never disrespect a persons pain because I have no frame of reference.
Posted by: Aleigh | Jun 11, 2008 1:23:50 AM
Excellent ads. I hope they made someone thing twice...
@Gemma and @Staar84 - your comments are directed at al not Rstewie :)
Posted by: Emma | Jun 11, 2008 7:34:32 AM
Those are very powerful ads. I have been a victim of verbal and emotional abuse, and I can't even begin to describe how well the fist coming out of the mouth portrays what I went through. I genuinely hope those ads made a difference in at least a few people's lives.
Posted by: Del | Jun 11, 2008 10:06:22 AM
These ads are sexist.
I have seen cases where the woman where the one being abusive, and the man would be to ashamed to get help.
Posted by: Dane | Jun 12, 2008 3:15:20 AM
One commentor on the page asks why there are no caucasians in the ads - I d like to know why there are none with men getting shoutpunched by women. Possibly in the balls.
It wouldn t work, would it? Why do you think that is?
No, violence against women is indefensible, but to draw an equivalence between verbal acts and physical violence is a mis-step.
Posted by: bulgarian solicitors | Jun 12, 2008 6:21:58 AM
NO U!
Posted by: Hey | Jun 17, 2008 11:10:39 PM
Lulz
Posted by: T | Jun 18, 2008 4:46:43 AM
Why does it only show violence one way?
Posted by: steve | Jul 24, 2008 5:43:42 PM
