I'm afraid I do have to file this one under my "get over it" section.

Some things aren't worth taking seriously. This ad is one of them.

Don't for a second equate that to wider issues of domestice violence. This is a TV ad. We can't react with PC indignance every time something remotely offensive crops up.

StG "Obviously domestic violence is wrong. We all know it." - unfortunately we don't all know it. I have an ex who thought it quite OK to hit me when she wanted to escalate the stakes in an argument. I've experienced 3 different marriage counsellors who did not like it but said there was no real problem because she was "unlikely" to do real harm to me. We have a federal government which while admitting that men are victims of some DV chooses to spend millions of tax dollars on an anti-DV campaign that completely ignores male victims (not even a one in twenty representation).

There are claims (which I can't substantiate) that males in the UK have between a 1/3 and a 1/4 chance of being arrested if they ring and report DV of which they are the victim.

There are serious studies which show that men are assaulted by partners in similar numbers to women, the only significant difference is at the extreme end of the spectrum and the numbers who suffer major physical trauma - most of the advertising is focussed on the more "mundane" forms of DV.

TurnRightThenLeft, the time to get over it will be when men with abusive spouses receive similar social and legal support to that available to women with an abusive spouse or maybe when we all decide that the messages we get through the media don't have any impact on anybodies thinking on what is acceptable and what is not.

This is not just about one add, it's one of a number of adds which show men being assaulted by women for reasons other than self defense.
It's unlikely that many people will make a specific change of belief about assaulting a partner (or stranger in the street) based on one add. What this stuff does is reinforce the message already out there that women assaulting men is no big deal.

Of course if advertising has no impact at all then there are a lot of companies wasting a lot of money on it.

R0bert

Who cares Robert?What really hurts is when they divorce you.

Robert~ Your experiences have made you hyper sensitive. It's an ad. Lighten up. We have ALL got one story or another, and this isn't the place I'm gonna share mine but I put my concerns about that issue in its proper place...not jumping up and down every time I see something that VAGUELY resembles it. Couples play fight as well. You wanna ban that in the home because of the message it might give their children?.

My first girlfriend slapped me, once. As with any domestic violence, don't stand for it. If it becomes an big issue, walk. Isn't that what we tell the women victims of DV?. Some people can't communicate their severe frustration in any way other than physically...don't stand for it.

StG, as many victims of DV will testify it's not always as simple as walking away. There are reasons why men and women choose to stay, some good some bad. Some take the wedding vows they made seriously even in the face of unworkable situations.

For men the part outside their control is the unfair playing field they experience when it comes to child residency issues along with the impacts on property and C$A payments.

The situation is worsened by the unwillingness of society and government to treat the plight of male victims of DV with any seriousness. Have you ever seen a government funded anti-DV advertisement which address female initiated DV, either physical violence or controlling behaviors? I don't recall a single one.

Men also suffer violence at each others hands in the general community at a high rate. Not always mutual violence or provoked but part of a mindset held by some that males are legitimate targets of violence.

Can you imagine these same advertisers running campaigns which treated women being assaulted either in the home, on public transport or on the street as a joke?

The messages we get through the media do contribute to our thinking and far too many people already seem to think that violence where the victim is male is no big deal. That he probably deserved it.

R0bert

Hey guys, I was reading this post with interest.

You might benefit as men from the information on this website.

I find it really helpful

http://www.fathersonline.org/index.html

Fatherhood Stories
This section of the Fatherhood Foundation website is currently under construction and will be completed as funds become available.

We enclose four fatherhood stories taken from the fathersonline newsletter.

When this section is completed, you will be able to upload your own fatherhood stories.

Our goal is to make the Fatherhood Foundation website one of the most comprehensive and interactive fatherhood and family friendly websites in the world

http://www.fathersonline.org/index.html