Men Are Claiming That This Ad On Domestic Violence is Offensive To Fathers And They Have A Point

DADS Attacked with #HateCrime http://t.co/feiPbJLQ5z #FathersLivesMatter #IowaStateFair #domesticviolence #Hate pic.twitter.com/59FOySXNOq

— Fathers 4 Justice (@Fathers4Justice) August 17, 2015

Metro- A domestic violence campaign has been labelled as ‘offensive to men’ after carrying the slogan ‘Dads, have the strength to change’.

A spokesman from the New Fathers 4 Justice decried the posters as ‘sexist and discriminatory’, and said the group, which are not affiliated with Fathers 4 Justice, have made a complaint to Greenwich and even threatened ‘guerrilla-style protests’ at stations which display the posters.

A council spokesperson said: ‘We also recognise that the overwhelming majority of men are good fathers and role models to their children and this campaign is not meant to detract from that.'

However the council refused to ignore the fact that whilst women ‘can also be the cause of domestic violence, the majority of incidents are committed by men’.



It would be very, very silly for men to act like they aren't responsible for a majority of domestic abuse cases. However, it's just as silly to direct an advertisement like this at fathers under the assumption that the majority of men that commit these heinous acts have children with the women they are putting their hands on. I don't think it would have been too hard to create an illustration that showed the damage that domestic abuse can do in any relationship, whether kids are involved or not, without showing a Dad aggressively chasing after a Mom with a crying child in the background. 

I think what I like about this activist group sticking up for father's everywhere is that I have a hard time believing they actually care this much about some stupid poster hung up at the Iowa State Fair. In fact, I think they are really only making a stink about it, because of how often women, and more frequently feminist groups, try to claim that ads, or products, or pictures are offensive to them. It's about time Dads took a stand so that women know they can't just get away with whatever depiction of men they think best fits their narrative. If women are going to bitch that they are constantly shamed as the victim, than why can't men complain that they are always painted as the villain. As a man that is not a father, this poster doesn't offend me. In actuality, it's so poorly constructed that it actually makes me laugh. That's something that an advertisement on a dangerous societal phenomenon should decidedly not do.

I have an idea. When we are talking about serious crimes such as domestic abuse, or rape, or murder, how about we just stay all inclusive? It's wrong no matter what party is responsible for it. Riddle me this, why would you go out of your way to create an anti-abuse ad that doesn't even include childless, unmarried men? Was it solely so you could use the visual of a crying baby to draw in more eyeballs? That's like directing a crackdown on prostitution solely at women that have children. I am not saying all fathers are great people, but it takes a certain amount of responsibility to be a family man. Why would you choose that particular sector of society to direct blame at? And why even mention the word 'strength' in an ad that is meant to deter from men overpowering women physically? All in all, I don't think 'Fathers 4 Justice' are all that mad that the Royal Greenwich wants to put an end to domestic abuse, they are just perturbed because there are better ways to go about it then by making fathers everywhere the scapegoat. 


P.S. Hey 'Fathers 4 Justice', I know you are kind of new to this outrage thing, but "guerrilla style protests" may not be the best way to clear your name when you are being accused of violent crimes.