All kinds of people are all kinds of upset about a
billboard promoting a law firm in Chicago. The billboard shows a photo of a woman's boobies in a black lace bra and a guy's six-pack abs with the catchy tagline: "Life's Short. Get a Divorce." The law firm, Fetman, Garland & Associates, Ltd., specializes in international copyright law. Ha ha! No, the all-female firm focuses on divorce cases. Why do I see an ABC dramedy in here?
As you can imagine, a whole lotta lawyers think this is in poor taste, that it is a black mark for an already scribbled-on profession struggling for respect. Also, the billboard is located in an area called the "Viagra Triangle" cuz of all the singles bars. More wood than a redwood forest. All that has horrified many people, who believe divorce is no laughing matter, seeing as how it causes real pain and heartache for tons of families.
How does the firm respond to charges that the ad is in really poor taste (aside from rolling in the handfuls of cash they probably got as a result of all the publicity)? Fetman says, "'If you think somebody's going to look at a billboard and go out and
get a divorce as a result, you're insulting the intelligence of people.
If that's the case, our next billboard is going to read, 'Gimme Your
Money.'"
As a child of divorced parents who knows first-hand how traumatic a marital breakup can be for the kids, I thought hard about this billboard. On one hand, divorce tears many individuals and families apart, and often infidelity or at least the "grass is greener" attitude implied in the ad is a factor in marriage explosions. And there's certainly some heartfelt debate over whether marriage has become devalued in our modern world.
On the other hand, the billboard made me laugh.
Funny wins! I love this ad. Fetman can so represent me if I ever need counsel. Too bad Jessica told me the billboard was taken down yesterday, one month early. Farewell billboard, we hardly knew you...
