LCB pulls controversial ad in ‘responsible drinking’ campaign

    Pennsylvania’s Liquor Control Board has pulled a controversial ad in a public awareness campaign encouraging responsible drinking.

    Some questioned whether the ad blamed rape victims for getting into a dangerous situation.

    A bunch of slideshows on the website play out nightmare scenarios. One of them–a picture of a woman’s bare legs and her underwear down around her ankles–has been removed from the site.

    Some had accused the LCB of using the campaign, part of a $600,000 contract paid over several years, to diminish the responsibility of rapists and blaming their victims instead.

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    Jennifer Storm, executive director of the Harrisburg-based Victim/Witness Assistance Program, said she thought the campaign was “kind of brilliant.”

    “I don’t think the campaign itself places any blame on the victim, and in fact, the last slide clearly states this is not the victim’s fault,” Storm aid. “Some pig, some offender–I think they actually use the word pig–an offender has violated her, which is a crime.”

    Last year, an LCB advertising campaign was criticized for encouraging people to buy vodka for Mothers Day.

    This year, the board is trying to stave off efforts by state House Republicans and Gov. Tom Corbett, who say they want to see the state liquor system privatized.

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