Informing people about the dangers of drunk driving doesn't seem like an extremely difficult task but, if you ask the Tennessee Governor's Highway Safety Office, they might tell you something a little different. That's because their new drunk driving campaign just got called out for being a little (no, a lot) sexist.
We're not exactly sure who told the GHSO that it would be a good idea to create a drunk driving campaign aimed solely toward men but, in any case, they have a little explaining to do. According to The Tennessean, the campaign consists of a slew of sexist slogans including one that reads, "Buy a drink for a marginally good-looking girl, only to find out she's chatty, clingy and your boss's daughter." Another one reads, "After a few drinks the girls look hotter and the music sounds better. Just remember: If your judgement is impaired, so is your driving." The slogans appeared on free flyers and coasters that were given out to bars and restaurants in the state. Obviously it didn't take long for people to start voicing their opinions upon reading these.
"My first reaction was cool, we got free coasters," said Tiffany Cannon, a 25-year-old bartender at Charlie Bob's. "But then one of my customers pointed out what was on them, and my jaw dropped."
In a pretty horrible attempt to justify the situation, Kendell Poole, director of the Tennessee Governor's Highway Safety Office, made it clear that the campaign was aimed toward young males.
"We take feedback from the public seriously and want to thank all of those who have reached out to share their opinions with us," Poole said in a statement. "It was never the intent of our office to offend anyone. This new initiative was designed to reach the young male demographic, who are statistically more likely to drive under the influence. Well known-adages, like dating the boss's daughter were used to grab their attention within the bar environment. Our office continually experiments with new strategies in order to be effective with various target demographics and we will be closely monitoring the results."
As if the coasters weren't offensive enough already, there's also a section on the campaign's website called "Legends of the Stall." The section is basically geared toward mocking the graffiti found in bathroom stalls in clubs and bars. "Legends of the Stall" features cartoon images of characters binge-drinking, being promiscuous and committing other acts that people found offensive. At the end of every comic though, the characters wind up choosing not to drive home drunk.
On Tuesday, a Nashville state lawmaker demanded that the governor of Tennessee, Bill Haslam, get rid of the campaign altogether, claiming that it was "ill-conceived" and "a waste of taxpayer dollars."
"A majority of our population has been disrespected, and our state has again been placed in a negative light," he said. "Our citizens, visitors and potential investors in our economy are left with the false impression that does not accurately reflect our state's respect for our mothers, sisters and daughters."
We're not sure what's next for Tennessee or the campaign but it has been confirmed that, as of Monday night, the website, imparied.tntrafficsafety.org, is no longer available.