Abhorrent in my Opinion

I watch a particular channel. And on that channel there is a commercial that is run an awfully lot. While I think it is in bad taste for this network to run this advertisement (and I planning on writing them about it) – This is about the product, not the network.

Ashley Madison dot com. I’m not giving them link love. The Ashley Madison Agency, est. 2001. Tagline? Life is Short. Have an affair.&#0153

The commercial offends me. I suppose it shouldn’t, but it does. A couple sleeping in bed. The woman is snuggled up to man, snoring her full head off. You don’t see too much of her, but can tell she’s on the heftier side. The man awakens and sees the liquor by the side of the bed and sneaks a look at the woman. He creeps out of bed, grabs his clothes and starts headed downstairs. We see that he’s no catch either. The voiceover intones something like, “Anyone can handle having a bad one night stand. But not when it’s for the rest of your life.” And then we see the wedding picture of the couple. Screen goes to black and you see the web address. “When divorce is not an option.”

I was so offended that I looked up the website.

It’s a “discrete” dating service. To have an affair.

I’m NOT naive. There are hookup sites all over the internet. However, they don’t seem to “promote” affairs. They’re more of a whomever can do whatever (or whomever) they want, and here’s a way to connect. This site on the other hand is promoting itself as the solution to marital discord. The FAQ is both interesting and appalling all at once. I don’t want to copy the content here, because I don’t know the law lines on copy stealing vs. the right to criticize.

My husband and I have been married 11 years. Long, hard years. I’ve born two children. I’m bigger than I used to be. I’m older, and life has worn me down. That’s all true. I’m too busy to fuss over myself too much. You know what, though? The same is true of my husband. Neither one of us is running into the arms of another person. And if there are such problems in the marriage that another person feels the need to have an affair? Then those problems need to be addressed – not “safe discrete options” given to them.

My husband encouraged me to write this. I asked for his impression.

It’s insinuating that marriage is just an extension of a one night stand and everybody makes mistakes – it’s bullshit. It basically makes me feel like every marriage is in the same boat of a couple getting married in Vegas while drunk after knowing each other for two hours.

I don’t have anything else to say on the subject, I suppose. The site exists. Obviously people are making use out of it or else it wouldn’t have been in business for the last 8 years. They’re making a profit. The network (which I will be dealing with separately) are making a profit. There’s nothing illegal (I don’t think) about it, since nobody pays attention to the fidelity laws still in existence.

But it says a lot about today’s society that a company like that is so mainstream that it is shown on TV during prime watching hours. Like it was an ad for canned soup. It’s NOT taboo. And that’s a sad, sad shame.