MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A campaign meant to keep drunk drivers off of the road was shut down after many people called it sexist.
“Buy a drink for a marginally good-looking girl only to find out she’s chatty, clingy and your bosses daughter,” Aramis Jones read from one of the campaign materials.
Jones laughed until she found out the more than $77,000 campaign was paid for by the Governor’s Highway Safety Office.
“It’s kind of a misogynist statement to me,” Jones said.
The racy campaign, which many called sexist, was meant to stop people from driving drunk.
“I don’t think this will help anybody at all,” Jones told WREG.
“It’s discriminating,” said Paula Raiford, owner of Paula and Raiford’s Disco. “I don’t discriminate. It puts a thought in a person’s mind that gives you an ugly taste in your mouth.”
Raiford said she would never put the posters and coasters in her club because it sent the wrong message.
“I would think negative about the bar — about the owner, the management, whoever allowed this to enter their door,” Raiford said. “Whether it was free, or they got some kind of bonus with it, it would put a negative vibe in me.”
WREG reached out to the state about it’s “Booze It & Lose It” campaign.
GHSO director Kendell Poole released, in part, the following statement:
The Governor’s Highway Safety Office would like to apologize for any offense caused by the 100 Days of Summer Heat Booze It and Lose It Campaign. Because one of the goals of many Booze It and Lose It campaigns is to reach our high risk driving population, the marketing is often edgy and designed to grab the attention of the young male demographic. It was never the intent of the GHSO to be insensitive or insulting to women.
Raiford didn’t buy the campaign explanation and was glad it is being shut down.
“That would be a no,” she said. “There’s no way this got anything to do with drinking and driving.”
Gov. Bill Haslam’s office said it had not seen the campaign before it was published.
“The governor doesn’t like it and is pleased that it has been suspended,” said David Smith, Press Secretary with the Office of the Governor.
