We Have Met the Enemy and He is Us

The title of this posting is from a quote by the possum-philosopher Pogo, by Walt Kelly. Sadly, it also echoes an occasional part of my job, when I have to look at trauma images with a question of "child abuse", "non-accidental trauma", or "domestic abuse".

My dictations on these cases are usually prosaic lists of injuries, delivered in dry doctor-talk. While precise, they usually lack the simple eloquence and impact of the following 3 images, ads by the City of Hope from February, 2008.

Please click on each image and view them at higher resolution for full impact.

He gave me this on our anniversary.
He gave me this for nothing at all.
There's no excuse for domestic violence. Talk to someone who cares.

He gave me this when he proposed.
He gave me this for nothing at all.
There's no excuse for domestic violence. Talk to someone who cares.

He gave me this for my birthday.
He gave me this for nothing at all.
There's no excuse for domestic violence. Talk to someone who cares.

Kudos to the advertising agency TBWA\RAAD of Abu Dhabi, UAE; to Martin Lever, their creative director; Sherif Galal, their art director / Iilustrator; and Martin Lever and Farrukh Naeem, copywriters, for truly outstanding work.

I highly recommend the excellent posting about these ads at Street Anatomy.  

(via Street Anatomy and Ads of the World)