(Harrisburg) -- A new online public awareness campaign by the state Liquor Control Board encourages responsible drinking by playing out the worst-case scenarios of a drunken night gone bad. But, some have questioned whether the ads blame rape victims for getting into a dangerous situation. So, the LCB has pulled a "date rape" scenario. Spokeswoman Stacey Witalec says the board still stands behind the message of the ad, but after hearing from a number of rape victims themselves, the decision was made to withdraw that particular scenario. “The last thing we want to do is make victims feel like they’re being victimized all over again,” said Witalec. A bunch of slideshows on the website, Control Tonight, play out nightmare scenarios – one of them was sexual assault. It ended with a picture of a woman’s bare legs and her underwear down around her ankles. Some accused the LCB of using the campaign to diminish the responsibility of rapists and blaming their victims instead. Jennifer Storm, executive director of the Harrisburg-based Victim/Witness Assistance Program, says 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," she says. "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 Governor Corbett, who say they want to see the state liquor system privatized. The LCB campaign is part of a $600,000 contract paid over several years.
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What I have trouble reconciling is how the LCB can run ads promoting booze on one hand and warning of the danger of alcohol abuse on the other. They need to get out of the business of selling booze.
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