Listen to Glenn Sacks this Sunday....new campaign to be announced

[joni]

http://www.hisside.com/

[msme]

My letter is posted on Glen's site & they are going to read it tonight.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression!

[Peanutsdad]

Glen has a built in email verizon doodad on his site,, I've already sent mine.

[Kitty C.]

Where, msme?  I looked on both sites and not sure where to find it........

[Bolivar]

It only takes 1 minute!!!!

On the right side of the screen is "Take Action". Click on it and a short form letter is created. I embellished it slightly.

Look how humiliating the Verizon's Ad  is towards the father.

http://www.hisside.com/verizon_campaign.htm

anti father ad must be stopped.

I sent my email, have you sent yours?!?!?!?!?


"I believe that such anti-father messages are harmful to our sons and daughters, and I respectfully request that you withdraw this commercial. "


Msme Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!!!! for getting Glenn Sacks from "His Side" involved.   May you get everything you want for X-mas!!!! :-)

[Kitty C.]

Great letter, msme!!!!!!!!!!

I sent the form letter, but with a closing 'slightly' different:

Kitty C., a bio-mom, a step-mom, and a child who thought her father was and IS the smartest man in the world, despite what you and many other retailers try to tell society...

[Brent]

I emailed all of the Verizon contacts with Glenn's suggested letter. Let's hope Verizon gets a clue about the sexism in their commercials.

[joni]

http://www.hisside.com/verizon_campaign.htm

[kiddosmom]

sent mine, changed it a little

Dear Verizon:

This letter concerns Verizon's anti-father 'Leave her alone!' commercial (aka 'The Elliots: Homework'). In the commercial a father is trying to help his young daughter with her homework when he is belittled and scolded by his wife, who orders him to 'leave her alone!' The father is also made to look 'stupid' by his own child. I believe that such anti-father messages are harmful to our sons and daughters, I am a mother and in our home we do not have such disrespect toward mother OR father. I respectfully request that you withdraw this commercial.


Sincerely,
Anna Tucker
xxx-xxx-xxxx  <-- phone #

[Bolivar]

lol - msme I told your son on another board to give you a thank you hug from me.  I mean a BIG HUG! Make sure you get that thank you hug! :-)


a copy paste from http://www.custodyreform.com/


Subject: Well, fathers are being heard

Posted by: HRUs at  Custody Reform
on November 09, 2004 at 14:57:28:


Fatherhood Activists Protest TV Ad
Tuesday, November 09, 2004

NEW YORK — A TV ad showing a computer-illiterate father getting chided for trying to help his Internet-savvy daughter with her homework has roused the anger of fatherhood activists (search), who are calling on Verizon to take it off the air.

"Leave her alone," says the wife/mother in the Verizon DSL ad, ordering her befuddled husband to go wash the dog as the daughter, doing research on the computer, conveys a look of exasperation with her father.

"It's really outrageous," said Joe Kelly, executive director of the national advocacy group Dads and Daughters (search).

"It's reflective of some deeply entrenched cultural attitudes — that fathers are second-class parents, that they're not really necessary," Kelly said. "To operate from the assumption that dad is a dolt is harmful to fathers, harmful to children, and harmful to mothers."

John Bonomo, a Verizon spokesman, said Tuesday the ad has been running for several months. But only a few days ago did it come to the attention of Glenn Sacks (search), a commentator who hosts a weekly radio show aired in Los Angeles and Seattle that is sympathetic to the fathers' rights movement.

After watching the ad, Sacks began urging listeners of "His Side" to protest to Verizon — contending that the company would not have commissioned a comparable ad with the parents' genders reversed. He said more than 1,100 protest e-mails had been sent through his show's Web site to Verizon within the first two days of the campaign.


"By denigrating that guy, not simply with his wife but to show him to be useless with his little daughter, I know that made a lot of people see red," said Sacks, who has a school-age daughter of his own.

Bonomo said Verizon had received numerous calls and e-mails in the past couple of days about the ad, but had not yet decided on what sort of response might be made.

"All we can say at this point is we're looking at it," he said. "We take our feedback and customer comments quite seriously. We're obviously dismayed that some customers find one of our commercials offensive."

Kelly, who has engaged Dads and Daughters in several campaigns protesting ads, said corporate executives should try to imagine their own families being portrayed in their company's commercials.

"If you get the powers-that-be to put their own child's face in the picture, you've accomplished something." he said. "You can't stop being a father when you go out the front door."

Both Sacks and Kelly believe fathers have become easy targets for mockery from ad agencies that are now wary of offending women and racial minorities.

Jenny Thalheimer, a spokeswoman for the National Organization for Women, said NOW still receives many complaints about ads denigrating women.

"These Madison Avenue companies are under the gun," she said. "To even out their disparagement of women, they have to take on the men now and then."

[StPaulieGirl]

I get Glenn Sacks' newsletter, but he was talking about this ad.  The one I saw, and I think it's Verizon cell phones,  has the dad, mom and all the kids together.  Dad explains the benefits of the new plan, stating that now the family can stay in touch, something along those lines.  The kids roll their eyes, then Mom says that with the unlimited minutes, they can talk all they want to with their friends.  The kids break out into smiles, run over to Mom, and hug her.  They all leave the room while Dad is still trying to say something.

Anyone see that one??   If I see it again, I'll double check to make sure it's a Verizon product.  

What's wrong with these advertising agencies?  They're the ones who come up with these ideas, then convince the client that focus groups approve of the concept.  I'm more than a little tired of seeing the old "incompetent, clueless dad" concept.

[Hawkeye]

There was a boo-boo on the email list, I couldn't get it to work straight from hisside.com, so I fixed it... It popped up with a " in the middle of Hoey's email addy.   Sent this out just moments ago, highest priority and return receipt requested... hehe...   The Verizon site shows a dog pawing at a fire-hydrant on a screen. Let's be the dog, and p*** on Verizon! lol!

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]


Dear Verizon executives,

Your recent advertisement "The Elliots: Homework" is, by concept and presentation, disgusting, deplorable and gender-biased. It amounts to little more than subliminal hate speech.

I have a son about the age of the girl in your spot and resent any implication that any decent parent should be discouraged from attempting to enrich their children's lives by helping with their homework. It is ludicrous to imply that washing the dog is somehow more important than one's children.

I live in xxxxxxxxx, Iowa and hope it will not be shown in my area. Please, immediately remove it from any and all markets in which it is scheduled to be shown.

Downplaying the overwhelming positive contribution (statistically) a loving parent, who in this instance, happens to be male, does not speak well of the "values" your company claims to promote.

(From: http://www22.verizon.com/about/careers/codeofconduct/ emphasis added)
"...integrity and respect serve as the overarching principles for how Verizon conducts its business. Our goal is to be the most respected brand in communications by making and keeping promises to our customers, our communities, our shareholders, and our employees. The Verizon Promise, which appears on the inside cover of our Code of Business Conduct, highlights these commitments."

It appears you have broken your promise, as you have lost my respect. I will not purchase any product of yours and will urge everyone possible to do the same. Please, review and correct this blatant lack of respect for fathers/parents and their children.

Sincerely,

[MYSONSDAD]

Spiffy trick! All noted Verizon personnel will receive my letter.

By the way, Great Letter! You crack my A$$....

[Hawkeye]

Thanks!... but bigger thanks go to msme (Betty?) for bringing this to Glen's attention!  If anyone is having trouble getting email to send, feel free to cut/paste my revised list. I'm sending it to Glen and crew now.

That commercial better not see the light of day, past hisside.com...

I can deal with being a comedian in front of kids, but being told to butt out is, well, to put it nicely, unnaceptable!

Spread the word.... (and pass the mustard!) ;)

[MYSONSDAD]

Hope Glenn updates, I can not get the mail to send.

And passing this to all I know and then some...
 
"Children learn what they live"

[Kitty C.]

Glenn,

.......The Verizon commercial is not being aired here in eastern Iowa, but I wanted you to be aware of another commercial by a VERY large company that you might want to add to the campaign........from Toys 'R Us:  two brothers are in a rush to get up and get the morning paper, since the Christmas TRU catalog is in it. They try going out the bedroom door together and get stuck shoulder-to-shoulder, while their little sister walks by carrying the catalog, makes some snide comment to them about how stupid they are/look, and goes into her room. When she shuts the door, you can VERY plainly see a sign on her door that says' 'Girls Rule, Boys Drool'.
 
The message is VERY clear:  boys are idiots and girls are the only sensible ones.  It's one thing when these large companies use the media to show their bias against fathers and men in general......but doing it to our kids as well????  What a wonderful message they are sending to our kids!  From a toy company during the Christmas advertising season, to boot!  just my opinion, but I think Toys 'R Us should be hit as hard or harder than Verizon.  ALL kids are avidly watching for TRU's commercials and anything else about what the new toys for the season will be.  Millions of kids will be seeing this commercial and be exposed to this.  

I hope you seriously consider adding TRU to your campaign, given the season and exposure of this company!

Kitty C.

[Kitty C.]

Thanks to Glenn Sacks for the following.
Links to related items are at the bottom.

ACFC
http://www.acfc.org/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewCulture.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\200411\CUL20041109c.html

CNSNews.com
November 09, 2004

'Anti-Male' Marketing Prompts Complaints
by Susan Jones

Angry parents and grandparents are letting Verizon Communications know they don't like a new Verizon DSL commercial that makes fun of fathers.

Glenn Sacks, a nationally syndicated radio talk show host, urged his
listeners to call Verizon, after learning about a TV ad that shows a father
trying, but failing, to help his young daughter with her homework.

The daughter, annoyed by her father, looks to her mother for intervention.  The mother tells the father to go wash the dog, orders him to leave the daughter alone, and then yells at him when he is slow to comply, Sacks said.

Sacks told listeners that he "doesn't think Verizon means any harm." But he said it appears that the company - like some others -- has developed a "moral blind spot towards disparaging males."

According to Sacks, "Research shows how indispensable fathers are to their children's well-being....it is tremendously damaging to convince kids that their father is an idiot or that fathers are worthless."

Sacks said he initiated the "call-Verizon" campaign after being contacted by a Texas grandmother who said she had been rebuffed by Verizon when she complained about the ad.

"Our culture should be long past portraying men, and particularly fathers, as fools a la Homer Simpson, said Michael McCormick, executive director of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children.

Verizon claims to honor "core values of integrity and respect," McCormick noted in a press release. "We would expect that their public communications would better reflect these beliefs," he added.

Sacks' Los Angeles-based show, "His Side," launched a successful campaign earlier this year against a line of children's clothing and accessories bearing the slogan, "Boys are Stupid." The effort resulted in removing the items from 95 percent of stores that carried them, Sacks said.

Sacks says his listeners also were instrumental in killing a California bill
that would have given custodial mothers the unlimited right to move children away from their fathers.

In addition to his radio host job, Sacks also writes regular columns on
fathers' rights and gender issues from a male perspective.

Copyright 1998-2004 Cybercast News Service.
CNSNews Home:  http://www.cnsnews.com/
~~~
Related items:

Fatherhood Activists Protest TV Ad  (AP)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,138068,00.html
by Associated Press -- FOXNews, 09 Nov 04

Verizon Bombarded by Protests Over Anti-Father Ad
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=39530
http://www.mensnewsdaily.com/archive/newswire/news2004/1104/110904-verizon.htm
U.S. Newswire/MND Newswire, 09 Nov 04  (original press release)

His Side Campaign Against Anti-Father 'Leave Her Alone!' Verizon Commercial
http://www.hisside.com/verizon_campaign.htm

His Side with Glenn Sacks:  http://www.hisside.com/
Glenn Sacks Home:  http://www.glennjsacks.com/
MND:  http://www.mensnewsdaily.com/

[Hawkeye]

Glen wrote me and said his web-guy told him the list "should" work. Try copy/paste the below into the "to" box of your email if all else fails.

woop... 5:17 (Iowa time)
I just checked Glen's site, his webmaster must have tweeked the link as the " is gone and all the Verizon emails appear in seperate "to" lines, rather than separated by semi-colons on the same line. 1600 emails as of Noon today!!!  (keeping this one on top)

http://www.hisside.com/verizon_campaign.htm  Scroll about 1/3 down and click on " Email Verizon Representatives "

OR
copy from here-> [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]


>Hope Glenn updates, I can not get the mail to send.
>
>And passing this to all I know and then some...
>
>"Children learn what they live"

[Hawkeye]

Also, thanks to Joni for her original post on SPARC.

Kitty, no wonder you haven't answered my emails... lol!  You're just one busy gal!  Kudos!

Update: I re-sent my email to the Verizon folks as I had tagged it with a "return reciept". Nobody from corporate responded. (Till now) They're not evil, maybe just shopping for a new ad agency. lol!!!

It's an option for folks to click on, when they recieve an email, but at least lets the sender know it was opened. Read, understood and acted upon is yet to be determined.

But "determination" is what us good parents are all about. As of 4pm, Glen's website ( //www.hisside.com ) shows over 1700 emails sent... WooHoo!!!!  We got 'em by the ear now, don't let up!!!

I can hardly wait for Glens show on Sunday to see how this turns out... see //www.hisside.com for YOUR listening venue.  This faux-paus of advertising is HUGE now!

Apparently one at least opened my email.
*****************
Return Receipt
                                                                           
    Your      Written Complaint: Anti-Father 'Leave Her Alone!' Commercial
    document                                                              
    :                                                                      
  was       Jon H. Davies/EMPL/CA/Verizon                                
    received                                                              
    by:                                                                    
                                                                           
    at:       11/10/2004 16:10:01 PST
*******************
On the "Verizon" - ToysRUs - We're checkin our lists...  heheh... pun intended!  Don't shoot (an email) till you see the whites of their eyes, commercially speaking! ;^)

Another update: Harry J. Mitchell/EMPL/WV/Verizon  11/10/2004 19:54:00 EST  

Maybe Verizon's apology for this slap in the face of dedicated fathers as parents would be... a free cell phone to keep a ~connection~ with our kids. How about a DadPhone, dedicated number to the one parent they can't talk with because of the other parent's lousy attitude?

[MYSONSDAD]

It's funny that you should mention the dadphone. I was just checking the internet to see if there are any phones where you can program one number so my son can call when he wants. I want one where all he does it hit one button and he can call anytime.

Haven't found anything yet. My little guy is young yet, but next year should be perfect.

[Hawkeye]

http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page1011.asp

Well, theres a Royal start.. I'm one who stands out for fathers, queeens, (albeiet the press makes them look funny, and Dads everywhere...) Boy, am I pompus or what? LOL... Stay tuned to this, I'm mad as hell, and not gonna take it anymore!  Forgive us Falugians... we were misled.

My ex-wife-o has defiled our stiupulations, for more than a month or so she's denied stipulated contact...  Can we all chant B*tch or even C*nt now?

NO... I'm not gonna storm her doors, they're flimsy anyway..  

I'm just so friggin tired of being banged over the head by a woman who can't fry an egg into a sandwich and disgusted by Verizon... man, it's rouugh out here...

Where is our Britania Queen????????? Whatz with the Brits?... eh?
Can you say DOORMAT?


uggg... one more day, in my book, maybe a few weeks, this is just stupid.

[Bolivar]

Hawkeye, you said "Can we all chant B*tch or even C*nt now?"

wellllllllllllll..... Sure I could!!!  I have another idea, lets all get together and start a Choir.

To have some notoriety we will need a celebrity.  msme since you now hold a icon status you can lead us. :-)  How much money do you think we can make. lol  heeeeee, heeeeee ;-)

I will donate the first song to our repertories.  (read day 12 for a quick read)




The 12 Days of Xmas:

On the first day of Christmas
My ex love sent to me
A summons to stop my custody.


On the second day of Christmas
My ex love sent to me
Two restraining orders
And a summons to stop my custody


On the third day of Christmas
My ex love sent to me
Three harassment charges
Two restraining orders
And a summons to stop my custody


On the fourth day of Christmas
My ex love sent to me
Four solicitors letters
Three harassment charges
Two restraining orders
And a summons to stop my custody


On the fifth day of Christmas
My ex love sent to me
Five policemenŠŠŠŠŠ
Four solicitors letters
Three harassment charges
Two restraining orders
And a summons to stop my custody


On the sixth day of Christmas
My ex love sent to me
Six witness statements
Five policemenŠŠŠŠŠ
Four solicitors letters
Three harassment charges
Two restraining orders
And a summons to stop my custody


On the seventh day of Christmas
My ex love sent to me
Seven injunction papers
Six witness statements
Five policemenŠŠŠŠŠ
Four solicitors letters
Three harassment charges
Two restraining orders
And a summons to stop my custody.

On the eight day of Christmas
My ex love sent to me
Eight separate motions
Seven injunction papers
Six witness statements
Five policemenŠŠŠŠŠ
Four solicitors letters
Three harassment charges
Two restraining orders
And a summons to stop my custody.


On the ninth day of Christmas
My ex love sent to me
Nine Dates for hearings
Eight separate motions
Seven injunction papers
Six witness statements
Five policemenŠŠŠŠŠ
Four solicitors letters
Three harassment charges
Two restraining orders
And a summons to stop my custody.

On the tenth day of Christmas
My ex love sent to me
Ten CAFCASS people
Nine Dates for hearings
Eight separate motions
Seven injunction papers
Six witness statements
Five policemenŠŠŠŠŠ
Four solicitors letters
Three harassment charges
Two restraining orders
And a summons to stop my custody.


On the eleventh day of Christmas
My ex love sent to me
Eleven Allegations
Ten CAFCASS people
Nine Dates for hearings
Eight separate motions
Seven injunction papers
Six witness statements
Five policemenŠŠŠŠŠ
Four solicitors letters
Three harassment charges
Two restraining orders
And a summons to stop my custody.


On the twelfth day of Christmas
My ex love sent to me
Twelve Penal notices
Eleven Allegations
Ten CAFCASS people
Nine Dates for hearings
Eight separate motions
Seven injunction papers
Six witness statements
Five policemenŠŠŠŠŠ
Four solicitors letters
Three harassment charges
Two restraining orders
And a summons to stop my custody.



Dave Ellison

[Kitty C.]

I may be female, but I'm also a tenor in our church Christmas cantata.  

Now that's funny........the choir singing to the choir!  :-)

[msme]

shouldn't be wasted. Where shall we debut??? Radio City Music Hall?
I hope you have sent this to Glen Sacks. I know he will love it.


You never get a second chance to make a first impression!

[Hawkeye]

Choir... stop singing for a minute and check this out....

EXPLODING VERIZON PHONES!!!???

http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/archive/index.php/t-3580

I sent it to Glen...   sheesh, and we thought their commercials were bad...

I googled "Verizon controversy" and that popped up

"In June, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSU) issued a recall of 50,000 counterfeit LG-branded TM-510 cell-phone batteries that were distributed by Verizon, saying they could overheat, posing fire and burn hazards to users."

[Kitty C.]

I just found out that the battery on my cell was recalled, tho I was never notified.  I was having problems keeping it charged and contacted the co., who are sending me a new one.  Now I read in this article that it was recalled along with a bunch of others for this crap???  

[Hawkeye]

Tweety Pie accent: Vawizon is making me vewy vewy angwy!  lol!


Subject: Written Complaint: Anti-Father 'Leave Her Alone!' Commercial
  Sent:    Wed, 10 Nov 2004 17:48:00 -0600

was deleted without being read on Thu, 11 Nov 2004 15:57:43 -0600

Final-Recipient: RFC822; [email protected]
Disposition: automatic-action/MDN-sent-automatically; deleted
X-MSExch-Correlation-Key: 3DQfyDN+UEGT/ujK+vhW4g==
Original-Message-ID:

[Hawkeye]

This whole thing is stuck in my craw like a tater-tot ...
gee,  I'm starting to sound like Dan Rather... lol!

Folks, I am fully behind Glenn Sacks * //www.hisside.com * because of several points... first off, Glenn is just simply awesome... Truthseeker!

1) A loving, caring Grandma in Texas brought this AD to our attention. Bless her soul

2) Glenn Sacks caught the torch and passed it on to US... yup, you and me.

3) We can even voice our opinion, like it or not, and get this stupid ad removed.

Perhaps the concept that Dads are somehow less competent parents is nothing more than....Hogwash...

Verizon apparently chose an ad agency that clearly is biased against fathers. Maybe they meant well, but AD-visors, being what they are, may have missed the point... that Fathers are VITAL to family health and well being.  *sources via email*

I'm sorry if I upstaged any SPARC posts, (i need a rant/rave now and then) but I really think this is the crux of the matter...  Malicious Mothers is a syndrome that needs to be explored,  and that Verizon ad showed one...
Clear as a pancake in Kansas..

Thank You Verizon for exposing a bit of those with rolling pins, determined to batter down the American male to some sub-species or something.

Who's got your back????    I vote for EQUALITY.

[msme]

Perhaps you should send a copy of the return receipt to Glen Sacks. I am sure he will know how to best publicize Verizon's interest in consumer's opinions.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression!

[MYSONSDAD]

Some replies back, they are out of their offices until Nov. 15.
RIGHT...

"Children learn what they live"

[Bolivar]

Hawkeye, your reference to Malicious Mother Syndrome caught my eye.  It is very usual for me to see a reference to it.

Have you seen this data?  "No MAD" at DD Introduced to the concept and mentions it quite often.  Here is a resent post by him.

******


Subject: Malicious Mother Syndrome

Author: No•MAD  at DD
Date:   11-12-04 11:20

Well I certainly can't claim any rights to the topic, but I do reference it rather frequently. :-)

The author will probably be calling me soon to collect royalties. lol


I always give proper credit each time it is referenced!
http://fact.on.ca/Info/pas/turkat95.htm


This is one of my favorite parts of the article:

It is important to note that the person manipulated by the angry mother has, in a way, been "alienated" against the divorcing husband. Typically, the individual "duped" takes on a righteous indignation, contributing to a rewarding climate for the mother initiating malicious actions.

Malicious Mother Syndrome
DEFINITION

The present section provides a beginning definition of the Divorce Related Malicious Mother Syndrome, which has been derived from clinical and legal cases. As in all initial proposals, it is anticipated that future research will lead to greater refinement in the taxonomic criteria. The proposed definition encompasses four major criteria, as follows:

A mother who unjustifiably punishes her divorcing or divorced husband by:

Attempting to alienate their mutual child(ren) from the father
Involving others in malicious actions against the father
Engaging in excessive litigation

The mother specifically attempts to deny her child(ren):

Regular uninterrupted visitation with the father
Uninhibited telephone access to the father
paternal participation in the child(ren)'s school life and extra-curricular activities

Tile pattern is pervasive and includes malicious acts towards the husband including:

Lying to the children
Lying to others
Violations of law

The disorder is not specifically due to another mental disorder although a separate mental disorder may co-exist.

No•MAD

[Hawkeye]

With that ad I'd say they're out of their gourd LOL!

Lookie here, finally a reply, but NO apology...


Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us about Verizon's "The Elliotts"
television commercial.  We appreciate your concerns and that you took the
time to convey them to us.  We can assure you that it was never our
intention to insult anyone with this ad, nor to portray fathers as
inessential to families.

Thanks again for sharing your point of view.  [email protected]

[msme]

You never get a second chance to make a first impression!

[joni]

here's more good stuff on it, used in my husband's annulment defense

//www.deltabravo.net/custody/malice.htm

[joni]

it's a standard blah, blah, blah....I got the same email from [email protected]

probably came from their legal department.

[MYSONSDAD]

>Thanks again for sharing your point of view. [email protected]

SLAP IN THE FACE! Sharing our view point does not concern them apparently.

I am getting the same, word for word replies.

One good point, they are receiving their e-mails. Not much, but something...

[Hawkeye]

The bloody baaaastards!!!  LOL!!  

I can hardly wait to hear Glenn's show Sunday night... No guest this week so maybe we can all call in. The 800 number is on //www.hisside.com

[Peanutsdad]

I use read notify,,, got the service while dealing with my ex. We'll see how many open the email, how many delete.

[msme]

from two of them, John J. Bonomo & James Albert Smith. They both sent the exact response.

Here is there response:
>Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us about Verizon's "The >Elliotts" television commercial.  We appreciate your concerns and that >you took the time to convey them to us.  We can assure you that it >was never our intention to insult anyone with this ad, nor to portray >fathers as inessential to families.
 
>Thanks again for sharing your point of view.

Here is my response to them:

Dear Sirs:
I find it rather annoying that both of you just happened to send me the same response. If you are familiar with the early history of the railroads, you may know what a "bedbug letter" is.

FYI, the sleeper cars of the early railroads were plagued with bedbugs. Passengers often complained about it. The railroads composed a letter that said nothing but was intended to convey the idea that they did care about their passengers. The wife of a RR executive was a victim of the little critters & wrote to complain. The recipient of her complaint passed the letter off to a clerk, with a note that said something like, send this bitch the bedbug letter. Somehow, the note went along with the letter. Obviously, the rest is history.

You, sirs, are sending the people, who are offended by your disparagement of fathers, nothing more than a "bedbug letter." It means nothing more than, "I hope this will get her to shut up & go away."

I wish to inform you that I will not "shut up & go away". Nor will the thousands of other people who have voiced their opinion of this commercial. Your company has another offensive commercial running about a family getting cell phones. The father is also put down in that commercial, although not quite as severely as the one you call the Elliots. I realize that it is from another division but it is still Verizon.

It is time that you realize that the men of this country, & especially fathers earn a lot of the money that pays for your services. Your company would not dare to make that commercial with the genders reversed, for fear of incurring the wrath of NOW.

I & the others who have complained feel that it is very wrong to teach children that it is okay to disrespect your father & mom allows it. I suggest that you step back & picture your own family in that picture. Would you think it was acceptable for your wife to make a fool of you & chastise you for attempting to help your daughter? But then, perhaps that is how things are in your home.

I am very glad that I am currently not using any services from Verizon & if there is not a change in Verizon's attitude, I will never use any, again. I will also do everything in my power to encourage others to do the same.


You never get a second chance to make a first impression!

[Bolivar]

Msme, Cool email.  

I've never heard of the "bed bug story".

Thank you for sharing the rest of the story.

I would like to read the whole story, do you know where I can find it.



BTW – What' a railroad? :-)



****

lol, "what's a railroad?" -- heeee, heeee.  It's a joke!! Come-on you smiled a little,,,,, didn't ya.

[msme]

Glad you enjoyed it. I was told by a friend who does medical research, back east. I will find out if he knows more.

A railroad???   Isn't that the thing that runs around the Christmas tree???

LOL   I enjoyed your joke.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression!

[Hawkeye]

They're out of their offices....   'is that like they're out of their minds too?

dumbass corporate response... BEDBUG at BEST....  


Who's insurging who?

[StPaulieGirl]

My ex husband has been pulling this crap for over 4 years.  The DMS III, had a listing for socio/phsycopaths.  My ex fits the bill.  They define it as "antisocial personality disorder" in the updated pc version.

Nobody but a sociopath would pull this kind of mischief.  

[Hawkeye]

Thanks Joni and St PauliGirl...  I agree, it should be called malicious *parent* syndrome...  however it seems that mostly *mothers* (using the term loosely) attempt this crap.

Maybe it's *those* mothers that still try to claim, after years gone by, that  sharing their kids is somehow akin to having an arm gone for a weekend.

What a crock. By the same standard, I as a male, could claim (just as irrationally) that my one sperm cell has been stolen for two weeks at a time.

Both genders are capable and do indeed play these games and it's the innocent children who are stuck in the middle.

I get just as irked at those *dads* who give up on their kids.  At least in this Verizon spot, the dad is trying.  My ex has tried to throw nearly everything she can at me, but it just results in improving my ducking skills.  lol!!!

Perhaps we should seek out the actual writers/producers of this commercial and ask them in Dr. PhilSpeak... *Just What* were you thinking?*

[StPaulieGirl]

Statistically speaking, more mothers engage in this than men.  What interests me is the whole pathology behind the syndrome.  There has to be an underlying mental issue.  What kind of healthy person could conceive of doing this?

The kids are the ones who pay the price.  Sometimes they grow up and become just like the abusive parent.  

I'd like to find out the agencies that write and produce some of these commercials.  Family values are apparently not high up on their lists.