I enter "Geppetto's Fine Woodworking," which seems like a mom-and-pop business that rented space in the mall for the holiday season. They've got handmade wooden toy chests, knick-knacks, adirondack chairs, etc.

In the back, they have a section of "folksy" hand-painted signs. You know the type: "This way to the lake" or "A house isn't a home without a cat."

One catches my eye: "I still miss my ex-wife, but my aim is getting better." (They also had one about ex-girlfriends.)

Totally offended, I stomp out and, once I cool off a bit, I email the store with my complaint. I explain that I think the sign normalizes spousal abuse and violence against women.

They write back, saying, "we had twice as many 'ex-husband' signs, but we sold out!"

I don't know what you should do. I just snicker when I see those signs, and if someone gave me one that said it with "ex-husband" on it, I would laugh.

But then I'm looking at it through the eyes of a woman who is going through a bitter separation and divorce, but who wasn't physically abused. I might feel differently if my ex beat me up or was stalking me.

I straightened them out right away, it's no laughing matter.

A couple go to the store, get the sales manager to go with them to the offensive signs, and perform an abuse scene.

Yikes- I wonder what the reaction would be then?

[ 21 December 2003: Message edited by: Heather ]

Though I agree that revenge fantasies and sardonic jokes about someone are healthy, they should be fleeting thoughts, not things to hang up on the wall.

Otherwise, they'll serve as constant reminders when folks should move on- or worse, become obsessive about the person they should leave in the past.

[ 21 December 2003: Message edited by: Heather ]