I have been staring at those ads for months and been unable to ascertain exactly why they bothered me. She succinctly addressed that uneasy feeling in a very compassionate way. If anything, these ads can help empower women, reminding them that they have the absolute ability to change their lives. You can't stop abusers from abusing. But life doesn't work that way, unfortunately.
Abuse is a complex psychological issue, a sickness.
You can get out, and get help. Taking control of your life makes you a victor, not a victim. I'll admit to finding the ad campaign disturbing, I was disgusted by Block's criticism on almost every other point. My husband recently accompanied our daughter's second-grade class on a field trip, where he watched boys and girls practicing their reading skills on these very ads. This is the wrong message for the next generation.