SEPTA Stands Firm Against Mommies

Hey, it’s almost May, and we haven’t had a drummed-up pointless controversy in a while. Hmm, hmm… ahh, here we go: It seems some transit agencies took down ads for Grand Theft Auto IV, already hailed as the greatest video game of all time. (I can’t believe I don’t have a system to play it on. I feel like crying.)

The supposed awesomeness of the game aside, SEPTA decided to accept ads for GTA IV; now SEPTA is defending its decision to keep the ads up. Not that anyone has complained or anything.

Septa officials would not be interviewed, but they issued a statement saying while some might consider the game offensive, “the advertisement is not.” The ad campaign is slated to run for six weeks, with 350 posters on buses and other locations, generating $83,000 in revenue for Septa.

Septa last year was criticized for accepting ads for the movie “Hitman,” ads featuring images of guns. The “Grand Theft Auto IV” ads show only the faces of three characters in the game and “Grand Theft Auto” logo.

Six weeks? Puh-leeze. SEPTA had an advertisement at Bridge Street for How Stella Got Her Groove Back (released in 1998) well into this decade. As a friend (okay, Chrissmari said to me online: “It’s supposed to last 6 weeks but it’ll be up for ages along with posters for Big Momma’s House and last year’s Jewish Career Fair.” Exactly.

On the other hand, there was a noticeable drop in gun violence last year after SEPTA took down its ads for Hitman. Okay, maybe not.

Septa Defends “Grand Theft Auto IV” Bus Ads [KYW 1060]