Spouse abuse humor ad, 1970s

This is an undated "1970s" ad for a book on how and why to beat your wife that was available for cash or trade (the author accepted stamps), suggesting that this wasn't a mere money-making venture on the part of the author, but rather represented some kind of ideological quest. Perhaps it was an early incarnation of the bizarre movement that advocates beating babies with sticks in the name of Jesus.

Newspaper Ad

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: ad • gender • Old school

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Chuck

How long before someone combines the two campaigns and advocates caning children in utero?
- Lobster
  
  That really depends on how well-endowed the hubby is.
http://www.jimdraws.com Thorzdad

I’m not sure why 1970′s is in quotes in your description, but the ad almost certainly dates to before 1963, since the mailing address uses a postal code, instead of a zip code. The US transitioned to zip codes in 1963 through ’64.

It’s still pretty odd/reprehensible on the face of it. Though, one wonders if it isn’t targeted to the spanking and discipline fetish crowd? I suppose it depends on what magazines it was placed in. Context is key.
- senorglory
  
  “The US transitioned to zip codes in 1963 through ’64.” That’s a cool little bit of trivia.
Guest

That’s a spanking, some consider it foreplay. A ‘beating’ is something else entirely (although some consider that foreplay too).
ChicagoD

When I look at that ad and the smiles on their faces . . . I strongly suspect that it is the “foreplay” spanking and not abuse being advocated. To the extent that telling people that their wife might be sexually aroused by a few consensual, well-placed spanks would be “indecent” you would probably have to hide it to get it through the mails.
- RainyRat
  
  It reminds me of the bondage photos that used to appear in Bizarre magazine, masquerading as Jui Jitsu adverts.
Awesomer

That’s a fancy address; incidentally, that house is apparently on the market now and can be yours for a mere $2.7 million.
- ChicagoD
  
  It’s fancy now. I am not sure how it was in the 1950s and 1960s. Lots of Lincoln Park was gentrified in the 1970s and 1980s. That far east may have stayed nice. Need a Chicago old timer to weigh in.
  - Awesomer
    
    Yup, you’re right. My folks lived in Old Town and Lincoln Park in the 60s and 70s, and it was much humbler then.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_BZPUF2EASKRBUSDXMNN4IRB5GA dahlia

that artwork is not 1970s, that looks more like 40s/50s. i also suspect this was probably a sexytime pamphlet and not about abusive beating, but it’s still pretty tasteless to use the idea of beating one’s wife as humor. ahh, the good old days of rampant insensitivity.

he must’ve collected quite a lot of stamps — 538 w. deming place, chicago, is a freaking beautiful house!!!
- flowergardenslayer
  
  he must’ve collected quite a lot of stamps — 538 w. deming place, chicago, is a freaking beautiful house!!!
  
  Until the rise of free internet porn, selling sex was always profitable.
  - marilove
    
    It’s still profitable if you own a 3rd party online billing company that deals mainly in porn (I used to work in the call center for one, and yes, people still buy porn! A lot of people! And they take it seriously!).
http://halfbakedmaker.org Robert Baruch

BTW, the guy who currently lives in that house sent in money a few years back for Blagojevitch. Take from that what you will :)
asterios9

Surely we remember that “Have you stopped beating your wife?” is an old meme for a “gotcha” political question, yes?
- Guest
  
  As in ‘Who was that I saw your wife kissing on the porch last night?’?
  - Antinous / Moderator
    
    As in ‘Who was that I saw your wife kissing on the porch last night?’?
    
    Why, I believe it was your mother, Bob.
s2redux

I suspect there’s some lost context here….although I was just a young’un when the ’60s opened, I can vaguely recall a lot of attention paid in the popular press to the old “Have you stopped beating your wife?” loaded question; perhaps fallout from some politico’s scandal or simply water-cooler talk about a recent Perry Mason episode, can’t recall. This type of ad — likely grabbed from a “men’s magazine” or lower-tier tabloid — was the ’60s analog to what we would term as “cashing in on a trending topic” these days. They would appear within days of some titillating/salacious headline, and disappear as soon as the novelty had worn off (emphasis on “novelty” ;-). I think Cory muffed the ad’s dating simply due to trusting the source’s tags (“1970s, sexism, wtf”) and his long familiarity with Canada’s postal code system.
Mister44

MMMmmm - a little dips, chips, chains, whips???
http://twitter.com/cocktail_shaker The Mixologist

My guess here, knowing something of the period, is that this was a teaser for some “manly” soft-core porn. The $.15 in stamps or coin would get you a “booklet” on the subject, with advertisements for more costly, and more lavishly illustrated books on the subject.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1208613906 Curtis Hart

When did the US Treasury issue a 15 cent coin?
- firefly the great
  
  Do you complain that people who accept “American money” can never be paid more than once, too?
  
  “15 cents in coin” is perfectly valid English.
  - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1208613906 Curtis Hart
    
    Yes, yes I do.
Guest

‘written by an eminent pracitioner of this manly art’

I would be interested to know how he was evaluated for his beatings, that pushed him up the ranks to the status of ‘eminent’. Was he graded on the curve?

The times have changed. Hard to take a guy seriously now who wears argyle socks.
fenester

Off-topic: It’s right around the corner from a restaurant called “Weiner Circle,” which apparently will have it’s own reality show on TLC. My internet just got surreal.
- ChicagoD
  
  Put “Weiner Circle” into youtube, or look for it on the This American Life TV show. Surreal indeed.
  - Rudy Belova
    
    This past summer/fall they where filming a show at the weiner circle. Tru tv is supposed to air. I can’t wait!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1208613906 Curtis Hart

Here’s the place where you sent your money (or stamps) to:
http://g.co/maps/qbpa4
Daemonworks

Judging by the picture, my guess would be BDSM.
Or was that too obvious?
lurker_erin

This house is for sale!
http://www.urbanrealestate.com/property/538-W-Deming-CHICAGO-IL-60614-K6OZUW2ZOLGK4.html
Gerrit Vogel

wondering nobody made this claim before, so:

RAPE CULTURE!

(trolls be welcome. cause you can not laugh at history)
GIFtheory

This is to spousal abuse what chicken-choking is to animal abuse (if you know what I mean).
alex4point0

The practice is alive and well — just not how you think — http://fondlyandfirmly.com/

BB readers would enjoy the author’s other inventions and pastimes, being crafty-makey-nerdy types … he prefers to stay behind a pseudonym unfortunately.