# I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry at this billboard. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 30, 2006, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697 "2006-06-30T00:22:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/1 "2006-06-30T00:22:47Z")
This past weekend, I was back in Virginia (Richmond) visiting my family. ElzaHub and I had to take a trip to the airport to pick up my best friend, which put us on the I-64 heading East. As we were cruising down the interstate, a billboard caught my eye. It read: **"Isn’t she a little young for you?" Sex with a minor. Don’t go there.** :dubious: Do we really need public service billboards telling us this? Is there some guy named Bubba out there going “Dude. I guess Kayleigh IS a little young for me. I’d better break up with her _right. now._.” Almost a week later, and I’m still laughing a bit. E. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/2 "2006-06-30T00:44:03Z")
_Young girl, get out of my mind…_ ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/3 "2006-06-30T00:58:33Z")
It’s pretty crass, and I wouldn’t appreciate the insinuation that I would think of doing that. It’s extremely offensive and boorish. It’s not like there is a snowball’s chance in Hell that a billboard will stop an adult from having sex with a minor. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/4 "2006-06-30T01:01:45Z")
Oh yes, please note that once again the criminal is assumed to be male, like there haven’t been woman on trial in the last few months for the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/5 "2006-06-30T01:24:30Z")
What counts as a “minor” in Virginia? ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/6 "2006-06-30T01:31:20Z")
Second term. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/7 "2006-06-30T01:40:05Z")
> [@fetus](#): > > Second term. Ah, we have a Thread/Username/Post trifecta of appropriateness! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/8 "2006-06-30T01:46:03Z")
Second trimester, I should say. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/9 "2006-06-30T01:53:21Z")
One time my girlfriend accused me of being a pedophile. “Pedophile?” I said, shocked, “that’s a pretty big word for an eight-year-old.” ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/10 "2006-06-30T01:58:10Z")
> [@astro](#): > > What counts as a “minor” in Virginia? [Eighteen](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Age_of_Consent.png). ---
**Author:** ![verbenabeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@verbenabeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/verbenabeast)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/11 "2006-06-30T02:36:41Z")
Since we are discussing billboards… or were… I saw one in downtown Birmingham that read simply I Farted I still laugh at that. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/12 "2006-06-30T02:45:49Z")
The billboard is stupid. However, I have occasionally contemplated making my daughter exclusively wear tshirts saying “Step off dude, I’m FIFTEEN.” ---
**Author:** ![jweb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@jweb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jweb)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/13 "2006-06-30T03:49:44Z")
In a similar vein, earlier this year there was a billboard I saw a few times that said the following: “**Are you having sexual thoughts about children? We can help! 1-800-XXX-XXXX**” I always kinda wondered exactly what kind of ‘help’ calling that phone number would provide. ---
**Author:** ![Carlyjay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Carlyjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carlyjay)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/14 "2006-06-30T04:17:17Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > One time my girlfriend accused me of being a pedophile. > > “Pedophile?” I said, shocked, “that’s a pretty big word for an eight-year-old.” I almost pooped my pants when I read this. So. Funny. ---
**Author:** ![silk1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@silk1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silk1976)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/15 "2006-06-30T18:20:44Z")
A couple months ago, my wife and I passed a billboard for [this place](http://www.mrhappycrack.com/). The billboard just contained the tag line - but we just looked at each other and laughed. We aren’t sure whether it was brilliant marketing, or really really stupid and dumb proofreaders. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/16 "2006-06-30T18:23:37Z")
> [@Harmonious Discord](#): > > Oh yes, please note that once again the criminal is assumed to be male… Or a lesbian. ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/17 "2006-06-30T18:29:42Z")
I recall seeing a billboard in a particularly depressed are of the South Side of Chicago proclaiming “WHO’S THE DADDY? 1-800-DNA-TEST” with neon swimmers in the background. I nearly peed. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/18 "2006-06-30T18:30:26Z")
> [@jweb](#): > > In a similar vein, earlier this year there was a billboard I saw a few times that said the following: > > “**Are you having sexual thoughts about children? > We can help! > 1-800-XXX-XXXX**” > > I always kinda wondered exactly what kind of ‘help’ calling that phone number would provide. They’re encouraging people with deviant thoughts to dial a free XXX number? :dubious: 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/19 "2006-06-30T18:33:11Z")
> [@buttonjockey308](#): > > I recall seeing a billboard in a particularly depressed are of the South Side of Chicago proclaiming “WHO’S THE DADDY? 1-800-DNA-TEST” with neon swimmers in the background. > > I nearly peed. They had that same billboard on the 294 for years. I almost called just to see what they would say. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697/20 "2006-06-30T19:29:19Z")
> [@verbenabeast](#): > > Since we are discussing billboards… or were… I saw one in downtown Birmingham that read simply > > I Farted > > I still laugh at that. Actually it says “I pooted.” The best part is watching the local news to see the anchors dance around the word poot. It is pretty darn funny. It’s still up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-sure-whether-to-laugh-or-cry-at-this-billboard/362697.md?page=2)