To the editor,
I am an avid and devoted Coast reader. Every Thursday I wait for The Coast to get dropped off at my place of work and I peruse it front to back and back to front, page by page. It's unique, accurate and deals with issues some find hard to print with any journalistic integrity. The Coast manages to capture Halifax's attention week after week with not only important and untouched issues but entertaining ones as well. Yet, unfortunately, this letter is not one of praise, but one of shock.
As I mentioned, I am a huge supporter of The Coast, but as I turned the pages last week something caught my eye that almost brought me to tears. Yes, this is a bit of an extreme reacton, but I'll explain. It was the Gus' Pub advertisement that caught my eye and turned my stomach in disgust. Now I realize this is Gus' Pub and not a Coast ad, but it was the fact that The Coast would allow it that upset me. The ad had their mascot standing there proud as can be, but the caption was tasteless and insulting. It read, "I may have Alzheimer's, but at least I don't have Alzheimer's." Obviously no one at Gus' Pub or The Coast has ever dealt with Alzheimer's, because I don't see how anyone who had could have let this print.
My grandmother passed away just over a week ago (the reason for my extreme reaction) of this horrible disease. You can not imagine the feeling of having someone you love slowly slip away to the point where they have no idea who you are and actually become afraid of you. That's what my grandfather went through, caring for his wife of 60 years who failed to remember marrying him or having five daughters with him. It is not something to make light of; it's a disgusting disease that punishes not only the patient but everyone surrounding them.
Gus' Pub is usually entertaining in the ad department, which is why I noticed it, and I applaud them for not using scantily clad women in a disrespectful way to promote themselves. But I beg you, please be careful with your advertising and be respectful of people with diseases beyond their control. It is not funny!
By Stephanie Davis
