Spiked: Vagina hurts, advertising (sometimes) too

Am I hopelessly boring if I think this goes way beyond the boundaries of good taste? Or have I simply not been married long enough? These days, you can hear a radio commercial advertising the assistance of a Zurich real estate company in divorces. Yes, you read that right: Real estate - divorce. It sounds like this: "Are you getting divorced? And want to sell your house or apartment? We can help you with that!" Phew, that sits well. Out of sheer shock, I didn't even remember which selfless estate agent this offer came from. But he probably has his office somewhere on Zurich's Gold Coast.

Smart divorce planning

Perhaps someone who is currently fighting a divorce war with their loved one is grateful for such a cloudless offer. Perhaps they finally feel understood and supported. Clear case, clear words. No shallow banter. But for a normal loving person like me, this commercial is a slap in the face. I already know that, on average, every second Swiss marriage ends in divorce. But I don't care about the average. After all, dozens of accidents happen every day - and yet I've been driving accident-free for years. (My husband too, by the way!) But that's just a side note. So I, a poor idealist, am woken from my sleep early in the morning by a service like this. Is that necessary? When it comes to money, nobody asks for feelings. And apparently it's a lucrative business: the housing shortage is so great and divorce rates are so high that it seems to be a good idea to combine the two and advertise it. It's simple: marriage split in two, a large apartment becomes available, cash beckons - what's the big deal? The divorced people are probably not even particularly picky when it comes to the conditions. The main thing is to quickly get rid of everything that reminds them of their time together. And the estate agent giggles into his greasy palms.

What I don't know...

Imagine if we were offered the chance to buy a "divorce apartment" or a "divorce house" - very cheap, close to the city and with a garden. I think we still wouldn't take the property. Or rather: that's exactly why we wouldn't want it. After all, we wouldn't rent an apartment if we knew that someone had died there. But you don't usually know that. However, it doesn't take more than a tasteless ad - and you feel the need to ask a little more questions ... But indignation aside: you could actually do something with this approach. For example, a toy exchange for children of divorce. The parents could sell what no longer has room in the smaller apartment of the now single parent. Or finally sell the doll's house that the hated mother-in-law gave them. Or how about a car rental company that offers a 50 percent discount if you can prove that your spouse ran off with the family car? Advertising doesn't have to be tasteful. It just has to be effective. True to the motto: "But your divorce makes my heart smile."