Macenstein

Anyone waiting for a “Horrors of Darfur” slideshow app for their iPhone may be happy to know that the second most depressing iPhone app imaginable has hit the iTunes store. Behold DV Awareness.

I’m against domestic abuse as much as the next guy, but just reading DV Awareness’ description makes me want to hit someone (a stranger, of course, not anyone I’m married to):

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Wearing, or in this case virtually displaying, a purple ribbon signifies your desire to bring awareness to this issue. This program was written for People Against a Violent Environment, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Wisconsin that provides direct victim service, as well as prevention education related to domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. Each time you touch the screen, a new fact about domestic violence will pop up. There are 31 facts in all…one for each day of October. Each time you you pop up a fact you will have the option to dismiss it, or to make a tax deductible donation to PAVE to help end domestic violence. For more information about what else you can do to help victims, you can call PAVE toll free at 1-800-775-3785.

OK, now first off, October is NOT Domestic Violence Awareness Month, it is Halloween. ALL… MONTH… LONG. Second, how exactly am I supposed to “display” the purple ribbon on my iPhone throughout my day to generate awareness? I am trying to picture how I would do that, and all the scenarios involve me shoving my iPhone into someone’s face until they ask what’s the deal with the purple ribbon picture, at which point I would then tell them about the horrors of domestic violence and encourage them to donate to a Wisconsin charity. I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen.

It is hard to imagine an iPhone application that will be less downloaded, less launched, and less impactful on domestic violence than DV Awarenes. I mean, PapiPole has a better chance of making a difference. At least that app gets downloaded.