Moses Kagan's Aurora Borealis

For those that don't know, Ashley Madison is a dating service for people looking to have extra-marital affairs.

To the three of my readers who did not click the link above and are still reading this: Thanks!

OK, now that everyone is back, let's talk about Ashley Madison's marketing campaign. The picture above is of a billboard they have posted on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood. I am not particularly religious, nor do I generally approve of people trying to impose their own versions of morality on others. That said...

Ashley Madison makes money by facilitating affairs. Most marriages result in children. Sociologists on the left and right agree that children do best in families with two parents. If we take as given that an affair increases the likelihood of divorce, it's pretty obvious that Ashley Madison is profiting by encouraging a social dynamic that harms children and, thereby, society.

This is a perfect example of a company making a (relatively) small amount of money but doing a (relatively) large amount of harm to society. I hope the investors / executives are proud of themselves.

Rant over.

Labels: Ashley Madison, billboards, externalities