To be seen as insensitively cashing in would send out a terrible message, and on social media the backlash would be horrendous".
"I think it is absolutely horrendous – what sort of message is that to give to kids who are reading it as part of their GCSE syllabus?" she said in 2008 of the poem.
If you don't feel like watching the video, or you're still not quite sure what you just watched: Awethumbs are little covers you put over your thumb to cut back the horrendous pain caused by text messaging.
Most prominent, of course, was the 1988 Willie Horton messaging campaign -- a horrendous murder committed by a violent offender granted a furlough by Gov. Michael Dukakis -- that was credited with being a significant factor in George H. W. Bush winning the presidential election.
The media perpetuated Mann's message: articles covering the debate juxtaposed examples of horrendous threats and abuse alongside other messages which merely called for democratic deselection.
Supporters of Pussy Riot expressed dismay over the message at the scene; the band members' lawyer called it "a horrendous provocation" or the work of a psychopath, according to news reports.
Unfortunately, for a government faced with such horrendous numbers in the fight against violence that specifically affects women, the sexist, belittling message the ad carries is no laughing matter.
