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I couldn't help thinking of the cat killing "artists" (still didn't figure out why, though. Have to think).
From "The Observer":
"A video showing homeless people being subjected to appalling violence at the hands of pranksters has become a huge hit with British viewers.
The film features destitute people being attacked while they sleep and others being given small sums of money to run headlong into walls and street signs.
In one scene, two homeless men are filmed fighting in a public toilet while another is pictured pulling out his own teeth with pliers. The cameraman and a companion are heard laughing in the background.
Sales of the videos have rocketed in recent weeks after details appeared on British websites, despite angry reaction against the makers in the United States and fears of copycat attacks.
Bumfights has become an underground bestseller in the US, where it has sold 250,000 copies since being released in April. The makers, who financed the $50,000 film on their credit cards, have become millionaires.
A segment called 'Bum Hunter' features an Australian man dressed in safari clothing creeping up on sleeping homeless men. After jumping on them, he is filmed binding their ankles, wrists and mouths with duct tape.
Ray Leticia and Ty Beeson, the producers of Bumfight, defended the film last night. Leticia said the pair had received a flood of international orders. 'We're not surprised at the level of reaction to the video. People genuinely want to see this kind of thing: the British customers are probably just naturally curious. Who wouldn't be? We're all voyeurs. And the demand from across the world reflects that. So why shouldn't we provide it? It's an entertainment service.'
He added: 'We're not here to adopt some kind of moral code on what people can watch and can't watch. If you don't want to watch this kind of thing, you don't have to. But, as we're finding out, we have customers from across the world who want to see these fights. They're not merely curious: they're entertained by this kind of violence.'
Campaigners for the homeless attacked Leticia's claims last night, saying the film capitalised on society's most downtrodden. 'The whole concept is disgraceful and nauseating and seems calculated to appeal to people's base instincts,' said Debbie Lyne, a spokesman for London Connection, a charity for young homeless people. She added that the video could lead to copycat attacks on homeless people in Britain.
'It's disappointing that such sick rubbish is available in this country. It's also scary that people in Britain would actually want to buy it. Public perceptions of homelessness aren't exactly positive at the best of times, and this could only make things worse. The advent of the internet makes things like this easier to get. It exploits vulnerable and damaged people.'
A spokesman for Shelter accused the makers of exploitation: 'These are vulnerable people who need help and support. It is outrageous that they are being exploited in this way.'
Leticia said he came up with the idea for the video in 1999 after witnessing some homeless men fighting in a rundown Las Vegas neighbourhood known as Naked City. 'We realised that everybody watching was having a pretty good time, so we thought we'd make a video of it. It was fun to watch. We were interested in the humour value - this is not the kind of thing that video watchers ever get to see. So we wanted to represent it.'
Sociologists said there was an appetite in Britain for watching real-life violence. 'It's unfortunate, but there are people here who like this kind of material,' said Dick Hobbs, professor of sociology at the University of Durham.
He added: 'People want to see this kind of thing - it's shocking but it's true. Look at the rise of ultimate fighting - which sounds very tame by comparison to this. It's like voyeurism. People who watch this kind of video don't really see the fighters as human beings.
'The fighters are there purely for the entertainment value. It doesn't matter who they are.' "
Link: http://www.observer.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,729882,00.html |
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