Bumfights

[Sirotnikov]

You know what I'm talking about - the videos of bums, who get paid to do stupid stuff or fight each other.

What do you think?


I mean, of course the guy managing this business is a jerk, but is it really that different from managing a porn studio?

Would it be more moral if the bums would be given a much better salary, and we called it boxing? or "jackass"?




I really dislike the guy managing this, but at least he has a great sense of humor.

He totally pwned Dr. Phil, and his righteous moms audience:

[SlowwHand]

I think the people that film it should be jailed, and that people who enjoy watching are morally lacking.

[Wezil]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
I think the people that film it should be jailed, and that people who enjoy watching are morally lacking.

I'm not convinced on the first part (though I could be), but I agree completely on the second.

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Wezil


I'm not convinced on the first part (though I could be), but I agree completely on the second.

QFT

[Elok]

These videos have inspired "imitators" much like Jackass did. Only in this case the imitators don't follow the video exactly. Instead of paying the homeless to hurt each other, you have gangs of teenagers with video cameras running around beating up the homeless and recording it. A few people died as a result of those attacks. So I think it's a Bad Thing.

And it *would* be more ethical if they were paid more, not called "bums," etc. The term implies that the homeless are somehow inferior human beings and therefore exploitable. These videos are in that sense like minstrel shows, only it's socio-economic rather than racial discrimination. It's not like the "bums" in question have much choice. They can take the money, humiliate themselves and get food (and, in some cases, alcohol), or stand by their principles and starve to death. Taking advantage of the helpless

[Sirotnikov]

Taking advantage of the helpless

How is violent sports different?
How is ... construction work different?

Had the people been more well off, they wouldn't have worked in ****ty jobs.

Where's the line between it's ok for someone poor to work in a really ****ty job, where he is hurt - to it is not ok for someone poor to work in a specific really ****ty job.?

[Elok]

Professional athletes can make buttloads of money, enough to retire on easily if they weren't total prodigals who love the spotlight.

Construction work needs to be done by somebody. It's a valuable service for society, or at least it can be, as can garbage collecting, plumbing, and animal control. Bumfights provide only cheap laughs for sickos. No comparison.

[DRoseDARs]

Originally posted by Wezil
I'm not convinced on the first part (though I could be), but I agree completely on the second.

Fights are supposed to be regulated, betting on them allowed only were legal. If people are setting up these unregulated fights, do you think they should be prosecuted for any illegal gambling and for putting public health at risk?

[Spec]

Taking advantage of ''not completely lucid'' people in need of money is not funny.

And I'm a bastard who makes fun of people all the time. But there are limits.

Bumfights

Spec.

[Wezil]

Originally posted by DRoseDARs


Fights are supposed to be regulated, betting on them allowed only were legal. If people are setting up these unregulated fights, do you think they should be prosecuted for any illegal gambling and for putting public health at risk?

AS I said, I'm not convinced we should prosecute the promoters of these fights.

If being an ******* was a felony these folk would be in serious trouble.

[Spec]

So would KH.

Spec.

[Zkribbler]

Re: Bumfights

Originally posted by Sirotnikov
You know what I'm talking about - the videos of bums,

...What I was hoping for was two babes in thongs doing some kind of weird, reverse sumo wrestling. Now, that would be a bumfight!

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Sirotnikov

Taking advantage of the helpless

How is violent sports different?
How is ... construction work different?

Had the people been more well off, they wouldn't have worked in ****ty jobs.

Where's the line between it's ok for someone poor to work in a really ****ty job, where he is hurt - to it is not ok for someone poor to work in a specific really ****ty job.?

A lot of people make a good living working construction.

Jon Miller

[Dis]

these first started in my city, as they were filmed here. I'm so proud. My mayor withrdrew their business license I believe. I'm not sure what became of that. My mayor steps over the boundaries of his job alot. But my city was a bit embarrassed that the bumfights were made here. In fact, my mayor is very embarrassed about the bum problem in general. It's real bad here. He has done some unconstitutional things like kick them out of parks. He closed circle park after a bum was killed there by another bum.

I was unaware these bumfights are still around. Perhaps they moved to other cities.

[Pekka]

I don't agree with the notion that it's the same as making porn. I don't see anything particularly wrong in making porn, assuming it's all done professionally, people get paid and no one is abused, as in people coming there to make their daily dosage money. The equivalence would be these guys abusing crack girls sexually for 1 dollar and making them do stuff.

I don't like these bumfights, I think they're stupid and disgraceful. It's using people who have the least, and they're making a lot of money and clearly enjoying the whole process even if they didn't make that much money. I don't think it's funny to showcase the low side of life and then kick it in the nuts and laugh about it. It's ok to make jokes and stuff, but that's just abuse plain and simple.

I'm a serious fight fan myself. Nothing gets me more excited than some MMA or the likes. I've been a big fan for years, done it myself as a hobby as well. But there's a difference in professional sports, even violent ones, than going out there and making homeless people knock each other out for a beer. Ok, where's the value of that fight? It isn't even fighting as I like to watch. Just because I enjoy MMA doesn't mean I like to see people getting beaten down. Street violence is always ugly. There's some limits, I can even understand underground fight scene. But people there take it semi seriously, there's still some rules, peopel are getting paid, everyone is volunteered in it. These guys, they're not so much volunteers as they are abused.

So yes, I like to see exciting fights, but I also absolutely hate these bumfight videos, they're disgusting and they make me sick to my stomach. These guys who do these videos, they'll just get it in the end. Karma will be coming around.