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Bumfights & Societal Decline

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Bums on film

A Las Vegas filmmaker defended his fast-selling video featuring grisly footage of homeless men fighting and performing dangerous stunts.

In a telephone interview Friday with CNN, 23-year-old Ray Laticia said the homeless men featured in "Bumfights: Cause for Concern, Volume 1" agreed to be videotaped and signed release forms that free the filmmakers from liability.

Laticia said the men were sober and mentally competent when they were taped. But an advertisement on his Web site states otherwise: "You'll see drunk bums beating each other silly," it promises.

Full story here.
 
I noticed that their production company is called In Decline.

Truer words were never spoken.

You really have to go some to make JACKASS look cultured, but somehow they did it.

Why do I get the feeling that there's already a special place in hell reserved for Mr. Laticia?
 
I've no doubt it'll show up at primetime on Channel 5 before long.

Either that or on Channel 4 at 3.00 am as a "..timely, challenging indictment of contemporary mores from one of the new wave of American auteurs.. ", shortly before a Bosnian cartoon of a man sitting motionless for 15 minutes....:rolleyes:
 
...you can do what you want if you claim it's post-ironic....anyone who thinks it's just cheap exploitation is therefore a phillistine......bloody pseuds......mutter mutter...(cot'd on P 94)...
 
More on Bum-fighting Video

Video nasty humiliates homeless

British voyeurs buy violent American film that pits down-and-outs against each other for small change

Burhan Wazir
Sunday June 9, 2002
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.'
 
i have bought and watched this film although i was unsure of its content. i think if bums are willing to take money for pulling there teeth out with plyers then let them, if people want to watch the film then so be it.

i have seen the film and its not cruel at all. its just media hype and its only working in favour of the producers, the Bum hunter is very funny and is obviously fake.

there is an interview with a drug dealer who thinks he is providing a usefull service.

the only think shocking about it, is the actuall fighting. someone has just gone into the rough parts of town with a video camera. and filmed prostitues fighting over clients. and gangs fighting over silly things. in order for the film to be put to the public every person on the film has to give permission for there faces to be shown or they are pixalated and there isnt anyone pixelated so i dont think its even real.
 
I managed to hold back the last time this was mentioned, but I'm really sorry - the words "bum fighting" bring up such an odd image in my mind, I eject my current beverage through my nose.
pinkle
 
I don't think it is as simple as just saying "If bums want to take money for pulling their teeth out then so be it" You are talking about a section of society who have absolutely nothing left, who are on the bottom of the heap. Of course they will take money to do that sort of thing, they have no other way to get money. And are so bereft of any form of dignity or self respect that they are prepared to do these things.
To say that it is then justified to take advantage of people in this position is disgusting. I'm surprised at you Chopper.
 
But if the other side is that they won't have any money at all, then what?
 
Regardless of whether it is real or not, the notion that it is ok to pay people to mutilate themselves is completely abhorrent. The fact that they ostensibly 'agree' to it is neither here nor there. They are hardly bargaining from a position of strength. I daresay if you had the choice between pulling your teeth out on film or starving to death you would pull your teeth out. It doesn't mean that you actually want to do it.
 
like i said im not convinced its real. i dont see anything wrong with exploiting guallable people. if they wont to take money for head butting steal bars, then let them. they have the right to say no, the bums in the video are stupid for taking up the offers.

these people have a sane state of mind. they know what there doing.

its like drug addicts people say i should be simpathetic that theyr addicted, but im not i say foook 'em. they new the risks when they first injected cannabis or smoked an E. so if a drug dealer wants to 'exploit' them by selling them more drugs then again so be it.
 
What bothers me about this is what happens next - I can just imagine a load of idiots on the piss thinking it is funny to bait homeless people . A lot of homeless people are mentally or physically ill and I wonder how many are going to suffer because of the ideas this video might give people.
 
be much more interesting if it was "rich hunting",,,,,,,, Russian Anarchists used to throw bombs into resterants in order to kill the "rich" ........ so i gues were all rich here...whos that behind u?
 
Marion said:
What bothers me about this is what happens next - I can just imagine a load of idiots on the piss thinking it is funny to bait homeless people . A lot of homeless people are mentally or physically ill and I wonder how many are going to suffer because of the ideas this video might give people.

I think the laws differ from state to state here. A few years back, my friend made a documentary about a mentally ill homeless man. A court ordered that the movie not be released or sold because a mentally ill person cannot be expected to know what he's in for when giving permission to be filmed.

Yet other movies that feature mentally ill people like TITICUT FOLLIES are out there for everyone to see. http://us.imdb.com/Title?0062374
 
So Chopper, following your logic, the drug users are at fault and the drug dealers have a perfect right to exploit their weakness. Because someone is addicted to drugs makes it ok to sell drugs to them. That's more than a little warped however you look at it.
My point is that these people are preying on the lowest caste of society, and doing so deliberately and cynically. The majority of homeless people aren't doing it by choice, but by circumstance, and to equate their situation with drug addicts who, as you are quite possibly correct in pointing out, knew exactly what they were getting into, is naive and self justifying in the extreme.

The reality or otherwise of this video is not the issue. The issue is the idea that it is ok to abuse people less fortunate than yourself for your own and others prurient entertainment.
 
I can't quite beleive i'm reading this... Who are you people?
 
Phew, thats OK then. for a moment there i thought we were Human Beings!
 
BOSTON STUDY..TWO THIRDS PHYSICALLY,MENT. ILL OR HAVE ADDICT

BOSTON STUDY...SEE END BELOW....

I am with Ahau. Attitudes can range fm

approval
to
amused tolerance
to
condemnation.


derelicts, like prisoners, cannot give free conscent to chancy situations. they are all under extreme pressure to do what more powerful people want. They are everyone's slave. ...where by everyone i mean all with better situatio ns, hence more power.
derelicts are desperate, so easily forced into chancy situations . No one should be desperate in te first place.


BOSTON SOCIOLOGY STUDY...found they die at three times the norml rate.... Boston study found one third sick, phy or mental, one third addicted, one third just very weak and so poor.
Our media does not report such scientific details on them. A real condemnation of our media.

One has to heavily condemn the manipulation of slaves, ....esp when none shd be put into slavery in the first place.

shame on those who are amused by the manipulation of hapless slaves. The conditions down at that level further destroy the minds and judgement of those victims who were weak and sick to begin with. The entire situation should disgust the civilized world.
 
Comparing what mrchopper has said on this thread with what he has said on others leads me to several possible answers, he is taking the piss, an imposter has taken over his identity, or he's schizophrenic.
ps whats wrong with injecting cannabis, smoking E or my personal favourite Heroin on toast.(crack cakes are also nice.):D
 
Re: BOSTON STUDY..TWO THIRDS CLEARLY ILL OR ADDICTION SICKNE

john186 said:
BOSTON STUDY...SEE END BELOW....

One has to heavily condemn the manipulation of slaves, ....esp when none shd be put into slavery in the first place.

shame on those who are amused by the manipulation of hapless slaves. The conditions down at that level further destroy the minds and judgement of those victims who were weak and sick to begin with. The entire situation should disgust the civilized world.

Well said John. Anyone who enjoys this sort of thing ( and yes, I am condeming it without having seen it, the premise is enough) is guilty of adding to the degradation of society. Dear god, what next??
 
I Personally like to inject LSD into my eyeballs on a regular basis.

I tried smoking Peanut skins once. Bizarrely, it worked.
 
I haven't seen it either, but, judging by what has been said, its de-humanising. I find it distressing that people can find this amusing. Even as a piss take, i can only imagine it will encourage the maltreatment of society's destitute.
 
Let me just say that if I was down on my luck and living in the streets, I would happily accept an offer for money in exchange for pulling my own teeth out with pliers. I would then proceed to gouge out the eyes of my new employer with said pliers, take whatever was on his person, sell the video recorder (after destroying the tape, of course), and buy myself a nice warm meal with the money. And if Mr. Law caught up to me at least I'd have a new home and free meals for life. And it wouldn't hurt to be able to tell my new inmate friends that I gouged a man's eyes out with pliers.

That's how I feel about it anyway.
 
I think its heartwarming to know that we still have the same Victorian moral values that made people pay a shilling to watch the inmates of Bedlam.
 
adrian your right about my comments. i smoked for 6 years, i was exploited by fag company's and all i say is good luck to them, i knew the risks when i first picked up a cig and i thought i was addicted for 6 years i was exploited, which is tough sh*t and my own fault.

only stupid people become addicted to anything, so if you do become addicted then you deserve to be exploited like i was. i have no simpathy with anyone who is an addict of any kind. i gave up off my own accord and so can they.

as for the drug dealer, he's exploiting something thats illegal. that why he's in the wrong not because he is exploiting drug addicts, its there won fault so its tough shit. they knew the first time they smoked an E, they could become addicted, if they do they deserve to be throw on the heap. the drug dealer should be killed for dealing drugs IMH so should anyone invlovled in drugs.

its a shame for homeless people it really is. Im as willing as the next man to help in any way, but the day they turn to drugs is the day they deserve anything they get.

drugs are for stupid people i dont care if your a millionare or a tramp, you deserve to be exploited you deserve to be given an E with rat poison in.
 
mrchopper said:
....the first time they smoked an E, they could become addicted... .

Is that right.....Good job you swallow 'em as a pill then. That must prevent the addiction

you must be the guy i once knew who thought you could get aids from a spliff.....
 
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