What’s slightly different is that they didn’t dress as the person responsible but as the act itself. Would it have been OK to dress as a blown up London bus, or as Auschwitz? I’m not an easily offended hand-wringer but it crossed a line for me, more for it’s capacity to offend those closer to the tragedy than anything else. Having said that they’re not evil people or anything, just very very stupid. And with a couple of years to go before graduation they’ve already ruled themselves out of a lot of graduate jobs. Competition is fierce and Google doesn’t forget.

Anyway, it seems some on STW don’t like fancy dress. My friends in the Fancy Dress media will be very interested in this…

Not as offensive as what I’ve just thought of…….

I’m going to a birthday bash on Saturday which is fancy dress & I was wondering what/who to go as but now I know. I’ll go as a lorry driver & have a little explanation of who I am on a label on my back cos no-one will have a clue otherwise…..

Truck driver who killed cyclist spared jail after guilty plea

Simple costume as well. Jeans, rigger boots, T shirt etc.

Don’t think It’ll offend anyone. What do you reckon?

I’m going to a birthday bash on Saturday which is fancy dress & I was wondering what/who to go as but now I know. I’ll go as a lorry driver & have a little explanation of who I am on a label on my back cos no-one will have a clue otherwise…..

Truck driver who killed cyclist spared jail after guilty plea

Simple costume as well. Jeans, rigger boots, T shirt etc.

Don’t think It’ll offend anyone. What do you reckon?

Very low.

Nope, don’t care. Go as a member of the Taliban if you like.

Extremely offensive. They are clearly just very stupid.

Personally it only gives the slightest twitch on my give a shit o’meter.
Very poor taste, but offensive? Not to me. I think theres far more offensive things that go on these days, but are tolerated by society.
Im thinking along the lines 2000 dead every year from motoring accidents, cyclists being killed in accidents and drivers walking away with the slightest ticking off, people like Joey Essex and Jordan actually making a good living by being cretinous and stupid, the rise of rampant celebrity workship is pretty sickening.

The collective spiritual IQ of the nation could be significantly increased by gathering all those that are offended into a tall building and flying a passenger jet into it..

2000 dead every year from motoring accidents

Significant difference between 2000 being killed in accidents over a 365 day time frame and 250,000 sq/km land. To 3000 people being murdered in a matter of minutes.

The collective spiritual IQ of the nation could be significantly increased by gathering all those that are offended into a tall building and flying a passenger jet into it..

Bizarre statement. The moral compass of the nation could be swung back in the right direction by doing the same for those who think this is acceptable.

What about going as Jimmy Saville with wife as a schoolgirl?
Too much?

LHS – you are completely wrong.. Trying to revert back to Victorian standards of repressed pomposity is not in any way progressive.. Have a word with yourself.. Lighten up

This is exactly what I mean about spiritual IQ

LHS +1 yunki’s comment is probably more offensive than costumes due to the obvious intent. Maybe after he gets his proposed Bible 2.0 tattooed on his arm, he be able to reflect on why?

LHS – you are completely wrong..

You forgot to add in your personal opinion.

I think that it is in the news, people are apologising and their choice of costume has been widely criticised suggests that maybe other people find it offensive too. If you don’t that’s fine, your choice. I would suggest however that your moral compass needs to be assessed.

Of course my comment was more offensive ffs!

facepalm

you are completely wrong..

Conflict resolved. Next? 🙂

I just deal with stating the facts.. Conflicts resolution is two doors down

I thougt the second one was Paula Rad after jetting one out in the marathon.

Offensive – potentially.
Poorly judgement – oh yes.
Worthy of being in the press – certainly not.
Worthy of punishment – maybe a few quiet words about sensitivity nothing more.

Nope not in the least, it was an event that I saw on TV many years ago, didn’t personally affect me at all bar longer to go through airports.

Is it horror ? Yes
Bad taste ? Definitely

But what of things like the vicars outfit with a choirboy attached at the waist ?

Yet another ax ample of people finding things to be outraged about rather than actually looking at the real problems that should be solved – how many did Blair and Bush kill in Iraq ? North of 100,000 I assume

project – Member
Takes plebs minds off

There’s that word again….

Now, apparently, that IS offensive. I demand an inquiry.

Nope not in the least, it was an event that I saw on TV many years ago, didn’t personally affect me at all bar longer to go through airports.

So because it didn’t personally affect you (which is very cold) it isn’t offensive? That’s a nice selfish view of the world.

But what of things like the vicars outfit with a choirboy attached at the waist ?

Poking fun at child abuse – I would class that as offensive.

how many did Blair and Bush kill in Iraq ? North of 100,000 I assume

So if someone made a fancy dress costume dressed as Bush depicting slaughtered Iraqis at his feet, you would find this offensive?

looking at the real problems that should be solved – how many did Blair and Bush kill in Iraq ? North of 100,000 I assume

You don’t feel that maybe 9/11 set Iraq and Afghanistan in motion?

Anyway I’m glad that nothing’s offensive any more, I think I’ll dress up as the battle of the Somme this Sunday. Should be s laugh, eh?

Nothings offensive if it didn’t happen to you init. 🙄

So if someone made a fancy dress costume dressed as Bush depicting slaughtered Iraqis at his feet, you would find this offensive?

Yes it probably would, but that would be because the costume itself was in bad taste rather than talking about the event itself. I probably would have said the same thing of this one if it had had action man and barbie jumping to their deaths

It may come across as cold (ok def does) but I just get really tired of all the faux outrage pumped out by the media these days, sorry if that offends but it is just my humble opinion.

boston marathon costume hotty has nsfw pics

😉

Is it really in any way ‘offensive’ compared with countless real atrocities happening all over the world, every day?

No. Those ‘offended’ need to get a grip ffs. Far more important things we should be concerning ourselves with than two naiive young women doing something a bit misjudged.

That’s a bizarre argument. It may not be more offensive than other real (?) atrocities but why would it be less offensive?

The thing about offensiveness is that it’s not about your or mine individual reaction, it’s about the potential to offend. Surely you can see that a survivor or victim’s relative could be shocked and upset by these costumes? That’s what makes them offensive. What makes it newsworthy is that they reference the biggest and most shocking news story of our lives, and that they contradict the widely held standard of respect for the dead.

What makes it newsworthy is that they reference the biggest and most shocking news story of our lives, and that they contradict the widely held standard of respect for the dead.

Just one thought, if they were only 8 or so when this happened, for them it is a historical event, so I suppose it would be a bit like one of us middle age farts wearing a Stalin costume to a party ?

I guess things just look less offensive from a distance. In this case, a couple of hundred years makes it OK to dress a child to look like a man responsible for some 4 million deaths. Maybe Prince Harrys great-great grandchildren will get away with the nazi uniform.

Dressing up as nazis and doing funny walks was normal and offense-free in the 70s and 80s. It was so mainstream that TV shows were full of it.

We’ve just turned into a nation of hand-wringing, humorless, permanently offended fannies.

We’ve just turned into a nation of hand-wringing, humorless, permanently offended fannies.

He says in a humourless hand-wringing and highly offended manner.

He says in a humourless hand-wringing and highly offended manner.

What makes it newsworthy is that they reference the biggest and most shocking news story of our lives, and that they contradict the widely held standard of respect for the dead.

It comes a distant second to the 2004 tsunami where 230,000 died, although American deaths are clearly far more important than Asian deaths.

It’s not newsworthy at all, if they were important people who should know better, it should be reported. Students being stupid is just that, and the reaction is just media enforced empathy.

It comes a distant second to the 2004 tsunami where 230,000 died

That’s not the point.

Which of the following costumes would be offensive

1. Twin towers
2. Depicting people drowning in a Tsunami
3. Depicting the holocaust
4. Jimmy Saville molesting a child?

Answer, all of the above. It might be to YOU that only one of them is offensive (or none based on some of the responses on here), but when you bring in the general population they could find 1, 2, 3 or all 4 offensive.

That’s not the point.

That was the point I was replying to.

And yes they are all offensive, it doesn’t mean parading two silly girls all over the media for doing something a bit stupid is the right thing to do either.

Frankly their initial stupidity has just been used as an excuse for some mass bullying.

parading two silly girls all over the media for doing something a bit stupid is the right thing to do either

Agreed. That wasn’t the question of the thread though.

Answer, all of the above. It might be to YOU that only one of them is offensive (or none based on some of the responses on here), but when you bring in the general population they could find 1, 2, 3 or all 4 offensive.

So basically if one person in the general population may be offended we shouldn’t do something ?

I find fat people with muffin tops offensive we should force them to all wear burkas ….. Oh hang on some may be offended by that ….damn

Agreed. That wasn’t the question of the thread though.

No.

But it was the point of the post he was replying to.

He even quoted it, to make it easy for people to figure out what point he was replying to.

Not really sure why you disagreed, considering that you actually agree 😕

It comes a distant second to the 2004 tsunami

Fair enough, that doesn’t mean it’s not one of the biggest events in our lifetime though.

It’s not newsworthy at all

I disagree. It’s prompted some debate here and elsewhere and been picked up by news outlets worldwide. I’d say that does make it newsworthy.

It might be to YOU that only one of them is offensive (or none based on some of the responses on here), but when you bring in the general population they could find 1, 2, 3 or all 4 offensive.

That is indeed the point I was trying to make.

So basically if one person in the general population may be offended we shouldn’t do something ?

Well no, obviously not. Any given subject has the ability to offend some people. For example a topless woman on a beach in Europe is unlikely to offend many, but the same topless woman in a muslim country is much more likely to offend. Said imaginary woman would likely pay some attention to the context before deciding how much flesh to bare. In this case, I think some common sense would dictate that because of the nature of the event, and the large number of people directly or indirectly affected, there was a pretty high potential to cause offence.

Fair enough, but was anyone at the actual event actually offended? Given that they won 1st prize. So if you’re talking about ‘context’, then maybe this situation has now been taken out of context, and all ensuing arguments are therefore rendered invalid?