The World's Gone....oops!

What do we think of when it comes to Halloween costumes? People painting their faces green, sticking on a pointy hat to become witches? People sticking a pair of plastic fangs in their mouths to become Vampires? Hell, throw a white sheet over yourself and you're a ghost! These are pretty much the kiddy images of things that go 'bump' in the night. Of course, if you move away from that and focus more on the horror aspect then you'll see different figures showcasing the terror; Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michal Myers are all horror icons and are often another inspiration when it comes down to Halloween fancy dress. These costumes are purely for the scare-factor of course. It's all just a bit of harmless, spooky fun right?

Well, the UK supermarket chains ASDA and Tesco have caused a storm with one particular brand of fancy dress costume in their Halloween line. Why shops seem to fill their shelves with such crap ages before the actual event, I will never know (but that's another issue altogether). Stupidly early or not, the whole Halloween shebang is on sale. This line features one costume (ASDA) simply titled 'Mental Patient' and another costume titled 'Psycho Ward' (Tesco). 

Set your faces to stunned...

Outraged yet? Well, let's carry on...

The outfits have been condemned as 'crass', 'disgusting', 'outrageous' and 'unacceptable' by hoards of people taking to Twitter. Apparently, these outfits promote a negative stereotype of mental health sufferers. Cries of 'Stigmatizing' and 'Ignorance' have been echoing all around the World Wide Web. People are sickened that mental patients are being portrayed as psychotic villains and they've not kept quiet about it. Due to this explosion of disgust, the outfits have been pulled from their respective stores. ASDA have even gone so far as donating a chunk of money to the mental health charity MIND as a way of appeasing the angry mob. So, another victory for moral decency? Or is it a knee-jerk, hysterical overreaction by the Outrage brigade? My opinion falls into the latter camp.

I love Halloween and love Horror. I'm familiar with the typical fantasy figures and horror movie icons and I'm familiar with all the horror clichés; so I'm fully aware of the context of the 'Mental Patient' costume. The lunatic that escapes from the local asylum has been used numerous times for a good horror yarn. I referred to Michal Myers earlier because, guess what? He's an escaped mental patient! This is, generally, what horror movie mental patients do; they escape their asylum and go on a murderous rampage. So what's the problem with using this as inspiration for a costume? Well, the main argument seems to be that the costume itself isn't the issue; the name given to it was the problem. Mental patients exist in the real world and they aren't all homicidal maniacs and generalizing them in this way is offensive. The negative stereotype is being peddled through things like this, it needs to be stopped and the general public educated on the true face of mental health. 

Here's the rub though: We're not taking about real life mental patients. Instead, we are talking about fictional mental patients that are used solely for the fright factor in horror movies. See the distinction between real life and Movieland? Well apparently the offendees are worried that people don't. The emphasis put on 'educating' the public (complete with patronizing tone) seems to suggest that the public are too stupid to tell the difference between reality and fiction. If the costumes in question were allowed to continue being sold, then everyone will believe Mental Patients are knife-wielding, crazed, psychopaths. Forget about real life, that doesn't matter. When you hear talk of a Mental Patient, there's only one kind because fiction has told you so.

Personally, I like to credit the general public with a little more intelligence than that. If it turns out that the average joe takes his life's attitude from fiction rather than reality, then there's really no hope for humanity. 'Mental Patient' in the context of Halloween  should not be any cause for outraged gasps or demands of 'Ban it at once!'. No-one is 'poking fun at' or 'belittling' real life mental patients, they are just playing up to the Hollywood stereotype. 

Next stop: Halting the sale of hockey masks for Halloween because it unfairly portrays hockey players as deranged, serial killing maniacs. Like this guy: 

 

(I am aware of how many times I've stressed the difference between real life/fiction, but I felt it was necessary to 'educate' the masses since they're too stupid to work it out for themselves, y'know?)

How Much Is Too Much?

SPOILER ALERT!SPOILER ALERT!SPOILER ALERT!SPOILER ALERT!

GTA 5 is out and it brings a fresh load of controversy with it. The outrage-o-meter is usually on fire whenever a new GTA (or similar games) comes out. Sex, swearing, extreme violence is part and parcel of the series, but this time round it's said to have overstepped the mark.

The criticism is levelled at the mission 'By The Book'. It involves the player taking part in interactive torture on an informant to extract essential criteria for a hit. The player (through the character 'Trevor') has a variety of torture methods at their disposal; jump leads for electric shocks, pliers for tooth extraction, a gasoline can filled with water for waterboarding or a wrench for general body trauma. This isn't just a one weapon choice either; the player has to go through four attempts before enough information is given. This gives the player the opportunity to experiment with the different methods of torture. After the ordeal is finished, Trevor is told to kill the informant but he defies that order and instead drives to the airport and lets the victim flee. During the drive, the 'moral of the story' is explained:

The torture sequence is supposed to be satire. It's a criticism of torture methods used by authorities, sending  out the message that the use of torture as a means of getting information isn't the way to go. The informant in the game is willing to co-operate, yet the  torture is given anyway. Trevor's assertion is that torture exists only for the torturer to get his kicks, but it's dressed up as a necessary evil in order to obtain crucial information. However, under these circumstances, said victim would pretty much say anything in order to stop their ordeal, so reliability  is then called into question. Torture = wrong is the general message here.

 It could also be argued that by putting the player into the position of torturer, the game is trying to abolish the myth that violent video games create psychos. The idea that's frequently peddled by hysterical moral crusaders is that people who play these games can become severely warped by them and carry out real life atrocities as a result. However, many players on various media have stated that 'By The Book' is too brutal and simply horrible to play; having to actively control the torture made them feel uncomfortable. Driving around and randomly running pedestrians down is fun, but having to actually concentrate and hit/rotate the control pad in order to extract a tooth is not fun, far from it. Not to mention the fact that the mission itself can't be skipped; you have to play it, assume the role of torturer, in order to progress in the game - again, many players object to that. So, it doesn't sound as if this sequence is spawning an army of twisted sadists, in fact it suggests quite the opposite; that, generally, people know the difference between the virtual world and the real world and that even things in the virtual world can get too much and repulse them. 

 To quote the 1996 movie 'Scream' - "Movies don't create psychos, movies make psychos more creative". I.e. Unhinged, inhuman people exist regardless of media, media can just give them extra inspiration sometimes. If someone is going to kill, they're going to kill; they're not going to kill specifically because a film or game tells them to. 

As for the outrage/criticism about this particular segment of the game, I'm on the fence. On the one hand, I can understand people's objection to the mission. The graphics are quite detailed as is the audio; the victim's pleas for mercy are particularly upsetting to hear and the tooth extraction genuinely made me wince/ look away. However when it comes down to it, it is just a game. Despite the realistic visual/audio, these characters aren't real and the player hasn't actually tortured anyone; plus the sequence had to happen in order to get the general message about torture across. It's hard for me to actually take either stance here because I believe it all depends on what you, as an individual, can handle. This mission has shocked and appalled many, but it's also been over-hyped/exaggerated for others. I don't truly believe there's going to be a concrete answer to the question "Has Rockstar gone too far here?". It's up to the player to decide...

Incidentally, if curiosity gets the better of you, then you can see the mission in question here:

 

Tango Travesties

I barely go on Facebook anymore. The time I do log in, it's to either play games or chat to one or two friends. My feed is nearly all made up of picture posts from pages I've 'liked' and, usually, I just ignore them. However, there are times when said posts catch my eye and I decide to take a proper look; Tonight is one of those times. Ignoring the badly phrased title (does not look as sexier??), I agree with the general point

 People, smothering yourself in fake tan is not a good look.   

I've never understood why so many people think it is. This isn't a normal tan, it's dunking yourself in a vat of Ronseal and looking like somebody's nightmare. I cringe when I see the oompa-loompa look because, 9 times out of 10, these people would look perfectly fine without the varnish -  if not better. As a comment on the Facebook page said: Tan can look good if done right. The phrase 'Less is more', although, cliché, is very apt in this instance.

Is It A Bird? Is It A Plane?

No, it’s SUPER BORIS!

In my last post about the shenanigans of the eerie Northampton Clown, I said I'd be keeping track of the story to see if anything else unfolds - and it has! Another figure has now appeared on the streets: Boris the Clown Catcher. Boris appeared last night to begin his search for Pennywise's doppelganger, assuring the public that he comes in peace.

This latest development in this insane story has now pretty much convinced me that the whole thing is a publicity stunt/promotion for something. When you analyze it, there's no way that anyone could loiter around as sinisterly as that clown and not get hauled in by the police or someone similar. The fact that this hasn't happened to Pennywise, and Boris has now showed up, must mean that the whole thing has been planned and OK'd by people higher up.The idea that Boris is the same guy who plays the clown has also been floated and I'm in agreement. I bet they'll never be seen at the same time!

In my last post, I likened the clown stunt to something out of 'The League Of Gentlemen'. Since Boris has arrived, I'm now getting a 'Trigger Happy TV' vibe from it. 'Trigger Happy TV' was a UK hidden camera show (London based) where comedian Dom Joly mingled with the general public in confusing, amusing and just plain daft scenarios. He had a variety of costumes and characters that he regularly wheeled out to the unsuspecting general public. Personally, I loved the show due to the reactions of the public. The were just completely baffled and bemused by what they were faced with; this clown/superhero stuff sounds like it could be in the same vein. I wouldn't be surprised if it were.

However, if this isn't the case, then I'm well and truly stumped! The clown has promised a "Big surprise" at the end of the week, which could be the climax of this freaky charade. Maybe Boris/Pennywise will reveal himself as someone we all recognise?

We wait with bated breath...

Clowning Around

"Send in the clowns. Those laughy, daffy clowns”

 

That’s what Simpsons’ clown Krusty sang at his comeback show in the episode ‘Krusty Gets Kancelled’. However, there is nothing “laughy” or “daffy” about the bizarre story that’s circulating right now...

Coulrophobes, AVOID!

A carbon copy of 'Pennywise', the killer clown from Stephen King’s ‘IT’, is loitering around random parts of the town of Northampton (East Midlands region of England). The clown first appeared this month - on Friday the 13^th no less. Now, first conclusion is that the whole thing was a publicity stunt or practical joke considering the date, however the clown has remained roaming the streets since. Reports have stated that the clown has been standing on street corners, he's waved to people and often has a teddy bear hanging from one wrist. As if that isn’t freaky, the clown allegedly knocked on a stranger’s door and offered to paint the occupant’s windowsills – despite having no equipment to do it with. Now that really cranked my creep-o-meter right up. That in particular sounded like something right out of the cult, UK black comedy series ‘The League Of Gentlemen’. They specialised in creating utterly bizarre (sometimes downright terrifying) characters that were full of dark humour. This Pennywise replica would’ve fitted in perfectly!

I, for one, am glad that I’m nowhere near Northampton, although I suppose this could happen in any town if someone had the idea. That’s not to say that I’ve got a fear of clowns, because I don’t, but there’s something very sinister about the whole charade. Nobody knows where this clown has come from or why he’s doing what he’s doing. Nobody knows how long he’s going to hang around for either. Despite that, he has a Facebook page and a Clown-Watch has started, with people on the lookout to catch a glimpse of him! I’m not actually surprised about this as the whole thing really is intriguing as well as unnerving. I’m  curious to know how/when it will all end and if there’s ever going to be an explanation for any of it. Then again, I suppose if he disappears without a trace with zero explanation then it’ll keep that air of mystery. Either way, I’m going to keep track of this one for as long as possible!

Debut

“A hobby is supposed to pass the time, not fill it” – Norman Bates

The above quote (taken from the Hitchcock classic ‘Psycho’) makes a good point!

When you’ve got enough free time on your hands (as I currently do) you have to fill it with something – and that’s easier said than done! The idea of blogging has been floated to me more than once, but I never really gave it much thought until now. After toying with the idea, I’ve finally decided to take the plunge into the blogging world. I have to say, my expectations are mixed. I don’t know how it’s all going to pan out, but I thought I'd have a stab at it anyway.

I suppose I feel like I did when I first got Twitter. Just posting random thoughts/feelings/opinions out into cyberspace seemed initially weird as I didn’t really expect anybody to come across them. But, I persevered with it anyway and now I can't imagine not being on it.

Anyway, the aim of all of this is to give myself something to do with the free time I’ve got. I want to gush about things I love, rant about things I hate and just generally ramble about anything and everything. I'm aware this is rather 'Jack of all trades...' but a particular theme hasn't come to me so far. Maybe that will change eventually, who knows?

So in the spirit of getting the ball rolling, I’ll end it here for now. Perhaps this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship! We shall see…