Should THIS be allowed on Youtube?

[The Curmudgeon]

Well, now we've had our bit of fun with the lesser beings on Eoghan Quigg's website (I may pop back in there from time to time, but I'll let it lie for now. Maybe), I thought we'd get back to a serious discussion that those creatures in there couldn't have in a million years, save for evolution.

A bit of history first, for anyone unaware of who we'll be discussing today. Tommy Cooper was a British comedian/magician who was pretty much beloved in his day. His act consisted of various gags and magic acts that often didn't work (on purpose, most times). This guy was a BIG deal in the UK.

Anyway, during a live variety show on national TV, Tommy is doing his usual stand up schtick in front of an audience. And then he keels over and dies - and everyone laughs and claps thinking it was part of the show. The camera's quickly cut to an advert and the show is over.

Anyway, this moment quickly became the stuff of TV legend, and its the sort of thing that, if you weren't there during the show, you would never see again. Until the internet.

Because one quick Youtube search and there it is - a man dying in front of your very eyes, complete with a hundred OMG LOL PWNED comments.

So here's the question: SHOULD this be allowed on Youtube? Is this sort of thing acceptable, should anyone and everyone be able to log in and view the last minutes of a mans life? How does Mrs Cooper and Tommy's kids feel, knowing that a video of their husband and father gasping for air is now sitting next to videos of talking cats and kids throwing themselves into walls?

Now, for arguments sake, here is the video in question. Feel free NOT to watch it, but it's here if you do want to;

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7---mGq7G_Y


So - what do YOU think?

[mackshere]

Damn. That is majorly fucked up. Shit has gone too far I suppose. At least it is not kid accessible. I wonder how the audience felt after laughing and then learning the truth. Anyone ever see politician Budd Dwyer pull the trigger on himself in front of a live audience? It probably is on the internet somewhere. Yeah, modern technology brings us some pretty fucked up stuff. Guys at work always picture text me some horribly raunchy stuff, but no real deaths. Hopefully it never comes to that, but I would not be surprised.

[The Curmudgeon]

Well, I don't know what it says about myself or human nature in general, but I had never heard of Bud Dwyer and I googled the video.

One word - FUCK.

And here's the problem; whilst it is an important historical document, what does it say about our society when a video of a man shooting himself in the head is surrounded by "Send this to your friends!" and "meet sexy girls in your area"?

Mrs C showed me something today after reading this thread, and its pretty much the same arguement over what can and cannot, and should and should not, be shown on the net.

A young girl dies in a horrible car accident. That's bad enough, but how about the police taking pictures and then LEAKING them onto the net? And these aren't just pictures of the smashed car, they're like something out of Dawn of the Dead. Again, the link, but obviously approach with caution - this is heavy shit.

nikkicatsouras.net/

Now, in an age where the hello.jpg "goatse" image is all but impossible to find, why the hell does typing one name into Google bring this sort of stuff up? And again - should THIS be available for the world to see?

[trashcanman]

To me if it exists, it's fair game. Ever seen rotten.com, guys? Yeah. I'll watch a dude keel over onstage 1000 times before I set foot on that site again. I have no interest in watching real-life death, but it is a fact of life and I don't believe in censoring or otherwise insulating us from reality. It's there if you want it. I do not. I actually had never heard of Dwyer before you brought him to my attention, Mackshere. Amazing stuff.

[Ben]

That Dwyer video is FUCKED UP.

[The Curmudgeon]

BEN! You looked too?


Man, what is wrong with us??

[trashcanman]

Yeah, after reading the story I succumbed as well and watched a man shoot himself in the mouth. Holy hell, that was hardcore.

[Benjamin Haines]

Aug 31, 2009 19:08:02 GMT 2 The Curmudgeon said:

Now, in an age where the hello.jpg "goatse" image is all but impossible to find

www.encyclopediadramatica.com/Goatse

Encyclopedia Dramatica has just about any kind of fucked up shit you may be looking for, including Dwyer.

www.encyclopediadramatica.com/Budd_Dwyer

Regarding the discussion at hand, I don't believe in censorship, and I think the internet is the last media outlet that should ever be censored. So to the question "Should this be allowed?" I say of course. But to the question "Should people be indulging in this sort of thing at all?" I personally would say not at all. Not that anybody be restricted or disallowed from doing so, but I don't understand why anybody would want to watch another person keel over and die in a YouTube video. It's beyond me.

[Ben]

Yeah... It was one of those things I knew I didn't want to see but had to see because someone had said it was pretty fucked up... and it didn't disappoint. That was intense as hell.