One band's publicity stunt, as reported by msn

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In summary, a band from Florida, known as Hell on Earth, announced their plan to feature a terminally ill person committing suicide on stage at an undisclosed location. This has caused controversy and legal action from the Tampa city council, as it is illegal in Florida to assist a suicide for commercial gain. The band's website also contains explicit and offensive material, leading many to believe this is a shock rock publicity stunt rather than a genuine demonstration of pro-suicide beliefs. There are differing opinions on the morality of the band's actions, with some arguing that it is no different from other forms of shock value entertainment, while others find it deeply disturbing and sickening.
  • #1
halfdyke
i read an article on msn the other day that said this band from florida, calling themselves hell on Earth or something like that, announced that they were going to feature a suicide by a terminally ill person onstage at an undisclosed location. apparently two venues had already turned them down because of it. the city council (i believe it's tampa, but i could be wrong) then convened and declared that it's illegal to feature a suicide for commercial gains or something like that. anyway, my point is, what's your take on this?
 
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  • #2
Yeah it's Tampa, I live in Tampa and this has been on the radio a lot lately. I think I overheard something on the radio this morning about the show being on October 4th and being broadcast over the internet. I can't remember though. It’s a second-degree felony in Florida to assist a suicide and yes the City council is trying to stop this from occurring. The terminally ill person who is suppose to commit suicide is a supposed member of the Euthanasia Society and feels that he has the right to end his life when and how he pleases. Whether it’s a shock rock publicity stunt or a real life pro-suicide "right to end life" type of demonstration is yet to be fully determined.
 
  • #3
WARNING: CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT, VULGARITY, AND SADISM
In case you want to view the bands site its http://www.hellonearth.net/news.htm
 
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  • #4
Nebula, you should have put up a warning with that last link. I realize that, maybe, the name of the band should have been enough, but I still think the link deserves a warning for those who might go there.

Now, after viewing their site, I cannot believe that this is anymore than a weird fetish stunt. This is not about a demonstration of this person's rights. Their website had a picture of their lead singer having sex (yes, it unfortunately showed everything) with a dead and skinned calf on stage. These guys aren't out there preaching just causes, they are out there for publicity.
 
  • #5
Originally posted by Sunfist
Their website had a picture of their lead singer having sex (yes, it unfortunately showed everything) with a dead and skinned calf on stage.

Even more horrifying is his uncanny resemblence to John Travolta's character from Battlefield Earth.
 
  • #6
Yikes! I didn't even realize that stuff was on there. I actually didn't bother to browse the site becuase I was having connection problems earlier. I only looked at the page with the news on it. Thats the link I posted. I wasn't aware (but I should have been) that other explicit and offensive material was on the site. Thanks for the warning. But I agree that it is most likely a publicity stunt. And it is sick to think that there are scores of individuals who take pleasure in that kind of sadist garbage. But this is the sad world we live in. It's sickening. Anyway, I'm not sure what type of intervention will occur and apparently at this point the show is taking place in some undisclosed location. Thanks again for the warning.
 
  • #7
thanks for the warning about the site; I'm now not even going to bother going there. i appreciate your feedback, and I'm glad at least some of the ppl in the world share my view that this is a sick publicity stunt. I'm glad the city council is trying to stop this, and if those guys go through with this stunt, i seriously hope they get arrested and are convicted, even if it only gets them 10 years or whatever. anyway, thanks again for your feedback.
 
  • #8
Don't click the link (I didn't). Publicity is the whole point of things like this and you'll just be inflating their hit counts.

On the other hand, they could also be truly sick. Maybe its a little of both.
 
  • #9
it seems that as long as the band doesn't assist in the suicide, they aren't committing a crime any more than a cop watching a guy blow own his head off is committing a crime.

i think the death penalty is FAR sicker than this. FAR, FAR, FAR sicker.

people who say having sex with a dead calf is sick remind me of people who say homosexuality is sick. they may both be right. they may both be wrong. depends on what you mean by sick.

the calf thing is not hurting anyone, after all. that is, unless the calf was killed specifically for this purpose. but then again, we kill them to eat 'em up yum. to kill it and then devour it or to kill it and then have sex with it. they seem equally sick to me.

if a masochist says to a sadist, "hurt me," the true sadist would say, "no," knowing that would be what hurts the masochist who wants to be hurt and doesn't want to not be hurt.

cheers,
phoenix
 
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  • #10
Originally posted by phoenixthoth
it seems that as long as the band doesn't assist in the suicide, they aren't committing a crime any more than a cop watching a guy blow own his head off is committing a crime.
Well, not quite. Unless the cop is encouraging the man to blow his head off by publicizing the event on television and the internet...
 
  • #11
I had read that children who are exposed to sexuality and violence in rapid succession are more likely to commit sexual violence as adults. With the internet we, and children, will be exposed to a lot of filth. What is important is to allow enough time to rationally react as best we can, which includes imposing an age of majority and a freedom of expression that respects/protects kids.

Maybe the lead singer will "finish off" the suicide in his final "act" of butchery. What a life achievement.
 
  • #12
people who say having sex with a dead calf is sick remind me of people who say homosexuality is sick. they may both be right. they may both be wrong. depends on what you mean by sick.

the calf thing is not hurting anyone, after all. that is, unless the calf was killed specifically for this purpose. but then again, we kill them to eat 'em up yum. to kill it and then devour it or to kill it and then have sex with it. they seem equally sick to me.

First of all, don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say it was sick, I said it was a publicity stunt. I also said that they had a PICTURE of it on their website and that anyone viewing the site should be cautious. Not everyone wants to SEE that. I didn't say he didn't have the right to do it.

Secondly, having sex with a deal mutilated COW is NOTHING like homosexuality. Homosexuality is mutual consenting relations between to living humans. There is no comparison.
 
  • #13
i never said YOU said it was sick, did i?

the dead calf can consent to sex no more than it can consent to being eaten. who cares if it's dead? i mean, i see the point if it's alive...

cheers,
phoenix
 
  • #14
Originally posted by Sunfist
First of all, don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say it was sick, I said it was a publicity stunt.
Originally posted by phoenixthoth
i never said YOU said it was sick, did i?
Kids, please. I said it was sick - and it is.
 
  • #15
two psychological observations:

sunfist's defensive reaction

and

russ_waters' use of the word "kids." it may not mean anything to him but it does to me. then, if you're logically consisent, you feel that devouring a dead animal is sick as well. making love to a dead animal seems less sick to me than consuming it.

cheers,
phoenix
 
  • #16
Hmmm...suicide and necro-bestiality. Sounds like good clean fun huh? i know that suicide is a crime and in most places bestiality is a crime also, but I am not sure if dead-cow buggering is. This is the newest shock-rock band out, and all publicity is good publicity for them. Look at the 80's metal band W.A.S.P.

"The band soon established a reputation as a ferocious live act, thanks in large part to Lawless' habits of tying a semi-naked model to a torture rack and throwing raw meat into the audience. And with the release of their self-explanatory independent EP, Animal (F**k Like a Beast), W.A.S.P. became impossible to ignore. The band gained even more prominence as one of the biggest targets of Tipper Gore and the P.M.R.C. (Parents' Music Resource Center), a group of Washington housewives leading a crusade against violent, sexist song lyrics. Though the incident (which included Senate hearings on the issue with guest speakers as disparate as Frank Zappa, John Denver, and Dee Snider from Twisted Sister) would cause more publicity than actual results, it served to make W.A.S.P. a household name — for good and for worse."

No matter whether you condemn these bands for their acts they are only going to get a bigger following. If Hell on Earth's date in Tampa was canceled then they are going to have a lot more publicity because of the reason they were cancelled. In my opinion, they should be left to do what they want. So many bands have done the same kind of thing, but once the public realize that the music is more important than the antics on stage, Hell on Earth will probably fade out.
 

1. What was the purpose of the band's publicity stunt?

The purpose of the band's publicity stunt was to generate buzz and media attention for their upcoming album release.

2. How did the band execute their publicity stunt?

The band executed their publicity stunt by staging a fake protest outside of their record label's headquarters and creating a social media campaign around it.

3. Did the publicity stunt receive any backlash?

Yes, the publicity stunt received some backlash from people who felt it was insensitive or offensive.

4. Did the publicity stunt achieve its intended goal?

Yes, the publicity stunt was successful in generating a lot of media coverage and increasing anticipation for the band's new album.

5. Has the band used similar publicity stunts in the past?

Yes, the band has a history of using controversial or attention-grabbing tactics to promote their music and gain publicity.

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