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Media Coverage of Alton Towers

The thing is, University pub crawls have always been, speaking from experience, incredibly near the knuckle. Things that may be meant good naturedly will almost certainly come across as grossly offensive to someone on the outside. This is actually a fairly tame example of what goes on - my university pub crawls took place back in the 90s and they were, shall we say, not for the faint hearted.

These kids clearly didn't mean any actual offense to the victims. Drunk students should not be looked upon as a moral compass, so the media ripping into them is somewhat harsh.
 
Also, has anyone mentioned about the fake limbs bit? I havn't seen all of the pictures but as part of that outfit surely you have to attach fake limbs to the front as an illusion that they are your legs and you are sitting down. Otherwise it would look like you had a head and torso with no legs (would that be more offensive?) as your actual legs are used for standing up and walking around in the costume. I doubt that these people attached fake limbs in reference to the injured in the Smiler crash receiving fake limbs afterwards. Also, couldn't this legless thing just be the name for the boozy barcrawl or their group with straight reference to being legless due to drink? Just saying, like.
 
Also, has anyone mentioned about the fake limbs bit? I havn't seen all of the pictures but as part of that outfit surely you have to attach fake limbs to the front as an illusion that they are your legs and you are sitting down. Otherwise it would look like you had a head and torso with no legs (would that be more offensive?) as your actual legs are used for standing up and walking around in the costume. I doubt that these people attached fake limbs in reference to the injured in the Smiler crash receiving fake limbs afterwards. Also, couldn't this legless thing just be the name for the boozy barcrawl or their group with straight reference to being legless due to drink? Just saying, like.

I think I read a statement from the organisers basically saying this - that the event was nothing to do with the Smiler. Whether that's true or not, who knows?
 
Whether the organisers say the event is nothing to do with the Smiler or not, people are obviously going to make the connection between the two. I can see the funny side behind it, but I can also see how some people might find it distasteful and 'too soon'.
 
It has been an annual fundraising event for the past 51 years.
I'm from Nottingham, this event is very widely known of by us locals. Its called the 7 legged event, which is also often referred to as the 7 legless event, (students+alcohol=obvious pun).
 
It's like anything, if there's a connection that can be made, then someone is going to make it. Then there's always going to be that one person (or in this case many) that is going to take offensive from it on behalf of the person effected. Even if the person directly effected doesnt take offense (don't know what The Smiler Victims have said). Unfortunately this is something that's becoming more problematic nowadays...

Best thing to do is to just laugh and forget as nothing good is going to come from constantly being offended.
 
I find it hard to believe that they would go out in rollercoaster seats at an event called 'The 7 Legless' with no intention of causing offence. I would call them a liar to their faces if they deny it was anyway related to The Smiler.
 
I find it hard to believe that they would go out in rollercoaster seats at an event called 'The 7 Legless' with no intention of causing offence. I would call them a liar to their faces if they deny it was anyway related to The Smiler.
Amen to that! I'm hoping they aren't actually from Nottingham. City has a bad rep as it is.
 
Yep let's all strive to be the most insensitive assholes. Such a fantastic life skill
 
OK folks can we stick to the topic of media coverage rather than this topic descending into an argument about who finds what funny. Personal opinions on the subject matter of a news report are fine - but keep it sensible and constructive please!
 
Uni students being tasteless and offensive? Next someone will tell me the Pope is some form of Catholic...

Have some people not set foot at any themed night and seen such delights as Tampon Man or Zombie Jimmy Saville? Half of these events have some form of costume that is meant to be hilariously offensive to people...

Some people need to find their funny bone clearly...
 
I can see both sides of this story. The tounge in cheek pun about drinking too much and the tasteless theme of the fancy dress so soon after the end of the court case, that agrivated the phycological injuries caused to the riders of that fateful train.
Love it or hate it, we must think about its impact on the people suffering PTSD from the crash.
 
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