Store Owner Won't Take Down 'Amusing' Suicide Window Display

[matcom]

<snip>

WELLINGTON -- A video store owner said she has no plans to change a controversial storefront window display that is designed to look like a suicide by hanging.

Following a flurry of media attention, and some complaints, Special Effects owner Chris Goran said she won't take down the macabre scene until the next scheduled display is ready to go up.

A week ago, local artist David Bennett set up the display in the window of the store at West Herrick Avenue and North Main Street that doubles as a printing shop. It shows legs dressed in trousers dangling behind a curtain at the top of the window, with a stool tipped over beneath the feet.

Beer cans and a liquor bottle are strewn around the floor and on a table, where two pieces of paper are propped up side-by-side, one scrawled in pencil on paper torn from a spiral notebook, saying good-bye to a ''cruel stupid ugly world,'' the other eloquently and poetically written, printed on heavy-stock, gold-trimmed paper.

''Contemplating suicide?'' a sign asks. ''Let Special Effects give your suicide note that professional look!''

Goran said the display was meant as ''an amusing way to attract attention'' to her store's ability to do more than just rent movies, specifically their printing capabilities, which offer customers business cards, wedding invitations and brochures.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1699&dept_id=46371&newsid=11236984&PAG=461&rfi=9

[Love Bug]

1. Ok, now that's just bad taste

How much printing do they expect to sell from this marketing idea?

[fob]

5. Low volume (one copy please) and not a lot of repeat business.

nt

[DoctorMyEyes]

2. LOL!

That's freakin hilarious!

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

3. *snicker*

They just overwrote it, hit it too heavy with the sign. Shoulda read something like "Make every occasion more special with Special Effects."

I can think of neighborhoods in my town where that display would be a hit.

[Bill McBlueState]

4. my wife grew up in Wellington

It's a little Ohio town of about 4000, to the southwest of Cleveland. Interesting.

[DemBones DemBones]

6. My brother committed suicide and it never

ceases to amaze me how many cruel and thoughtless comments people make about suicide. Suicide is also often employed in book or movie plots as a cheap gimmick. This is the first window display I've heard of, though.

Tacky and cruel.

[m-jean03]

7. I don't like it.

Making light of violence again. Not cool.

[Beware the Beast Man]

8. Nothing tickles my funny bone...

More than suicide! HAWHAWHAW!!!! Whew!
Tipped over chair....
.....dangling legs...
HEH! Damn I can hardly breathe!!
ROFLMAOWCMBCR!!!

Seriously, I dont find this amusing at all.
I used to live in Lorain, which is about 15 miles north of Wellington, which can easily be descibed as a slice of freeper Americana.
I was going to post a link to this article a couple days ago. It's kind of a no win situation for people who are offended by this display, becuase:
1. The store owner doesn't give a damn about who it offends, and
2. It's just more free advertising for her business.

This is just more proof that there is little hope for humanity. It's amazing how some hick-town video store clerk can be so unfeeling just to drum up a little business.

[Torgo Johnson]

9. Freeper Americana ???

I see I have to defend my birthplace here. While Lorain might not be extremely liberal socially, it is definitely liberal economically with a
strong union attitude. The City Council are all Democrats and while the mayor is Repuke he is still pretty moderate and is only there because he ran against the unpopular former mayor. It also has a fairly large Hispanic population and most of the people I talk with at work hate Chimpy.

[Bill McBlueState]

10. Lorain vs. Wellington

Agitator, I agree with you about Lorain! Wellington, on the other hand, is in southern Lorain county and is definitely part of Freeper-land. It's rural and agricultural, and full of the sort of people who just don't understand how anyone could live differently than they do.

The best part, though, is that even the Freeperish parts of Lorain county are part of the liberal Marcy Kaptur's House district. That's good news to me, anyway.

[Beware the Beast Man]

12. That was a poorly-worded sentence...

I was referring to Wellington as being a Freeper-wetdream kind of town. Lorain, like most industry-heavy towns gone bust, Is definitely not. I lived there for about a year anda half. Very sad town...

[Torgo Johnson]

13. OK

The only times I have been to Wellington were going through the town on Route 58 and during the crappy county fair when I was a kid, so I will take your word for it.


Edit: I reread your previous post and I see what you meant. I'm kind of sensitive about my hometown because it's been through so much shit recently.

[newyawker99]

14. Hi Beward the Beast Man!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Triple H]

11. No complaints here...

in fact, I find it hilarious. It's quite fitting for a special effects shop. :)

[onethatcares]

15. nothing funny there at all,

my nephew took the cheap way out, leaving 2 kids and a wife behind trying to find out why. He should have come down and gone fishing for a week to clear his head, shoulda brought the kids and the wife. Woulda still been alive. I see nothing funny in suicide, I've even looked down the barrel. There's nothing funny there or anything else.