Why Are Bumfights Videos So Popular?
“Bumfights” features homeless people being attacked, beaten and bribed into performing humiliating acts, often for small amounts of money, alcohol or food. The videos are then uploaded onto the Internet, where they receive millions of views.
“‘Bumfights’ is a terrible video series that is produced by people who are exploiting the suffering of people who have severe mental issues and addictions,” says the Reverend Chuck Currie, a pastor in Oregon who has worked in homeless advocacy since 1986. Rev. Currie also served on the board of directors of the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) from 1998 to 2002.
To date, over 6.8 million of the official “Bumfights” videos have been sold. While many retailers have stopped selling the videos, initially they were available “almost anywhere you could buy DVD’s,” says Rev. Currie.
In 2003 the producers of the “Bumfight” DVD series were charged with conspiracy, solicitation of a felony crime and illegally paying people to fight. They were sentenced to community service and the “Bumfights” site was closed. But, thanks to numerous copy-cat websites and amateur filmmakers, thousands of these videos are still being shot and uploaded onto sites like YouTube.com. YouTube says they delete “bum fighting” videos, but a simple search shows that there are a number on the site, some a few years old. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, nearly 86,000 of these types of videos were posted online in the month of July 2008 alone. In 2008, more “bum fight” videos were uploaded to YouTube than ever before (Source: Change.org).
“Since these videos have become available, we have seen a rise in attacks against homeless people, especially by young people,” says Rev. Currie. “Many of them say they watched the “Bumfights” videos beforehand.” The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty attributes 65% of homeless attacks to the “Bumfights” video series.
NCH stats show that 106 homeless people in the US were beaten up for no reason in 2008, of which 27 were beaten to death, with fifty-eight percent of the attacks against the homeless in the last 10 years by teenagers. In many cases, the young people then posted the videos on the Web.
Crimes Against the Homeless
In 2005, 18-year-old Jeffrey Spurgeon was charged with killing 53-year-old Michael Roberts, a homeless man in Florida. He and three others found Roberts sleeping and beat him to death, admitting that the “Bumfight” video series inspired the attacks, and that they did it “for fun.”
In 2008, passers-by slowed to watch a group of Cleveland teenagers beat a homeless man to death, some of it caught on videotape. Also in 2008, a 55-year-old homeless man was doused with gasoline and set ablaze. No suspects have been arrested in his murder, although witnesses claim seeing several young men get out of a car and pour gasoline on him. Earlier this month, a 45-year-old homeless man was beaten in a shopping mall parking lot in Seattle by five young males, surviving with a number of facial injuries.
Many states have pushed for stricter regulations regarding crimes against the homeless. Maryland was the first state to add attacks against homeless people to its hate-crime law, and at least five others are debating similar laws and lobbying members of Congress to pass bills to amend hate-crime acts.
Stopping the Cycle of Violence by Encouraging Empathy
One way to encourage empathy is by letting kids see firsthand the people “Bumfight” videos affect. “Parents could take their kids to volunteer at shelters, to learn that homeless people are just like you and me,” suggests Rev. Currie. “Also, be aware of what’s on their computer, and if you see them looking at these videos or buying them, you could take them to a local shelter and have them talk to the homeless and ask them what these videos mean to them.”
Helping your children be more empathetic is key in preventing inappropriate behaviour – both online and in the real world. “Empathy is defined as the ability to share another personal feelings. It is “empathy” that allows kids to be tolerant of others, and kids are born with the ability to be empathetic,” says Kidproof founder and president Samantha Wilson. “Although it can’t be taught, it can be encouraged and developed.” Samantha has the following tips on raising empathetic kids:
1. Start early. Your child doesn’t need to understand words, they can be shown by your actions as a parent. Don’t laugh at or dismiss inappropriate behavior.
2. Find teachable moments. If a child falls and hurts themselves, show them compassion. Talk about it to your child. Encourage them to help.
3. Encourage them to express their feelings and give their feelings names so that they can later learn how to respond appropriately to their feelings.
4. Be a positive role model. Be aware that your child is watching your every move and will also model your level of empathy as appropriate.
5. Be constant and consistent. Although children are born with empathy, it is parents who will help develop this important emotion into a positive. Develop their empathy consistently over time and they will grow to become more positive, respectful adults.
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