‘Deserve To Die’ Posters Spark Controversy
An unsettling advertising campaign has been launched in major cities across America where posters are being displayed that proclaim cat lovers, crazy aunts and hipsters deserve to die.
Like any viral campaign, the advertiser is hoping to inspire interest in the posters by plastering them across telephone booths, subways and bus terminals with little information as to what message they are trying to convey. However, after a curious passerby does a search about the posters, the website NoOneDeservesToDie.org pops up displaying the familiar phrases.
The website says:
“Every year over 160,000 lives are lost to a deadly disease. They didn’t ask for it, but many people seem to think they deserved it. This disease doesn’t discriminate. It affects almost all of us and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. So, what is the killer? You’ll find out soon enough.”
This statement is followed by a countdown clock to the apparent reveal of exactly what the killer of over 160,000 people a year is.
However, as reported by Yahoo and the Centers For Disease Control, 158,592 fell victim to lung cancer in the United States in 2008- the latest year in which these statistics are available.
According to CBS Chicago, many people are finding the posters extremely offensive regardless of their message.
“I think that’s very offensive to people who are animal lovers,” said Shelli Williams in reference to the “Cat Lovers Deserve To Die” poster.
With another saying “nobody deserves to die, come on, that’s a hell of a statement.”
The posters have certainly done their job of sparking intrigue in people who have taken the time to research their meaning. The only problem is that it may have made too many people upset for the message to be effective.
Do you think the message will still get across despite the provocative advertising? Is this the kind of message people need to see in order for the reality of the situation to sink in?
