"FREE ____" Signs.

[fia_x]

I'm sure i'm not the only one in thinking, any kind of signs are going a little bit too far now?
For instance, I remember in May it was (So to speak) safer? When it came to them. Everyone was carrying around either "Free hugs" or "Free pocky," It was a lot better than it is now.

But this weekend, We're getting "Free rape" and even "Free sex"
Free hugs is annoying enough as it is, but I think there should be a limit on what is written on those little peices of card that are being waved about :/

It's really degrading, especially if you're about 12, waving around a peice of card that says "Free snogs."

I don't know if MCM would be classed as a family event (I'm pretty sure it would be), but please, there are children as young as 8 or 9 running about, with their parents for goodness sake. Have a little bit of decency and dignity, i'm beginning to feel that people are using it as an excuse for brothel recruits (A little extreme, but you get my point D:)

Well, those were my views on that. Personally, I'm pretty sure people don't realize that if you go around waving a "Free sex" sign at mcm, you get the same reaction as you would if you did it to the general public, but people don't think, "Would you use the same sign as you would in public?" I understand that MCM is an open minded and broad event, but that shouldn't be an excuse, if you wouldn't do it with the general public, don't do it here, we're all people, we don't have any different reactions if you're going to wave things about that say things like that.

[ruka]

what exactly do you mean by "safer"
I doubt anyone would actually take these signs seriously.

[nall]

[sunny1r]

i don't mind the Free huggers, although when its the snog,sex,rape,drugs etc. i ignore them, not like i could tell them off now is it?

But at a large event like this there will always 1% who thinks its fine, and as more people come =more people who think its alright will arrive

[Yatak]

I just ignored the signs, if people 'asked' for a hug then i would give them one. Plus most of the signs were completely outclassed by a homeless guy i passed on the way home, at least he used cardboard.

[fia_x]

what exactly do you mean by "safer"
I doubt anyone would actually take these signs seriously.

It doesn't matter wether people take the signs seriously or not, It just shouldn't be done in the first place. Not only that, not everyone ignores them. Different people attend the event, and for some it's an excuse to touch people (or however far things go that have been said in the free hugs thread).
I didn't come to an event where I'm going to see kids as young as 12 going around carrying such obscene signs. It just makes me a little angry that people think such light over such things, rape is a serious issue, it's not something that should be flailed about on a peice of card. It's just asking for trouble. I don't care what sort of things you say over the internet, but reality is a whole lot different.
It gives expo a bad image, it also puts off a really tense atmosphere, where you know that someone is glaring at your best friend because she's carrying a "free snogs" sign. It looks bad, especially when there was ANOTHER event going on (That DEFINATELY didn't go well with MCM)

[sunny1r]

most of the signs were completely outclassed by a homeless guy i passed on the way home, at least he used cardboard.

LMAO probably the funniest thing i've heard all day

i even saw people at the manga area using the paper and pens to do Free Hug signs, an abuse of stationery?

[Shadowhunter72]

@Fia_x= i know what you mean, i might not have seen lots of those signs, but i sure saw the ones that would most definitely cause a disturbance the sort that would give the other people that were there for the global peace event and whatnot a bad impression of cosplayers themselves, aswell as the event. The free hugs signs are ok....sort of....but the ones that go as far as 'Free Hugs, I'm emo', i say nay to those.....it's just attention seeking.....in a way

@Sunny1r= i would say it is aswell.....abusing the stationary to get attention...

[Jade Edgeworth]

Rape and such, fair enough.
Just limit it to Pocky/Hugs signs. (As in just 'Free Pocky for hugs'/'Free hugs'/'Free Pocky')

[Wildeth]

I totally agree. Some of the signs were terrible. D:

[ruka]

who was the girl with the sign, it said something along the lines of; needs to go to a new home with a nice owner or something
she was dressed in cat ears and a chain

[Adziu]

most of the signs were completely outclassed by a homeless guy i passed on the way home, at least he used cardboard.

LMAO probably the funniest thing i've heard all day

i even saw people at the manga area using the paper and pens to do Free Hug signs, an abuse of stationery?

'Even'? That seemed to be what MOST of the people there were doing.

Anyway, I hope someone gets a big lecture from a rape victim one day.

[Leonie Heartilly]

It's like they're screaming "Please come abuse me perverts"

[12midnite21]

It's like they're screaming "Please come abuse me perverts"

most of them would probably relish the attention! it seems to me like more and more expo is turning into a place where perverts come to oogle at people in cosplay rather than the actual event, which of course if they didn't have bad intentions and were just appreciative of the effort and intricacy of the costumes then it would be fine, but judging by my experiences this weekend with the amount of slobbering infidels trying to touch up my girlfriend i think it's a tad out of hand!

[Vampire_Ryosuke]

I'm quite disgusted to hear about some of the signs that were going around at Expo this weekend just gone. I'm actually glad that I personally didn't take much notice of them (I have a tendancy to just not read those signs that are going around) but when I read this thread, I felt I had to say something as well.

I think things shouldn't go beyond Free Hugs or Free Pocky at Expos or any other event. I'm not really into those things myself but I do think that people that go around with "free rape" signs and whatnot are 1) asking for trouble and 2) making the rest of the cosplay/anime/Expo community look like complete idiots.
It's not smart, it's not even funny. It's disgusting, degrading and honestly, I don't think people that make signs like that really comprehend how serious situations like rape are. Just think how it could seriously affect someone that had been in a real life situation like that. And not to mention, there wasn't just MCM Expo happening this weekend. There were also other events on in the ExCeL - what do you think the other visitors are going to think of all of us now?

So on that note, please please PLEASE don't make signs like those anymore. It really doesn't do anyone any good in the long-run.

[Lenrir59]

I'm quite disgusted to hear about some of the signs that were going around at Expo this weekend just gone. I'm actually glad that I personally didn't take much notice of them (I have a tendancy to just not read those signs that are going around) but when I read this thread, I felt I had to say something as well.

I think things shouldn't go beyond Free Hugs or Free Pocky at Expos or any other event. I'm not really into those things myself but I do think that people that go around with "free rape" signs and whatnot are 1) asking for trouble and 2) making the rest of the cosplay/anime/Expo community look like complete idiots.
It's not smart, it's not even funny. It's disgusting, degrading and honestly, I don't think people that make signs like that really comprehend how serious situations like rape are. Just think how it could seriously affect someone that had been in a real life situation like that. And not to mention, there wasn't just MCM Expo happening this weekend. There were also other events on in the ExCeL - what do you think the other visitors are going to think of all of us now?

So on that note, please please PLEASE don't make signs like those anymore. It really doesn't do anyone any good in the long-run.

Pretty much sums it up...at first I thought the 'free snog' sign-holders were joking around..untill I saw otherwise >_>

[Reser]

Really if any staff seen those signs I would say they should confiscate them and tell the people off, it seems most other cons do ban this sort of stuff.

From What I heave read and heard, signs like these, glomping, and yaoi paddles are banned at alot of cons in america, however here it seems anything goes they even sell the Yaoi paddles at the con lol. The more they let people get away with the worse it becomes because they keep taking it further...give someone an inch and they'll take a mile.

[Yatak]

Pretty much sums it up...at first I thought the 'free snog' sign-holders were joking around..untill I saw otherwise >_>

You mean they were serious? >.>.... oh dear.

[Lenrir59]

Really if any staff seen those signs I would say they should confiscate them and tell the people off, it seems most other cons do ban this sort of stuff.

From What I heave read and heard, signs like these, glomping, and yaoi paddles are banned at alot of cons in america, however here it seems anything goes they even sell the Yaoi paddles at the con lol. The more they let people get away with the worse it becomes because they keep taking it further...give someone an inch and they'll take a mile.

Well actually..in America they allow us to bring weapons for 'realism'..here..OH NO NO YOU CAN'T XD. Bit odd really..we allow this sort of stuff that displeases a good amount of people but disallow weapons for realism..which displeases a good amount of people! I was forced to partial-seal my sword so while no longer loose, it just doesn't feel right anymore. HECK, in the cosplay corner I was actually ASKED to draw my sword for the photo!!!

Yatak yes they were serious...sad huh?

[Yamakaze]

They were lining up on the edges of the halls doing nothing but hold up them goddamn signs! I mean, what a waste of a ticket y'know?

On the flip side, thanks to those who asked without a sign. That's all well and good.

[sjbonnar]

Really if any staff seen those signs I would say they should confiscate them and tell the people off, it seems most other cons do ban this sort of stuff.

From What I heave read and heard, signs like these, glomping, and yaoi paddles are banned at alot of cons in america, however here it seems anything goes they even sell the Yaoi paddles at the con lol. The more they let people get away with the worse it becomes because they keep taking it further...give someone an inch and they'll take a mile.

Well actually..in America they allow us to bring weapons for 'realism'..here..OH NO NO YOU CAN'T XD. Bit odd really..we allow this sort of stuff that displeases a good amount of people but disallow weapons for realism..which displeases a good amount of people! I was forced to partial-seal my sword so while no longer loose, it just doesn't feel right anymore. HECK, in the cosplay corner I was actually ASKED to draw my sword for the photo!!!

Yatak yes they were serious...sad huh?

That depends on the con. There are loads where yaoi paddles, glomping and weapons (even OBVIOUSLY fake weapons that have moving parts) are banned.

[sarahtsang123]

most of the signs were completely outclassed by a homeless guy i passed on the way home, at least he used cardboard.

LMAO probably the funniest thing i've heard all day

i even saw people at the manga area using the paper and pens to do Free Hug signs, an abuse of stationery?

haha thats what my brother did..taking a pen...and then store man gave him a huge black pen instead xD....
he was carrying round one with a octopus on it...

[Lenrir59]

Really if any staff seen those signs I would say they should confiscate them and tell the people off, it seems most other cons do ban this sort of stuff.

From What I heave read and heard, signs like these, glomping, and yaoi paddles are banned at alot of cons in america, however here it seems anything goes they even sell the Yaoi paddles at the con lol. The more they let people get away with the worse it becomes because they keep taking it further...give someone an inch and they'll take a mile.

Well actually..in America they allow us to bring weapons for 'realism'..here..OH NO NO YOU CAN'T XD. Bit odd really..we allow this sort of stuff that displeases a good amount of people but disallow weapons for realism..which displeases a good amount of people! I was forced to partial-seal my sword so while no longer loose, it just doesn't feel right anymore. HECK, in the cosplay corner I was actually ASKED to draw my sword for the photo!!!

Yatak yes they were serious...sad huh?

That depends on the con. There are loads where yaoi paddles, glomping and weapons (even OBVIOUSLY fake weapons that have moving parts) are banned.

True, just wondering what the mcm group is gonna do.