Greyhound Pulls "Bus Rage" Ad After Passenger Beheaded, Cannibalized
Here's some unfortunate news from our neighbor to the north. In case you haven't heard, there was a violent and unprovoked attack on a Greyhound bus in Canada recently in which on passenger stabbed, beheaded, and cannibalized another passenger. In the wake of this horrific incident, Greyhound is pulling their latest ad campaign.
From the AP:
The ad's tag line was "There's a reason you've never heard of 'bus rage."'
Greyhound spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh said Wednesday a billboard and some tunnel posters near a bus terminal in Toronto are still up and would be removed later in the day.
"Greyhound knows how important it is to get these removed and we are doing everything possible," Wambaugh said. "This is something that we immediately asked to be done last week, realizing that these could be offensive."
...
As horrified passengers fled the bus, Li severed McLean's head, displaying it to some of the passengers outside the bus, witnesses said.A police officer at the scene reported seeing the attacker hacking off pieces of the victim's body and eating them, according to a police report.
Wambaugh said the ads only appeared in Canada and that some in Ontario and western Canada have already been removed.
"Bus Rage" Ads Scrapped After Beheading [CBS News](Thanks, Nayeli!)
(Photo: AP)
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Comments:
Hm...bad timing for that. Maybe they need metal detectors on the doors >.>;
The timing is so bad...it makes me feel bad for them. Who would've thunk that some random guy would've snapped, beheaded a random person next to them and then mutilated the body repeatedly. It is very random. Very unfortunate for everyone involved.
(awkward turtle)
Good for them being proactive, and I'm assuming Li's going to either plead insanity or just be declared unfit for trial. Imagine the counseling the other passengers are going to need...
It was probably the sign that did it.
Thats why we avoid public transportation.
Wow, I didn't hear about the "eating" part. That just makes that story even more horrid.
post to see comments?
Bus cannibalism: Very unfortunate for everyone involved.
Wow, how ironic...
Is this what Don Draper would do?
He did it for the lulz
too soon?
OK am I the only one laughing...ie without a soul?
And this is why I don't ride public transportation. Sooo sooo sad.
Lulz at the timing. But +1 to greyhound for their quick action before people were saying "omg that bus rage ad offends me. I'm gonna sue now."
That's horrifying. That's just a jaw dropping level of crazy horribleness.
I wonder how this will effect their sales beyond the ad campaign. Of course this could happen anywhere, but it's probably going to make some people leery of the bus despite it being no ones fault. Are buses doing better or worse in relation to airlines now that fuel prices are up?
I applaud Greyhound on their sensitivity towards this matter. From what I understand, any help the passengers need will be paid for by Greyhound. This is just beyond...tragic isn't even the word. I can't even imagine...
@Wormfather is Wormfather: yeah. funny. >:-(
I can see this being a "heh" situation, but not a "hahahahaha" type, so depending where you are on the laugh meter, you might not be that evil.
The majority of the comments on the news link seem to think it's really, really funny. That makes me even more leery of riding the bus.
@11hawkinst: It's even sicker - when seized by the RCMP had a plastic bag containing a few small body parts including "part of a chin."
This sort of completely random evil is kind of rare up here.
If it happened on an airline, they would have charged passengers $5.00 for the hors d'oeuvres.
Pics or it didn't happen. ;)
@badgeman46: @Expanding Buttocks: Exactly! Wait ... since when is a Greyhound bus "public transportation"?
@badgeman46:
@Expanding Buttocks:
Did either of you notice this was on a Greyhound bus? If this is what you consider "public" transportation, then you must not ride planes or trains either.
Besides that, you are probably just as or more likely to be the victim of a crime alone in your car than you would be surrounded by dozens of witnesses on a bus.
@j12: On the whole, Canada is a much less litigious country than the US (and yes, I am a personal injury lawyer & keep track of these things :).
So, I don't think the question of whether Greyhound Canada was going to be sued factored into the decision to pull the ads so much as whether it was the right thing to do, which it was.
This Li story makes me ill every time I read about it.
Too soon?
Whoever wrote that ad copy in the first place has clearly never ridden a bus over a long distance.
@President Beeblebrox: Thats not true at all. Canada has a horrible track record with stupid lawsuits, especially for slander/liber claims.
I guess people missed my joke up top...
[www.canada.com]
[cnews.canoe.ca]
and even more eerily...
[cnews.canoe.ca] <= teen bought suspect's laptop.
is it me or is canada getting more violent? first five feet are found on the coast of BC and now this.
canada what's up?
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have confirmation that this was a horrific tragedy: PETA has chimed in with a callous and opportunistic ad campaign.
I don't think he was cannibalized... you may want to check on that before you overblow an already huge story.
A damage-control nightmare for some poor manager. Too bad this didn't happen in Texas. Every other passenger would have been packed and there would be no need to a trial.
I suppose the killer also enjoyed his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti....I mean Molson.
@Michael Belisle: Oh. My God. I cannot even comprehend how PETA can think that kind of behavior is okay. Even for THEM this is bad.
wow. nice job peta...
Clearly the person who made the call to pull the ads immediately is way overqualified for upper management, since it shows someone with a still functional sense of compassion.
@Michael Belisle:
Are you sure that isn't from The Onion? Whoever came up with that has obviously never seen a single minute of Animal Planet.
@Katxyz:
I doubt this will impact their business very much. People don't take the greyhound because they want to spend 36 hours getting somewhere by bus instead of 3 on a plane, they take it because it's the cheapest possible option. The majority of people who take the greyhound have the finances to either go by bus, or not at all. As such, their business will likely take a small dip, then return to normal relatively quickly when people realize that, although this terrible thing happened on a greyhound, they still need to get around and can't afford to spend over twice as much on a plane ticket.
A few comments are okay, folks, but let's not turn this thread into PETA-bashing (as deserved as it might be).
Obviously Greyhound had planned that campaign many months beforehand, so the unfortunate appearance of bad taste was not their fault, and they are partly a victim of the circumstances. Buses often get a knock for their status (and their passengers' status) in the travel industry, but they deserve some sympathy here.
@nursetim: Clearly the person who made the call to pull the ads immediately is way overqualified for upper management, since it shows someone with a still functional sense of compassion.
A similar incident happened while I was in Canada: for more than a month, the Canadian "Bravo!" channel had been advertising the movie "Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead". Five days before showing it, Columbine happened. They withdrew the movie and substituted another, mentioning that Columbine was the reason.
And to @katylostherart: is it me or is canada getting more violent? first five feet are found on the coast of BC and now this. canada what's up?
Canada has always had violent criminals, they just don't have a gun mentality, like this trigger-happy type:
@Japheaux: Too bad this didn't happen in Texas. Every other passenger would have been packed and there would be no need to a trial.
Wow, shooting guns in an enclosed area, toward other people and toward an engine and a gas tank at the back of a bus. The only brilliance in your mind is the muzzle flash.
He WAS cannibalized...it's a really gross story, but if you live in BC, pick up the Province - they did a story on it.
Apparently Li said in the courts "please kill me" so he's on suicide watch to make sure "justice is properly served".
Ever ridden a Greyhound bus? Ever dealt with the 'you bought a ticket, not a seat' line of shit?
Bus rage. I've had it. It isn't pretty.
@Jim (The Canuck One): "This sort of completely random evil is kind of rare up here."
Despite what you may have read about us Jim, completely random evil is pretty rare "down here" as well. We're all pretty shocked and horrified about the whole thing. ;-)
This singular act of madness had nothing to do with either the add or something called 'bus rage'. It is not the fault of the bus company or of its add. I don't know just what caused the event. Lacking such knowledge I can only express my deepest sympathies for those affected by it.
@North of 49: Not to admonish the seriousness of the incident, but the teenage that bought the laptop has some serious negotiating abilities. From $600 to $60 is a major bargain.
Thats staying ahead of the bad press...