(TargetDailyNews.com) – The breakdown of public decorum continues apace as a communication sculpture has been shut down after lewd behavior by passers-by.
Electronic “sculptures” had been installed in New York City and Dublin, Ireland. Called “portals,” these oval screens show onlookers a video view of the city to which they’re connected. So, a person in New York standing in front of the portal will see a person in Ireland standing in front of their portal in real-time.
While the installations prompted some sweet moments like a marriage proposal, bawdy and anti-social behavior seems to have taken over. As of this writing, the devices have been taken offline after an adult performer bared her breasts in front of the New York portal and Irish men “mooned” New Yorkers. One Dublin resident reported launched taunts at New Yorkers, making insensitive jokes about the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001.
The entity behind the installation, the Portals Organisation, said it was disappointed in the misuse of what was supposed to be a way to connect people across cultures in a friendly way. PO said the recent behavior “is reflective of a wider narrative of cultural behavior.” Though it said only a “very small minority” of users were behaving badly, their crude acts have been shown all over the world on social media.
PO said it is assessing the situation and deciding how to proceed. Noting that the organization cannot control the behavior of users, PO said they were putting “technical solutions” into practice and hoped to re-activate the portals.
Users weighed in on the situation. Stanley Velasco of New York said people should “keep it calm and cool” so that they don’t ruin what should be a “nice” experience for others.
Christopher Collins, an American of Irish descent, said it’s not just a “New York problem,” but a problem with behavior around the world. There will always be “some sort of idiot” acting antisocially, he said.
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