Woefully ignorant "I like to travel, therefore I'm an expert at life"-type Laura Jones has opened a pop-up hostel in Rockaway Beach in New York. Problem? Lady has some damn disrespectful names for her rentable space. Like what? Well, you can claim a bed in the Whore House named after Heidi Fleiss (okay, we get that), Eliot Spitzer (uh, okay fine) and Lindsay Lohan (eh, last time I checked it's not so cool to mock the mentally unstable).
Not cruel enough? You may need to visit the Crack House: beds there are named after Whitney Houston (who is dead, PS), Rob Ford (meh, he's alive and kept his job as Toronto mayor) and Amy Winehouse (um, also dead). Still too cutesy for you? Rest assured. Guests can rent beds named after Chris Brown, Ike Turner and Mel Gibson in the Wife-Beater Bungalow.
Yup.
Although Jones and I clearly will never go skipping hand in hand together, I have to give it to her. The cruelty of her humor is given away in the name of her pad: the Hostile Hostel. According to her website, the hostel was built on love—not hostility—but she's just trying to keep hispters out. Because, you know, hipsters are the only people who get offended at jokes about domestic violence and drug addictions. Not-too-surprisingly, the public was especially angry about the Wife-Beater Bungalow.
When questioned, Jones was shocked. She had no idea that people would be offended. It's just her dark humor guys! Ehmigawd!
Let's take a look at some statistics for a second to see why people might not be belly-laughing over Jones' obvious wit:
- One in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime
- Women between the ages of 20 and 24 are at the greatest risk (hostels primarily attract the 18 -30 crowd)
- In 2012, NYC experienced a decline in homicide, but of the 419 murders, 68% were the result of domestic abuse
What's the takeaway here? Do some fucking research before opening a business based on the misfortune of others disguised as kitsch social commentary.
Image: Not so funny now. Courtesy of, Hostile Hostel Facebook
