''US outrage at 9/11 trading cards''

Florida manufacturer has caused outrage in the United States with his latest product - a set of trading cards featuring portraits of victims of the 11 September attacks.

The collection - called Heroes of the World Trade Center - is due to go on sale next month.

The media has accused the manufacturer of "desecrating sacred memories" and trivialising the tragedy.

The mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg said he had asked lawyers to find ways to prevent the sale of the cards.

"I think it's disgraceful, despicable," he said.

Trading cards - which began with portraits of baseball players - have become a craze among youngsters around the world and now feature almost anything - from cartoon or movie characters to dinosaurs.

Family approval

The cards' manufacturer, Kingsley Barham, has rejected accusations of cashing in on the tragedy.

He says he has written approval from the families of those whose portraits are on the cards.

"I am providing a service to these families. These people are being individualised and memorialised, and put into a position where they will be remembered and appreciated," Mr Barham said.

He said he is unfairly singled out.

"There's a lot of people cashing in."

Mr Barham said he didn't want people trading them.

"I don't want anyone saying, 'I'll give you two firefighters for an airline pilot'," he said to The New York Post.

"I don't call it a trading card. I call it a tribute card."

Range of subjects

The complete set consists of 202 cards - 170 of them with the portraits of both those who died and survivors of the World Trade Center attack, with a 300-word biography written on the back.

They include everyone from firefighters and policemen to New York's ex-mayor Rudy Giuliani and the current mayor Mr Bloomberg himself.

A further 32 subject cards address questions like - why the towers collapsed? or feature poems.

The cards are to be sold for $2.50 each.

The families of the victims featured on the cards are to receive an eight per cent royalty from the card sales.

Mr Barham said many decided to donate their money to charities.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2496801.stm
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"There's a lot of people cashing in." - Emm, what? So now he thinks it's okay that he'll make money from it; because others are doing it too? :(
I'm sure he thinks giving 8% to the families is a good excuse, but where will the other 92% go? He is going to make a nice pile of money from this... So sad... [img]graemlins/confused2.gif[/img]

<font color="lightblue">Is there anything left that *doesn`t* have it`s own set of trading cards ?? :rolleyes: </font>

I'm sure that doesn't cash in the whole 92%, there's bound to be some expences.

On a sidenote, did you know that you can get Dictator cars too. [img]smile.gif[/img]

<font color="Deepskyblue">LOL
Thats low, dam dam low</font>

What a disgusting way to make monsy. But what I would like to see, and maybe you already have them south of the borde, is a memorial painting/picture of how it was before the planes crashed. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I know an American guy studying here who wears a 9/11 T-Shirt quite a lot. I don't know about you but I think if playing cards are a desecration of the memory and just a way to cash in on misfortune then I think T-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers, etc are as well.

A lot of 9/11 merchandise is sold, which is offensive and which is not? Does having the victims personally named make it offensive? Seems a bit weird to me...

Well, these people do anything to get their grubby little hands on some money. It does seem a but weird... I used to collect baseball cards, but I'd never want to have dead people cards. Pretty boring, I'd say... :\

what's next? the columbine cards?

I think it´s a good idea. You don´t have to buy them if you don´t want to, as usual.

I swear, there will be a lot more amazing (or amusing) card series to come.

IM(never humble)O I dont think that *ANY* cashing in on 9/11 is acceptable. A lot of the memorabelia is being sold by memorial funds/charities to continue to help the victims/families. That is fine IMO. But this guy...Now, you know that I'm a hardcore Capitalist, but you have to draw the line somewhere. "8% to the families"...Give me a break. I know several people who worked for WoTC of Borg back when they were still small(just starting out with M:TG) and they told me what their profit margins were like. Now, if this guy were to give about 40% of his profits to the families, then it would be more in line with a true 'charity' effort. As it is, this is just sick commercialism, no better than the media's constant cashing in.

*SIGH* Why am I not surprised? [img]graemlins/nono.gif[/img]

You can sit there, knowing all the relavent facts, and just blow it off? Unbelievable! I think perhaps your compassion gland is on the fritz NW.

Erm...and your final comment was mucho tacky, bud.

maybe if more went to the families...

i have heard of some bad ideas in MHO but this is takes the cake. In my opinion why kick the dead horse let it rest in peace and just rember it. The only way i think this should even be allowabel is if all the profits went to the families.

Comming soon: 9/11 Lunchboxes, Soap Dishes, T-Shirts, Underpants, Pens, paper, staplers, office supplies, toiletries, action figures, christmas wrapping paper, curtains, bed spreads,pillow cases, movies, videogames, coffee mugs, Jam jars, Ice Cream, refrigerator magnets, pots, pans, forks, collectors plates, towels, robes, shower tiles, car parts, window covers, camping tents, outdoor excessories, flashlights, washing machines, dryers, phones, mousepads, keyboards, wrist guards, watches, waterbottles, sports drinks, soda cans, and cerial variaties!

"Look mommy! i got a model of the 747 that crashed into the first tower!"

"wow and look here's flight 93!"

"Look mommy! I got an Ahmad Rashiff mask!"

"Ooh scary! i bet you can use that next haloween!"

"But hon if he's seen wearing that in public he'll be shot!"

"yeah with one of those 9/11 'Remember The Heroe's' Collector Rifles..."

A typical family sits down for dinner eating off of 9/11 plates with 9/11 silverware, 9/11 bowls, 9/11 Tablecloth, and with 9/11 curtains, chairs, outfits, cerial and juice...