The City of Grantsville, Utah, threatened to take down a suggestive Halloween decoration after a homeowner’s display of a pole dancing skeleton was deemed too “risqué” for the town to allow. City officials said that they would remove the decorations themselves if the owners did nothing about the scene, and the internet had fun in a way only the internet can, enjoying the downright hilarious standoff.
Christopher Fujishin is the culprit who put out the skeletal display, and in an interview with KSTU, he seemed to think that his scene did not cross a line. He was certainly taken aback at the lashing out that he heard from city officials on the official Facebook page of Grantsville.
Fujishin said, “Maybe a little risqué for some people, but it’s all in the name of fun.” On face value, it seems that he is right. The scene, which depicted a skeleton dancing on a pole for tips as other skeletons looked on, begged an interesting question. What is nudity when it comes to skeletons?
For the city, this display clearly crossed the line. The city said, “To the person responsible for this display: You have until 9 pm tonight (October 18) to take down your decorations or they will be removed by the city and you will have to pick up your items at our Public Works building. Displays like this are not acceptable as it is against city code to attach anything to a street sign.”
Now, again, it seems unclear where the line is between too risqué and a gesture done in the name of fun. It’s hard to give a definitive answer on whether the unclothed skeletons are naked, though it is certainly commonplace to see skeletons in yards and other festive displays without clothes.
Since the attire doesn’t seem to be the issue, the issue must come from the acts depicted in the scene. Utah is a state with a reputation for having a strong religious community, and it bears to reason that many in the church would not be okay with their children walking by this group of skeletons on the way to school.
As for those on the internet, they provided us with some funny comments to stop our minds from wandering too deeply into the haze of morality when it comes to pole-dancing skeletons.
One commenter wrote, “Perhaps if the pole dancer were to wear a swimsuit it would be more appropriate in their neighborhood?”
To add another hilarious wrinkle to the story, it has been reported by multiple sources that passersby have placed cash in a tip jar for the hard-working skeleton. As the deadline to move the display came and went, many wondered how the story ended.
The display was cheekily “moved” a few feet over and colorful lights were added so that the scene could now be enjoyed in nighttime as well. Now, that is a hilarious end to a very strange story.
The featured image is a screenshot from an embedded YouTube video.
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