*WARNING* This article contains graphic imagery.
Simon Cowell, in his latest attempt to ruthlessly destroy the music industry, launched the new series of the X Factor last Saturday.
The premiere of the ITV show was disappointing to say the least; over one million viewers opted to turn off half way through and many commentators complained that most of the contestants appeared to be professional performers.
Since the show aired, the brand has faced even more criticism, this time from environmental campaigners. The production of the event, keeping in with X Factor tradition, featured a grand balloon release. Campaigners believe that such an action ruins the environment and destroys wildlife.
A video of a previous year’s X Factor balloon release.
Balloon Blow, a group that are leading the drive to have balloon releases banned, argue that:
All released balloons, including those falsely marketed as “biodegradable latex,” return to Earth as ugly litter. They kill countless animals and cause dangerous power outages.
And they back up their claims with some pretty damming photographic evidence…
When balloons – filled with Helium which is a finite resource – are released en masse, for no reason other than to momentarily entertain people, they can travel for thousands of miles and pollute the most remote and untouched environments.
These could include places where council litter pickers do not operate. They kill countless animals who think they are food or who get their limbs caught up in the strings that are often attached to the bottom of the balloons.
We contacted the X Factor but they were unavailable for comment at the time of writing.
Chris is a trending and viral news editor at UNILAD.