14 DAY TRIAL // Straight from the dark pits of what one can only assume is a seriously twisted mind come some pieces of urban furniture that those who like donuts and pizza a wee too much for their own good are bound to loathe for eternity: public benches that display people's weight.
These benches, one of which is pictured next to this article, are fitted with high-tech scales. What this means is that, the moment a person's dorsal side touches them, they determine the unlucky sitter's weight and display it on a screen for the entire world to see.
So, where are these benches installed?
According to Oddity Central, several such mean, mean benches will soon be set in place in Moscow, Russia's capital city, where they will replace regular park benches. A few others are already installed at bus stops in the Netherlands.
It is understood that, together with folks running local gyms, high officials in Moscow decided to have such benches installed in public parks in an attempt to get the city's residents to start paying closer attention to their weight.
This is precisely what the high-tech benches in the Netherlands, which also display information about nutrition and gym advertisements, are expected to do. Whether or not people want such pieces of urban architecture scattered all across their home cities remains a mystery.
Information shared with the public says that Moscow's Sokolniki Park will be among the first recreational areas to be fitted with such benches. More precisely, it is expected that, by the end of the year, as many as 20 weighing benches will be set in place in this part of the city.
Rumor has it that, should things go according to plan, Moscow's brand new public benches will also be fitted with several charging stations which people will get to use to power up their gadgets and gizmos while contemplating their very poor decisions in terms of dieting and keeping fit.
Who's going to pay for these benches?
Not at all surprisingly, word has it that gym owners in Moscow are ready and willing to sponsor the installation of these high-tech weighing benches. It goes without saying that they are only doing so because they expect that this shaming campaign will land them more customers.
As far as the charging stations that the benches could end up being fitted with are concerned, it appears that the city's high officials expect that advertising will more than pay for them. Since fitting just one bench with charging stations will cost $1,300 (about €1,000), one can only expect that people will get to watch a great deal of commercials while sitting on them.