Young, Dumb and Bored - A big Hello to all! - "Monkey see, monkey do", popped into my mind instantaneously as far as the latest fad news presently flooding the Internet. I'm talking about the "Cinnamon Challenge". Got it? This is supposedly a challenge! Needless to say, the target group this ridiculous challenge is directed at are young folks, kids and teenagers, to be precise. Once more our youth is jeopardizing their precious health over a stupid idea being put to the test. This time peer pressure heavily weighs on accepting the idiotic challenge to swallow a heaped spoon of cinnamon powder with no liquid aid allowed. Why am I not surprised that reports about 'Mission Incomplete' or 'Mission Impossible' are multiplying since lots of stupid followers have to be hospitalized afterwards? Every child in Kindergarten should be taught already that the excessive intake of cinnamon may cause severe irritations or even harmful allergic reactions. Not enough, when is common sense finally kicking in? Well, Hello! Powder swallowed stands a whopping 80% plus chance to somehow end up in the respiratory tract. Really, what's the kick to get out of a challenge as dumb as this one? Let me bring up another example which is not just stupid but bears a really good chance to end deadly. Remember that hype a few years ago about losing one's consciousness by cutting off one's bloodstream in a self- inflicted attempt of strangulation? Some moron started putting his videos out showing, no actually instructing his peers how to gag themselves with a tie, rope or similar devices until they temporarily passed out. Hundreds if not thousands of juveniles followed his example and went on a pseudo- asphyxiation hell trip which sadly resulted in even greater popularity through mass publication of home- made videos on YouTube. Many kids died basically (accidentally) committing suicide. I am just recalling a third incredibly dumb test of courage which was the absolute must- do amongst teens years back. Train Jumping this is. Kids, teens and young adults alike climbed trains at night and leaped from wagon to wagon. Often times this kind of venture led to death by electrocution on contact with the high voltage lines above the trains that are hard to make out in the dark. Dozens of fatalities were reported back then worldwide. I am just curious as to why anyone that young would unnecessarily want to put their lives on the line. I've seriously been interested in fads like these for a while, and I have come to the conclusion that today's youth must be utterly bored out of their minds that any challenge, as dumb as it may be, offers a welcome change to the monotony in their young lives. Taking for granted that youth comes with immortality anyway, kids and teenagers are either too dumb and immature or just too unappreciative and defyingly ignorant. As has been scientifically proven, the human brain is not fully developed until 25, so guess what, we, the supposedly so clever, adults are called upon monitoring our youth's every single step at least up to their twenties. I know, so much easier said than done, but it is clearly also the responsibility of all those allowing posts and videos that serve as graphic demonstrations to block and ban irresponsible crap like that. Furthermore, teachers must inform and warn their students as well. We do not need any more lives being endangered or terminated over stupid challenges sprung from boredom. Instead give those kids and adolescents a meaningful purpose in life by engaging them in selfless and rewarding communal projects. Amen!
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I can remember each and everyone of these so called Challenge's back when i was a teen, many many years ago....I thought it was very dumb then and still do to this day..i agree many is peer pressure however, us as we got older had to make a choice to teach our children about things that hurt you as well as the "words of wisdom".. When I was growing up, I love my parents, god rest their souls but many things were not mentioned or taught as they did not do the stupid things in their time as we were doing in ours as the same as our children are doing many things that we did not..Anyways, I remembered the Cinnamon trick, "as unfortunately the baby of 10 children i had some brothers who thought it was funny to do this to me, so i personally know how sick and bad it can be...however, i was told not to tell our mother...but I taught my children, to never do it and Cinnamon was meant for baking only.... I can recall when the teens as i got older were doing the passing out thing and i never understood that as fun??? however, many did die from it and I taught my kids that it was, as you say basically (suicide)...and the third, the train jumping, well sad to say but many years ago my husband and I lost a friend years ago to exactly that in Florida..We did not find out till many years later what had happened to him..so I, like you will never understand that as well as the many things that the young ones are doing today....it is becoming a sad world, however, I also look, now at the loved ones in my life and the great friends and people i have met and will meet until the end of my time and god calls me home..Now i can only hope i taught my kids well enough to teach theirs...
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