Stupid Person Tricks

One of the latest YouTube “challenges” is to rub alcohol on yourself, set yourself on fire, and then put yourself out before you get burnt up. All the while filming yourself so that you can post it on video. Needless to say, this is resulting in serious injuries across the country, including at least one death.

But setting yourself on fire is not the only abysmally stupid and potentially dangerous “challenge” on the internet. People on social media are challenging their “friends” to do other idiotic behavior. After the jump, a link to other self-destructive trends and why no one should try them.

Go here for warnings about the following “challenges”: A comprehensive guide to YouTube’s dumbest and most dangerous teen trends – The Washington Post.

The Fire Challenge
The Cinnamon Challenge
The Saltine Cracker Challenge
The Banana Challenge
The No-Cry Challenge
The Salt-and-Ice Challenge
The Banana-Sprite and Milk Challenge
The Condom Challenge
The Hot Pepper Challenge
Neknomination
The Eraser Challenge
The Cold Water Challenge

This sort of thing isn’t new to the internet, of course. Some of these very stunts go back to the “I dare you” phase of my childhood. (It was easy to resist “I dare you” challenges. “Double-dare” was harder. But “double-dog-dare” was almost impossible to turn down.)

I guess this is what is left of the concept of “honor.”

Or what? Why would why anyone do these things? Why would anyone, having done them, want their friends to do them too? And, having done them, why do people post their humiliation on YouTube?