While many might say that the ongoing frenzy over Orlando Bloom and Justin Bieber is the sign of collapse in our mental faculties, I’m putting my money on the fire challenge. What is the fire challenge? It’s where an individual voluntarily soaks their chest and body with alcohol, lights themselves on fire, and then posts it on YouTube for that instant shot of fame we all be jonesing for on a daily basis.
Above is the latest version I’ve seen, equally as stupid as the rest and self-aware to boot. I would ask why, but the point has long checked out of town. One of the more notable recent efforts comes from Lexington, KY, where the local news caught up with the young man who attempted this feat. From WKYT:
“I just poured alcohol on it, and lit it, and it just automatically went and burst,” the teenager, who didn’t want his name used, told us.
Lexington firefighters responded to the home of the boy’s aunt on Appian Way around noon. They treated him for burns and took him to UK Hospital.
The teenager said one thing the videos never showed was the ending, once the person was no longer on fire. He says he now knows how dangerous it can be. Lexington firefighters hope others hear his message and don’t try to copy it.
“What they don’t show at the end of the videos is the consequences of doing this, getting second and third degree burns,” Lexington Fire Department Captain Chris Harrod said.
That’s right, blame the ending of the video for not showing that lighting yourself on fire is a bad idea. What used to be the ultimate form of protest or punishment is now nothing more than fodder for Internet fame whores to showcase on their YouTube channels.
I would weep for the future, but what’s the point? They’re busy lighting themselves on fire and won’t be around to see it. I won’t be either, of course, having long heaved myself off a bridge and into the path of an oncoming stampede of wildebeests. Long live the king!
(Via WKYT / Ryan Holmes / Gawker)