Hey Look at Me! I'm Going to Set Myself on Fire...

[Big RR]

Perhaps, but then perhaps they have reason to believe that this would be harmless, along the lines BP mentioned with the benzene fueled lighters. I wouldn't be surprised if she thought it might only sting a little, and was not tying to set herself on fire, especially since this seems to be something a lot of kids do (based on an internet challenge). I'm not sure it could be done without some injury, but if there are people on line claiming to have done it, a kid thinking they could as well wouldn't surprise me.

I kind of see this like playing mumbly peg with a pocket knife or trying to light a fart (and I recall kids doing both when I was around that age in boy scouts). Or spraying lighter fluid on the hot coals to see it flame up. Or even taking a mouthful of gasoline (or booze) and trying to spit fire like the guy in the circus. Otherwise well adjusted kids try all these things and some are seriously injured.

[Econoline]

The point, Econoline, is kids letting themselves on fire — not only stupid, but probably extremely disturbed/mentally ill. That’s what I find sad. Your lack of empathy is astonishing.

Please reread the quote I "fixed", Guin:

Why would you want to eat a Tide Pod? Why would you want to rub salt on your arm and then put an ice cube on it? Why would you want to snort a condom into your nose and try to pull it out of your mouth?

as stupid as these are, they pale in comparison to...

It was a joke. You may say it was a stupid and/or unfunny joke, but I fail to see why it's any more offensive than

HOLD MY BEER......

or

Next up, the; "Watch me jump off this cliff/high building" challenge..

or

...and mum's favourite, the "would you stick your head in a gas oven?" handicap race.

[Lord Jim]

[Econoline]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention...it was Jim who brought Trump's name into this thread.

[Big RR]

It was a joke. You may say it was a stupid and/or unfunny joke, but I fail to see why it's any more offensive than

I can't speak for Guin, but for me, only because it was the first, and maybe because her injuries were pretty severe (and a someone seriously burned my self, I know what she likely faces). It is not any worse, or better, than any of those others.

Now yes, Jim was the first to bring Trump up, but only in wishing he'd immolate himself. And FWIW, I don't feel any sympathy for Trump or anything he might face.

[Guinevere]

The point, Econoline, is kids letting themselves on fire — not only stupid, but probably extremely disturbed/mentally ill. That’s what I find sad. Your lack of empathy is astonishing.

Please reread the quote I "fixed", Guin:

Why would you want to eat a Tide Pod? Why would you want to rub salt on your arm and then put an ice cube on it? Why would you want to snort a condom into your nose and try to pull it out of your mouth?

as stupid as these are, they pale in comparison to...

It was a joke. You may say it was a stupid and/or unfunny joke, but I fail to see why it's any more offensive than

HOLD MY BEER......

or

Next up, the; "Watch me jump off this cliff/high building" challenge..

or

...and mum's favourite, the "would you stick your head in a gas oven?" handicap race.

Yes, I find the overall lack of empathy exhibited in this thread by everyone except BigRR astonishing.

Happy now?

PS - "offensive" is your word. I wasn't "offended" I was astonished.

[Econoline]

• With these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
  Nothing remains quite the same
  With all of my running and all of my cunning
  If I couldn't laugh I just would go insane
  If we couldn't laugh we just would go insane
  If we weren't all crazy we would go insane

— (Jimmy Buffett)

[Joe Guy]

Calm down everybody. There's no reason to get all fired up over this...

Apparently, it's not anything new. Most of the videos I've seen are from 3 or 4 years ago.

Here's an example of a dummy who set himself on fire and then became enlightened...

[dales]

Careful there, JoeGuy.

According to Guin, you're not being empathetic enough.


Anyway, hold my beer...…….

[Joe Guy]

Careful there, JoeGuy.

According to Guin, you're not being empathetic enough.


Anyway, hold my beer...…….

Don't Bogart that joint, my friend...

[rubato]

Mum: Would you jump off the roof if your friends did it?

Son: All of them?

yrs,
rubato

[rubato]

When I was of a certain age I can recall putting lighter fluid on our arms and then lighting it. And yes we all did it.

yrs,
rubato

[Joe Guy]

My older brother's friend, Bill, once put an apple on his head after his cousin said he could shoot it with his (toy) bow and arrow. The arrow was one of those with a suction cup on the tip, which he removed so the arrow could stick into the apple.

That was the day Bill said goodbye to one of his front upper incisors.

[RayThom]

As kids how many of us hadn't tried using clear lamp oil or corn starch to spit fire? I never had a problem, nor knew of any of my friends who ever got facial burns from doing this trick.

[rubato]

childhood is just an evolutionary selection process to produce fit parents.

there are always going to be losers. No point fretting over it.

yrs,
rubato

[Gob]

Sure, in the world at large, there is more than enough stupidity to go around. But in the subset of disturbed kids, I think its a closer call. I know normal kids do stupid things, but this strikes me as more than plain stupidity, and I feel sorry for kids that for whatever reason, decide to set themselves on fire. That's my entire point.

Well, if we go to the tape....

Though she hasn't been able to ask Timiyah what happened, Owens said the other girls explained that they were doing the fire challenge. Timiyah had poured rubbing alcohol on her arms, Owens said, and one of the others had lit the fire.

One of them had tried the challenge at her own home and sustained only minor burns, so she introduced it to Timiyah and her other friend that afternoon, Owens said.

"The girl said it seemed like fun," she said, "you just have to be by water when you're doing the fire challenge, so my daughter offered to try it."

While it isn't exactly clear what went wrong, Owens thinks it might have had something to do with the body spray Timiyah was wearing.

No evidence of any mental health issues, stupidity, yep, in abundance. Typical things kids do.

[Lord Jim]

One of them had tried the challenge at her own home and sustained only minor burns, so she introduced it to Timiyah and her other friend that afternoon, Owens said.

"The girl said it seemed like fun," she said, "you just have to be by water when you're doing the fire challenge, so my daughter offered to try it."

Well, that would seem to settle "the mental illness versus just plain stupidity" question for this case...

The girl had no intention of doing herself serious harm; it was a combination of her seeing it not do any great damage to someone else, and succumbing to tween pressure from her equally chuckleheaded friends that led to this tragedy...

As Strop says, a type of reckless and unthinking stupidity very common to kids...(though fortunately not usually with such sad results.)

[liberty]

Yes, I find the overall lack of empathy exhibited in this thread by everyone except BigRR astonishing.

Happy now?

PS - "offensive" is your word. I wasn't "offended" I was astonished.

At least Guin has some humanity.

[liberty]

The problem with normal children is that they care too much what others their age thinks about them that makes them open to dares. Fortunately for me I wasn’t a normal kid.

[Joe Guy]

I'm shocked.