Apparently The Choking Game is roaring back into the public imagination. Deaths, concussions, strokes, skull fractures... even in nearby Elma.
Are such stupid behaviors unique to adolescents? Hardly. A daily trip to The Obscure Store will cure anyone of that notion.
The only concern with middle schoolers is that they're all cooped up in one place--the middle school--where memes defy the laws of physics and accelerate past the speed of light.
I attended Elma Middle School, site of the latest debacle. Back in my distant, foggy memories, I can see the idiotic pastimes of youth....
The Choking Game
As described in the link above. We--and by "we," I mean other students, because I was either too smart or too cowardly to try any of these things--would press our thumbs into our necks until we passed out. Remarkably, no one was hurt. We were lucky.
The Floss Game
Snort floss up your nose and cough it out your mouth, pulling it all the way through in an impressive biological demonstration of the nasal cavity.
Eraser Burns
The name is fairly self-explanatory. Take those great pink rubber erasers and rub them on a bare patch of skin until a nifty scar forms. "It doesn't hurt," the more macho swear up and down. (This was quickly banned, as administrators feared it would cause horrific infections. This was even before we knew about "flesh-eating bacteria." Who needed bacteria when an eraser would do?)
Bloody Knuckles, the Slapping Game, the Punching Game
Hit someone. They hit you back. Repeat indefinitely.
I'm sure you can think of others. Stupidity knows no bounds.
DISCLAIMER: This blog does not condone or encourage participation in any of the preceding activities. Natural selection doesn't need your help.
5 comments:
Dumb game: No way to establish a winning track record if you're always choking.
But kids don't realize how dumb it is, or the high risk to it. They think they incapable of dying - it won't happen to them. So, it's a matter of bringing awareness and the awful scariness to this game. Kids need to be threatened of the risk! We as parents did not know it exsisted. NEVER HEARD OF IT. But we learned about it, very closely. We lost a 16 year old son to this, almost 10 months ago. He was a "good kid" - not rebellious, loved his siblings, had his car almost paid off, was working a job he loved, but made a foolish mistake, and hung himself. We homeschool our children - and you'd think he would have been more protected, but kids ARE finding out about this, and it's killing them. We since have talked to numerous families and kids and have had responses to our webpage, of kids who have tried this. All it takes is one slip, and in seconds a life can be gone - leaving a very painful life for those left behind.
Had we known this even existed, possibly we could have shared with our son about the dangers of this. Instead, he is used as an example, hopefully to save other children's lives.
Matthew's Memorial Page: http://www.matthewsstory.coml
BLOG: http://journalingthroughthevalley.blogspot.com/
loni,
I'm sorry for your loss. I agree that the choking game is dangerous and stupid, and I'm glad that you're spreading the word. Your efforts will save lives.
My point is that adolescents aren't the only ones endangering themselves with such behaviors. Adults have died from similar activities trying to reach new sexual heights. Adults equally "don't realize how dumb it is, or the high risk to it."
Everyone, not just kids, needs to know the risks.
I am in middle school and my friend gave me an eraser burn today, am I in danger of dying?
Any infection is risky--streptococcus can be fatal. I'm not a doctor, though, so you should talk to someone who can examine your wound. At the very least, clean it with rubbing alcohol or peroxide, bandage it, and keep it clean.
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