Last Updated on December 9, 2019
Ridiculous stories like the ‘hot water challenge’ are exactly the reason some of us will never say we’ve seen everything!
The hot water challenge falls into a certain class of stories. They’re stories those in the journalism field have a love-hate relationship with.
On the one hand, we know they will get lots of clicks and attention.
But on the other, we’re aggravated by the fact that people need to be told not to do such a thing.
It’s a lot like the stories we cover every year about not leaving a child or a pet in a hot car. People complain that we shouldn’t be “insulting their intelligence” by posting such stories.
And yet every year, someone leaves a child or a pet in a hot car. And unfortunately, quite often it doesn’t end well at all.
So when it actually does happen, we cover those instances and everybody seems shocked that such a thing could happen.
It’s a never-ending cycle.
So at the risk of insulting your intelligence…
Let’s discuss this hot water challenge thing.
Can you imagine any time at all that you think it would be a good idea to either drink boiling water or to pour boiling water on a friend or loved one? If you have common sense, I can’t imagine your answer would be anything other than a resounding No!
But a viral challenge from a few years back has apparently, for reasons that defy any logic, returned for another round.
It involves drinking boiling water through a straw or pouring boiling water on someone else. It has caused numerous injuries and at least one death.
One of the latest victims, Time reports, is a 15-year-old in Indianapolis who said he had looked up past incarnations of the challenge on YouTube. (I hope that alone is enough to make YouTube pull them down!) A friend of his decided, as a prank, to pour hot water on the 15-year-old while he slept. The boy suffered second-degree burns on his hands, face and chest.
I’d be willing to bet that the “friend” who poured the hot water was careful enough not to dip his own hand in the water while it was coming to a boil. I bet he didn’t pour any on himself.
Why he thought it would possibly be a good idea to do it to someone else is absolutely beyond me. Some things should just be obvious.
Apparently they aren’t.
So I have a new challenge for everyone reading this: stay away from boiling water unless you’re cooking with it, and even then, be careful.
Don’t drink water hot enough to boil. Don’t pour it on yourself or anyone else.
And if someone issues a “hot water challenge”  to you, just walk away. They aren’t your friend.
