Teen Burned Trying To Re-create 'Jackass' Stunt

Seattle Post Intelligencer ^ | November 11, 2002

[bassmaner]

Most young boys are forced to live sheltered, soft lives incompatible with their hormonal warrior urges. 150 years ago boys this age would've been required to know how to use a firearm (as opposed to hiding the darn things from them) and would often have to stay outside working for long periods of time. Many would be required to hunt and chop large amounts of wood (today we tell them "Don't play with knives!")...

You should be ashamed of yourself -- how terribly un-PC you are /sarcasm

But seriously, you're right on the money as far as today's feminized society denying "rites of passage" to young males. A nanny state is as a nanny state does -- and we'll pay the price if we continue to "protect children" to such a degree that we'll not want to let them leave the house until they turn 21.

[Bigg Red]

You make some excellent points about the way boys are raised today. What about sports?

[kjam22]

I agree that young men aren't being raised to be "men" in many homes these days. But.. hey.... I'm not sure teaching the kid to hunt at a young age would raise his IQ enough to keep him from setting himself on fire.

[orfisher]

Jackass the movie is just another government plot to purify the gene pool.

[Romulus]

he still thinks his son has a bright future

Bright past, too.

[skeeter]

Yesterday, Wu was partly blaming himself and wondering whether he should have raised his son in what he called the traditional Chinese way.

Being American and being stupid are not synonimous, Mr Wu. Common sense is a universal quality.

The real problem is you imparted no common sense to your son.

[orfisher]

Jackass the movie is just another government plot to purify the gene pool.

[Shermy]

To appreciate better your commendable song-smithing I need a musical notation, or the music to which you reference. Sounds so 50's sha la la.

[FormerLib]

Natural selection will not be denied.

[smokinleroy]

Where's the "Hold Muh Beer" alert?

You mean "Hold my sake"

[American Soldier]

They have been watered down too much as well. Martial arts with a real East Asian master that is not afraid to dole out physical punishment (meaning additional exercises and stretches, not beatings) would work.

But look for example at America's game, baseball. We've created softball and T-ball in order to extend infancy just a few years more. For God's sake I could have been playing Triple-A quality baseball by the time I was 14 had it not been for the 4-5 years wasted on those fake games T-ball and slow pitch softball!

Tackle football is good, but I would hesitate to get my kid involved with any junior outfit that does two-hand touch or flag football.

[ErnBatavia]

Not a re-creation.

But nearly a cremation.

[Dark Seraph]

It's not working fast enough.

[Jonathon Spectre]

Kelvin, 15, soaked his shirt in alcohol, and -- as his friends videotaped the prank -- the Bellevue teenager set himself on fire.

Kelvin, meet Darwin. Darwin, this is Kelvin.

[Zack Nguyen]

I'm not sure teaching the kid to hunt at a young age would raise his IQ enough to keep him from setting himself on fire.

LOL. I guess if you'll set yourself on fire there really isn't anything the rest of us can do. Seriously, I'm glad this young man wasn't hurt. I think he has been blessed with a second chance, and I hope any existing scars can be corrected with plastic surgery.

[PinkoBrit]

actually an authentic Bill Hicks classic, god rest his trouble-making soul.

[muir_redwoods]

Mr. Darwin, meet Mr. Jackass

[ArrogantBustard]

When I was this lad's age, I learnt the trick of dipping my hand in methanol and setting it alight. I've done it many times. A few simple safety precautions (a wet towel, for example) make it a fairly harmless parlour stunt. Hint: Don't use petrol. If I were a teenager, today, and got caught doing some of the stuff I actually did (and got away with) I shudder to think what I would be "diagnosed" with.

[antidisestablishment]

Hmmm....

Father says kid who set himself on fire has bright future.

[Cobra64]

The boy's name is Kelvin? hmmm. I remember this from chemistry class. Let's see what the dictionary says.

1. Kelvin: A unit of absolute temperature equal to 1/273.16 of the absolute temperature of the triple point of water. One kelvin degree is equal to one Celsius degree. See table at measurement.

2. Kelvin A temperature scale in which zero occurs at absolute zero and each degree equals one kelvin. Water freezes at 273.15 K and boils at 373.15 K.

What temperature was Kelvin running when he ignited his shirt?Kelvin should win this month's Darwin award.