Two deaths in this country alone, and STILL a massive growing number of teens and young adults taking part in an Internet challenge called “NekNomination.”
Some reports suggest the game originated in the U.K. as far back as 2008, but has only gained momentum recently. It involves binge drinking as fast as a person can in increasingly extreme ways, such as drinking out of a toilet, a petrol can, and even under water.
There are hundreds of videos posted on YouTube and Facebook showing people NekNominating, and the trend has literally exploded since Christmas.
Once a person posts a video of themselves online, they challenge their friends to outdo them, drinking in a more extreme way, egging them on to greater feats and ultimately “calling them out” for anyone who watches the video to see.
The problem with this particularly game is that it originally started off quite harmless. People drank down a Scooner of beer (3/4 a pint) as fast as the could and challenged their friend to do it quicker. From there, macho men tried to up their game by bringing in wilder, stronger drinks. Such a stupid and ludacris thing to do.
Young people participating in stupid and dangerous video challenges on the Internet is nothing new, but the NekNomination challenge has spurred public outcry from parents and politicians following the recent deaths.
As a result, a Facebook page that was used to promote the game has since been removed by the founders. Despite the fact that Facebook was pressured by Ireland’s communications minister to remove offending Neknomination pages, the company rejected her the saying that the page did not break company rules on harmful content.
You just can’t put an old head on young shoulders. I’ve heard so many 30 somethings say this week that they’re “lucky it wasn’t around when we were 20” because they openly would have done the same. Teaching common sense from an early age is under-rated. Peer pressure is a bogus term. If you instill confidence with a solid, sound up-bringing, no one in their right mind at any age would attempt to Neknominate. We need to teach our kids to stand up for themselves once they hit junior infants. They have to believe in caring less about others opinions and more about their own drive and ambitions in life.
To the 20 somethings, life is short, it can be very enjoyable, but it is short. Make the most of it – forget Neknominations and the like – do what makes you alone happy, use your instinctive wisdom and value your precious life.