13.2.14 Neknominate - Simple Simon Says

It is indeed sad that there have been some deaths linked to the 'Neknominate' phenomenon.  It must be hard for the families of those who died to be anything but incensed by the apparent endorsement of the craze by Facebook.  I tend to disagree with those who want it banned, and who see the problem as one created by Facebook.  Facebook is simply a tool, and like the internet, it is part of life now.  The old saying of "a bad workman blames his tools" does in fact have some relevance here, even if this is seemingly callous towards the relatives of those who've died.  My general views are rather simple, and underline how the world is now full of individuals who have decided that personal responsibility is no longer something to be adopted; it is always the responsibility of someone else or something else, and so 'fault' is never accepted on an individual basis.

Is this approach the result of the insurance realm, where denial is the immediate response that is not only ubiquitous, but promoted as the right thing to do by insurers?  This has most surely infected normal life because the first thought after any incident now is usually "whom can I blame" and running a close second, "from whom can I claim?".  You will need to allow me some licence there, seeing as "whom" is actually a word that most no longer know exists, let alone know how to use it.

In life, we now feel entitled.  The sense of entitlement stretches from our wishes to do things, say things, buy things and claim for things, whether benefits from a soft government system, or thousands from insurers after a paper cut.  I am sick and tired of people whinging about having a minor accident and then deciding that it was the fault of the council or the landlord, who didn't erect a sign to say that the kerb was five inches higher than the fucking road surface, and care should be taken when walking from one side of the road to the other.

There are some real challenges these days, many linked to technology and the removal of many of the boundaries that helped older generations cope with things.  There are enormous benefits, and enormous risks.  Managing risk is one of those topics that is cited as vital in so many spheres these days, and the social media sphere is the one that demands the most vigilance - and care.

The manufacturer of a chisel is not going to accept any responsibility at all for a bloke injuring his hand while scraping away some wood or knocking it into a door frame to create a rebate.  Provision of the instrument includes an implicit requirement that the user will not be a twat, and will exercise some proper care during use.  In the same way, any facility, product or service is made available with some basic expectations.  Sadly, some of the stupidity in life is linked to nonsensical rulings that have demanded we now get a warning that the hot drink we have just asked for will be "hot".

Pier pressure is cited as an evil that drives people to do silly things.  It is undeniable that this is indeed a factor - it has always been thus.  Facebook simply makes that factor rather more widespread, and rather more quickly applied.  It must therefore be for users of the system to exercise some judgement when making use of the tool.  If I told you to jump off a cliff, would you?  The power of suggestion is of course useful to hypnotists, but I refuse to believe that the average person cannot identify a stupid thing when it is presented (excluding of course the mirror's reflection, in some cases).  If someone is capable enough to use Facebook, then he or she has to accept responsibility for personal actions.

Neknominate is just the latest "thing to do".  Drinking a pint (in one go) and nominating two others to follow suit is not a lot different from any drinking game over the last few hundred years.  Uploading the video to Facebook is of course the main difference, and it is this element that causes problems - for those whose obsession is with publicity.  The whole world now wants to be on TV, on YouTube, on Facebook, and this drives stupidity.  In fact, there are so many channels these days, there are programme makers crying out for people to do silly things and be filmed.  Participants in anything must exercise some judgement, or there could be unpleasant consequences - arrest, illness, injury, and even death.  These things threaten the population daily, and every day we do things, take risks, make mistakes and often get things right as well. Judgement is simply a thing required of us all, as is the acceptance of responsibility.  It is lame to think that whenever anything goes wrong, it's the fault of [ enter name/company/institution here ].

Anyone who walks around or cycles while wearing earphones because of the incessant need to continuously listen to music is taking a risk, and could be injured or killed.  This selfish action could easily lead to the death of another person, if a car driver for example tries to swerve out of the way of the idiot with the nodding head.  I would argue that this is a phenomenon just as potentially dangerous (to other parties as well) as Neknominate.  Meanwhile, the person who drinks baked beans and Guinness, with a splash of Tequila and a dash of Absinthe, is rather asking for trouble.  Pier pressure?  Not sure about that.

I've no idea what the next mad thing will be.  There are people taking 'selfies' with homeless people, and posting pictures online.  We've had the 'plank' poss, extreme ironing, and bad taste photos where people stand in morbid places looking pleased with themselves.  I've seen people gorging themselves on 32oz steaks and other eating challenges which are equally stupid.  If the next 'challenge' on Facebook is to eat 20 doughnuts, is it the fault of doughnut makers/retailers?  Not at all - and it's certainly not the fault of Facebook.

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