Choking Game

[FromTexas]

PARADISE, California (CNN) -- Looking back, Sarah Pacatte realizes she missed the warning signs.

But at the time, the mother of four thought maybe her 13-year-old son, Gabriel Mordecai, was smoking marijuana. She never imagined he was putting a rope around his neck and choking himself for a rush.

Boy dies from choking game. Kids are doing it everywhere?

You know. I feel bad when I see any story about kids dieing. However, I have to admit I don't feel too bad for the kid on this one. We are talking 13 and 14 year old kids here who are choking themselves until they pass out. You can't tell me any kid that age does not know that a lack of oxygen kills. They know people die from getting strangled, etc...

They are doing this (playing with a very direct form of dieing) for a few second high. I feel bad for the parents who should never have to deal with something like this, but the kid was just plain dumb in my opinion and accomplished exactly what he set out to do... strangle himself. If you have to do something, go smoke pot like a normal teen at least. It lasts a hell of a lot longer, won't kill you, and you will probably grow of out it, but choking yourself? Well, don't be surprised when you keel over. It makes me wonder how much some of these kids may have hoped they didn't wake up.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

I think this was brought up a while ago, though not sure if it was weeks, months or possibly a year ago. I had friends that would hyperventilate (so to speak) and choke themselves, pass out for a few seconds, and wake up saying "Cool!" I never saw the fun in it and never tried it. I was always too skeered.

 

[FromTexas]

Hyperventilation has been a trick since I was a kid. I never did it, but that is not quite the same as choking yourself until you pass out. Choking is the complete lack of oxygen to the brain. The ones who do choke themselves may just be knocking on Darwin's door.

 

[Infidel]

It's a crying shame children are wasting their lives looking for a new rush, life is so full of challenges.

 

[hvp05]

The ones who do choke themselves may just be knocking on Darwin's door.

Sadly, trying to clean up our gene pool would be about as effective as cleaning your swimming pool... there will always be crap ending up there. I doubt society is losing much when kids of this intelligence level exterminate themselves.

 

[ylexot]

Sadly, trying to clean up our gene pool would be about as effective as cleaning your swimming pool... there will always be crap ending up there. I doubt society is losing much when kids of this intelligence level exterminate themselves.

I disagree. Sure, there will still be stuff in there, but that's not a good reason to not bother cleaning. Get rid of the safety nazis and the pool will clear up significantly.

 

[hvp05]

Get rid of the safety nazis and the pool will clear up significantly.

In what country -- ylexotonia? Maybe you can lure them over the edge of a cliff with some gubment cheese. Safety be damned for some ultra-low-grade cheese!

Is it really possible to halt the train on the path of destruction? It's sooo much easier to be dumb than intelligent. Look how quickly it has spread in the past four decades or so.

 

[Larry Gude]

To be blunt about it...

I doubt society is losing much when kids of this intelligence level exterminate themselves.

...we're not losing ANYTHING. We're gaining.

Kids do stupid stuff and it's part of growing up and learning. Some kids go to the edge and survive and learn from it. Some kids go to far...and other kids learn from it. Some kids have their early common sense re-inforced by stupid kids. For every kid who has heard about choking and decided that they just gotta try this, there is a greater number who just might not because, having heard about it or the results first, it just sounds to stupid.

One dead kid goes a long way and I argue that it saves others and strengthens the whole. There is benefit in the lose.

 

[Tonio]

Kids do stupid stuff and it's part of growing up and learning. Some kids go to the edge and survive and learn from it. Some kids go to far...and other kids learn from it. Some kids have their early common sense re-inforced by stupid kids. For every kid who has heard about choking and decided that they just gotta try this, there is a greater number who just might not because, having heard about it or the results first, it just sounds to stupid.

While that makes sense, parents still have a duty to teach common sense to their kids. I think some of that sense is taught and some has to be learned.

 

[Larry Gude]

I agree...

While that makes sense, parents still have a duty to teach common sense to their kids. I think some of that sense is taught and some has to be learned.

...I am NOT arguing that all education of children is to come from choking games. I am arguing that the things kids do, the stupid stuff they do when unsupervised, is ALSO a part of growing up and learning.

 

[Chain729]

...we're not losing ANYTHING. We're gaining.

Kids do stupid stuff and it's part of growing up and learning. Some kids go to the edge and survive and learn from it. Some kids go to far...and other kids learn from it. Some kids have their early common sense re-inforced by stupid kids. For every kid who has heard about choking and decided that they just gotta try this, there is a greater number who just might not because, having heard about it or the results first, it just sounds to stupid.

One dead kid goes a long way and I argue that it saves others and strengthens the whole. There is benefit in the lose.

I completely agree.

I'd also like to mention that I'm shocked that people think that things like are new (not neccessarily people posting in this thread). When I read the article, the first thing that came to mind were inhalents- which coincedentally work on the same principal (lack of oxygen to the brain). However, I'd have to admit that choking yourself- while extremely stupid- is slightly less foolish than huffing paint or duster (easier to control and doesn't require toxic chemicals).

 

[Tonio]

I am arguing that the things kids do, the stupid stuff they do when unsupervised, is ALSO a part of growing up and learning.

I agree completely. Still, there are parents who twist that around to defend their own inadequate supervision of their kids. The kind who shrug their shoulders and say, "Kids will be kids, whaddya gonna do?"