PETERS: With the bottle cap challenge, at least no one ate laundry detergent

More shocking, perhaps, is the sheer number of challenge videos that have made the rounds since the advent of the internet.

Some of them are innocuous like this bottle cap challenge, resulting in a few laughs and perhaps a few broken bottles.

There was the mannequin challenge, in which groups of people froze in place while the camera panned across the scene to give the impression of a group of mannequins.

Silly and fun.

In the cheesed challenge, parents threw slices of processed cheese at their babies’ faces. Hilarious, but also humiliating.

One of these challenges managed to actually do a lot of good.

The Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014 raised millions of dollars for ALS research.

But many of these videos are unbelievably unwise when it comes to the danger they present to their participants.

After the Netflix movie Bird Box came out last year, people began filming themselves performing ordinary tasks while blindfolded. As one can imagine, injuries ensued.

The cinnamon challenge had people swallowing spoonfuls of cinnamon, something very ill-advised that can lead to serious respiratory and digestive complications.

Then there’s the Tide Pod challenge, in which participants ingested laundry detergent. There is no hope for these people.

A good dose of silliness is rarely out of place, and a hearty laugh is good for the soul.

But common sense is highly underrated.

Let’s see another viral sensation in the vein of the Ice Bucket Challenge: something fun and daring and also benevolent and beneficial to the world beyond the laughter and smiles it provides.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.

by James Peters

PETERS: With the bottle cap challenge, at least no one ate laundry detergent

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