Teenagers being stupid is pretty much the norm across all generations.

 

That's very true. That said, my friends and I NEVER did 'challenge' shit. Maybe it's always happened, but I don't recall people setting themselves on fire or trying to sit in a baby seat. I think the dumbest ideas and nonsense gets amplified because of internet culture.

 

Agreed, but...

This. I don't know if the internet created "challenge culture" or it just highlighted something that was already there and made it worse, but being a kid in the 80's and a teen in the 90's we never did this shit. There was other stupid shit we did for sure, but it wasn't on this level of idiocy where you take a challenge to do something stupid and intentionally dangerous to film for the interwebs because some idiots on YouTube or Instagram or TikTok are also doing it.

 

I remember doing stupid shit just for the simple fun of it. And I'm glad I did all that stupid shit before youtube culture came about.

 

I was actually just thinking about this... there's a lot of things I did and said that I'm glad people can't find on social media today. If some of the stupid shit I did as a teen could be easily brought to light I'm sure I wouldn't be considered hireable by most employers. Most of us probably weren't angels as kids.

 

This chair be high says aye!

Stuck high because of your thighs....sigh

 

My friends did some seriously stupid shit in the 90s. We were just lucky no one had a camera to document it. Do you remember the choke out challenge? We had guys that did that. As well as drink anti-freeze and ride around on the hood of cars. I remember hearing about kids laying down on the lanes on the road and getting hit. That was inspired by the movie The Program.

I think what we're seeing today is just that everyone has the cameras to document the stupid shit that is going on. Plus in the day and age of the 24/7 news cycle, we're hearing more and more of these stories.

 

Interesting. Never heard of the choke out challenge or kids deliberately drinking anti-freeze (I've heard about accidental drinking of anti-freeze by kids because they found some in a cup and it tastes sweet so they didn't think about it when they chugged it until after they got sick). I did hear about the kids doing the road thing and getting hit since it happened to a couple of kids at my school.

 

I guess the difference between us older generations and today is that people think doing stupid shit will make them famous.

I don't feel I did stupid stuff. I might've done reckless stuff. I think there is a difference.

 

Funny, but proof that people aren't smart.

 

People daring other people to do dumb shit went on waaay before "internet culture." And isn't relegated to kids and teens.

No one was harmed and nothing was damaged. Just because you would never have done such things, doesn't mean other kids and teens around you never did either.


@Subdurmal  :

 

I never heard of any of those challenges, but hell. Rob Dyrdek got rich from people taking idiotic challenges, hurting themselves and showcasing it on MTV.

I was in high school in the late 80's and my friends and I never did any challenges. Getting laid was the only challenge we cared about.

 

Precisely! Its always been there! We just have easier ways to record it now is all.
I remember the choke out challenge.
People would dare other people to dare them to eat all kindsa weird shit. People had grand ideas that they could jump from the roof into the pool. People have been dared to do crazy and dangerous stunts. People have been dared to pull pranks. People have been dared to enter abandoned haunted buildings.

Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if cave people used to dare other cave people to piss off prehistoric critters to show off how brave they were.

Haven't college hazings been a thing since there were colleges?

Everyone has heard of Truth or Dare.

 

So, the general consensus seems to be that it's not that people have suddenly started doing stupid stuff but now we're deliberately filming the stupid stuff we do? Makes sense.

 

Stuff like that can lead to blood clots.
Yikes.

 

That's a far cry from some of the stuff that happens today.

There was a challenge where people were setting themselves on FIRE for youtube views.

You're seriously telling me you would've set yourself on fire for a dare?

Stupid stuff has always happened. Filming stupid stuff and putting it on youtube has exacerbated the problem. ​

 

It is said that the human mind doesnt fully mature until the age of 30....

 

And are you implying that people today are the only ones who got injured, killed or arrested?

There are always people who do dumb shit and take it way too far. What about people who played chicken on the train tracks? While not a dare, is running of the bulls not dangerous?

This was harmless. This was nothing. This was mild.

@Laser_Optimus America's Funniest and Jack-ass have come to mind. I'm unsure if other countries have similar shows.

 

the gist of this thread seems to be "i did stupid shit as a kid, but i'm less stupid cuz i didn't film it," which feels... more stupid. at least filming it you have proof n can reach a wider audience. doing dumb shit for 5 minutes of fame is at least a modicum less dumb than doing it for the glory of, what, the 2 people next to you?

 

lmao. I don't remember the set yourself on fire challenge on AFV. Yes, people have always done silly stuff. I guess it's just more present in culture now BECAUSE we have the internet. I'm not saying it didn't happen. I'm saying people seek it out because they think it will make them famous. I think there's a distinction there. ​

lol. Fair point.