Young People Dangling Themselves From Meat Hooks - For Fun

[matcom]

<snip>

MIAMI (Reuters) - Law enforcement officials in the Florida Keys are mystified by a bizarre new pastime -- young people dangling themselves from meat hooks on a popular sandbar.

A U.S. Coast Guard (news - web sites) spokeswoman said on Sunday that the Monroe County sheriff's office and Coast Guard were called on July 12 to the sandbar off Whale Harbor in Islamorada where locals say wild behavior is becoming a tradition.

They found that five young people had erected a bamboo tripod and hung meat hooks from it. A young woman, her feet brushing the surface of the shallow water, dangled from the frame, hooks embedded firmly in her shoulders.

According to a Coast Guard video, she did not seem to mind the hooks.

Lt. Tom Brazil of the Coast Guard told the Key West Citizen newspaper that a young man, who also had hooks embedded in his heavily pierced and tattooed skin, assured him the group was "just enjoying the afternoon."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=573&e=3&u=/nm/20040719/od_nm/odd_hooks_dc

[teach1st]

1. All I can think of is...

...shark bait.

[kiahzero]

2. WTF?

The Coast Guard passed the video on to federal justice authorities but no further action will be taken.

Why, exactly, was this passed to the feds?

[VelmaD]

5. Because if you do anything the least bit...

out of the ordinary anymore...you MUST BE A TERRORIST. :eyes:

[TrogL]

9. Conservatives think if it's strange, it's illegal

[GOPisEvil]

3. There must be a severe lack of things to do down there.

:wtf:

[underpants]

10. Okay this seems to be the appropriate place to post this

First let me say that I have no problem with people doing what they want to do and all and I am NOT being judgemental but:

If you live in the Keys and you have to do this to have fun OR if you think your lot in life is so horrible there IS something wrong with you. I would give anything to be able to afford living in the Keys.

This is the same as the "satanic cults" in San Diego that we heard about in the Laci Peterson case. What is WRONG with you? It's San Di-FREAKIN-ego IT's PERFECT HERE!!!!!!!!!

[toddzilla]

18. no matter where you go..

there you are. although it would be marginally more enjoyable to be horribly depressed on the beach, in the end, you're still horribly depressed.

[kiahzero]

27. What's with the assumptions?

Who said it was a satanic cult, or that the people in question think their lot in life is horrible?

This is, of course, neglecting the other assumption you made, which is that if you can afford to live in some area, then clearly your life must be perfect. Isn't that just a tad materialistic?

[mike_c]

4. kids these days....

:crazy:

[Bonhomme Richard]

6. Sounds like the return of the Dakota "Ghost Dance"

The Sioux used to do just that. Pierce their breast skin with bone and hang in the air.

[m-jean03]

7. Maybe they're training as sideshow freaks

There was a guy on the X-Files once, he also went on Dan Savage's radio show about 9-10 years ago, who wrote a book on how to do stuff like that. He was a performance artist, a pain-endurance guy. Really amazing, brutal stuff that he did.

Obviously it's coming in vogue among a certain daredevil crowd...

Totally bizarre, totally fucked up I think. I mean I can understand a professional, who's trained his whole life to make money off his art, but kids doing it for the thrill?

What if they messed up and really impaled or actually killed themselves?

And the idea of a meathook is just so horror-show and wrong....Humans aren't meat, I don't care how many Hannibal Lecter movies you've seen! :P Blechhh...

I might just throw up upon seeing somebody do that to themselves. :puke:

[LizW]

8. Body suspension

Isn't this the latest fad kids are doing to shock and dismay their elders?

There are whole websites on it.

http://www.suspension.org/ (WARNING: disturbing photos)

[undergroundpanther]

12. For some people

suspension and body modification
are ways to overcome the shackling limits of this body.
Pain can induce trance it can get the mind away from fear.
Not everything you see is what you think.

Some forms of body modification can help overcome psychological traumas,while some are caused by struggling with it. Only the individual knows why they are doing what they do.An outside observer can only guess at the reasons .And often their guesses hinge on their own mind and attitudes twords things more than trying to understand why someone else would do a suspension.

The Bush admin like all bullies are some scared insecure competitive people.So they can't handle anyone's differences.
They must make everyone else become like they are. This tendency twords enforcing sameness over diversity and pluralism,is a problem. Bullies tend to put a chill on difference specially over things they don't understand in others because it looks weird(threatening) to them so it is labeled a problem.

People need to let other people be what they are,and to stop this control conform'normal' mind game.People can't recognize real danger from something that appears dangerous.The shredding of our freedoms by the Bush admin is far more dangerous and far more tragic to everyone in America then AL Qeada or the twin towers falling.300- or so dead was not worth losing so much of our rights.But chickenhearted bully people who crave safety and security from authority figures even if under the wing of a tyrant,will have problems understanding suspension.
Fundie Christian evangelicals,bullies and right winger types demanding companies all desire uniformity to make people be the same way,look the same,live the same"normal".Suburbia and rectangles of green.Mono culture is the only way a cultural bully can feel secure ,when the whole world looks just like him,believes the same,dresses the same,talks the same,he never has to see anything that not himself so his fragile ego /beliefs/power structure is unchallenged.

Never underestimate the desire for control from a right wing bully Christian evangelical lusting for mono culture thinking that if all are alike and in lockstep he can finally stop seeing his shadows.

[m-jean03]

16. I think these kinds of pain and self-mutilation fads are very disturbing

from a psychological point of view.

It seems that, when a lot of people among a generation are becoming so numb to how sensational life is that they are needing violent and painful means like this to stimulate their senses, I think that is a serious problem and distress signal.

This is self-destruction, plain and simple. These people are also into cutting and self-mutilation. This isn't art, this isn't tattooing, or piercing -- things done for beauty or aesthetics. This is mentally disturbed behavior, and I can't accept it, although I am otherwise a very tolerant person.

[mike_c]

15. let me repeat that warning!!!!

OK, I looked. That is one disturbing web site.

on edit: here's a link to those Florida sand bar kids-- again, graphic photos: http://www.bmezine.com/ritual/suspanim001.html

[Richardo]

11. Those poor misunderstood 'utes'...

"Uh... did you say "utes"?

[Downtown Hound]

13. I think think these kids have seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre

one too many times.

[Westegg]

14. Body play's been going on for 1000s of years!! (n/t)

[KinkyDem]

17. Judgmental much?

Here's a reminder for all you OLD people who may have forgotten these words ...


Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

[matcom]

19. what in my post indicated i was being judgemental?

its a news story

[KinkyDem]

20. not you matcom

just most of the replies.

[underpants]

21. Me

Well that is my initial reaction when I hear about this.

[VelmaD]

24. I think a lot of people...

just don't get it. And that's ok. It isn't everybody's cup of tea. I just wish they'd be less judgemental about things they don't understand. As far as I'm concerned everyone has something they're into that I just don't get...as long as they don't try to force it on me or on some other unwilling participant I don't care.

[Richardo]

22. Yes. It's OK to be judgemental.

Especially about stupid things. ;)

[Downtown Hound]

26. I might have been a little hasty

in my comment. Truth is, I don't care what anyone does with their own body and never will. It's none of my business. It's not something I'll ever try though.

[Khephra]

23. Heh...I guess some people have never watched National Geographic

or they'd know that body suspension has been around for eons...and a part of the body modification culture for at least 20 years here in the US.

Now the one practice that creeps me out is SELF trepanation. If you're going to drill a hole in your head, at least have someone else doing it.

[THUNDER HANDS]

25. you know after the first time they couldn't stop doing it

they were hooked.

:D