14 DAY TRIAL // A couple of months back, researchers in the UK announced that, having taken the time to study the behavioral patterns of men and women as illustrated by the nominees and the winners of the Darwin awards, they found guys to be, well, more idiotic then gals.
Since nobody likes to be called an idiot, this little investigation and its outcome sparked a whole lot of controversy. The thing is that, as it turns out, the British scientists really were onto something when they labeled men the more unwise of the bunch.
Case in point: a new game that self-proclaimed daredevils in Russia are now playing hoping to get a hearty adrenaline rush, cash and the respect of their peers. The game, presently an underground one, is kind of, sort of like Russian Roulette, except it is played with tasers instead of guns.
First off, here's what this new Russian Roulette game entails
As mentioned, this game is, for the time being at least, an underground one. Hence, a detailed list of its rules and regulations is yet to hit the public eye. Provided that such a list even exists, that is.
What we do know is that the game boils down to guys knowingly and willingly electrocuting each other for money and fame. Mind you, word has it that the winners also get medals. Pretty neat, I dare say.
Here’s how the game is played: the daredevils aching and breaking to make some cash and rise to fame all within the blink of an electroshock stand in a circle and fire 10,000-volt tasers at each other.
When the game begins, each of the participants has just one live cartridge in his gun-shaped taser. Those who fire but don’t electrocute anybody are allowed to add another cartridge for the next round.
The game ends when just one guy is left standing and all the others are lying on the floor, wriggling in pain and most likely cursing the moment they thought it a good idea to take part in this bizarre sport.
Electric shocks are not as they make it seem in the movies
Admittedly, adrenaline rushes can be a whole lot of fun. If they weren't, sports like bungee jumping or surfing would never have been invented and wouldn't be as popular as they are. Then again, there is a thin line between bravery and stupidity, and this new Russian game more than crosses it.
Now, I know that there are plenty of movies out there that make electrocuting look downright hilarious, but the truth is that getting shocked is one of the worst experiences anyone would ever dare imagine. In fact, it's right up there with having to sit through an entire Nicki Minaj concert.
Here is what happens when you get electrocuted: the moment the electric current hits you, your body will become a resistor. Otherwise put, the current will encounter resistance in the form of your flesh. All this pushing and shoving will create heat, hence the burns the some electroshock victims suffer.
What's more, the electric current will surely interfere with the signals our brain uses to communicate with our muscles and all the other organs in our body. Long story short, the current will override the brain and tell the muscles to flex when they shouldn't. This can cause potentially fatal heart trouble.
As if this weren't enough to make people never want to touch a socket again, specialists warn that those who get electrocuted also risk damage to their central nervous system. In some cases, this damage can be serious enough to cause death.
Russian Roulette with tasers is one of the dumbest games ever
I hate to break it to you, but as it turns out, just 9 volts are enough to kill a person if applied directly to the heart. The reason we don't have to worry about getting killed when, say, changing a light bulb is that, as mentioned, our bodies have built-in resistance.
By the looks of if, the guys who are now playing Russian Roulette with tasers insist that getting electrocuted during this game is not all that different to getting a punch in the face or in the stomach. Still, it dare say that this is not a good enough reason not to stop playing this game.
When you get punched in the face, you know what to expect. A swollen eye, a broken nose, maybe some blood. The body's reaction to electric current, on the other hand, is not something that can easily be predicted. Have the electric current mess with your heart or your brains, and you might die.
So let's ask ourselves: are fame and money worth risking one's life? Excuse me for not being an adrenaline junkie, but I don't think they are. The way I see it, this new form of Russian Roulette does not even qualify as a game or a sports. Not when winning boils down to being the luckiest of the bunch and has nothing to do with one's personal abilities.