You may have recently stumbled across the latest internet challenge to go viral. It is called the #InMyFeelings challenge, apparently named after a song I don’t care to hear by an artist that I wouldn’t recognize if he gave me a root canal. Which, ironically, I’d sooner endure than listening to his music. To the blissfully uninformed, the #InMyFeelings Challenge entails the challengee(?) to exit a slow-moving vehicle and dance along side it while the Drake song “In My Feelings” is playing. But of course, no act devoid of rationality or common sense would matter if it weren’t captured on video, for the inspired, incredulous, or bewildered masses to watch. What may be the most unintentionally comical reaction, at least IMHO, is this gem from the NTSB, not usually known for their witty rejoinders:
“Here’s a reminder we thought we’d never have to give: Don’t jump out of a moving vehicle to dance in the street.” Well played, NTSB.
In a perfect world, or even in one that was sort of okay, this type of challenge would be an anomaly. Lest you think it is, let me remind you of these classics recently occupying space in the cyber zeitgeist. A couple of the tamer challenges, at least compared to others, were the cinnamon challenge and planking. Not long ago, kids were eating Tide Pods and putting salt and ice on their skin, which leaves burns. Speaking of burns, the aptly named “Fire Challenge” consisted of applying flammable liquid to one’s self and igniting it. Duct tape, long considered the greatest invention since the aforementioned fire, was wrapped around a person who was then challenged to free themselves. I’ve struggled to escape from a bedsheet in which I accidentally rolled myself, so this one horrifies me. And because no real challenge is complete without moving vehicles and public roads, we’ve seen car surfing and the #InMyFeelings challenge.
Philosopher Emeritus at Greenbow University, Dr. Forrest Gump, once quipped, “Stupid is as stupid does.” This saying, attributed to Dr. Gump, is a variant of an older adage; at least that’s what the internet says. I think the same holds true in regards to doing stupid or harmful things for attention. I could imagine our ancient forefathers accepting the challenges of their day. Would Zelophehad dare to ride his chariot through a body of water, the #RedSea Challenge? Perhaps Nahash the Ammonite succumbed to peer pressure and set his own hair on fire, ala the #BurningBush Challenge. Maybe a misguided Jewish teen was mortally wounded after attempting the #StonedLikeStephen Challenge. Is the desire for fame or notoriety, even if only for a virtual 15 minutes, part of our human nature? When we all succumb to the #DirtNap or #AssumeRoomTemperature Challenge, hopefully not as a result of an internet trend, there is only One whose recognition and applause we should covet.
(Click “Stand on Firmer Ground” for deeper look into #InMyFeelings Challenge?)