KiKi Challenge defies all logic
Those taking it up are putting themselves and others in danger
There is something very strange going on with young people. In the past two months, millennials have been displaying an inexplicable proclivity to jump out of moving vehicles on the road and dance to a particular song, with scant regard for such things as traffic rules, road etiquette, or even their own lives. Police in as many as five countries — including India and the USA — have had to issue warnings against performing this “Kiki Challenge”, given the risks it poses. The so-called challenge involves the playing of the new song, In My Feelings, by Canadian pop star, Drake, jumping out of a moving car, and dancing on the street moving next to the car. The driver films the whole enterprise, while continuing to drive. In many of these videos, people have been seen falling over potholes, running into poles, and even being hit by other vehicles. In one such video watched more than two million times, a boy in a Mumbai local train jumps on to the platform as the train begins to move and dances while his friends film him, while hanging half out of the train. Railway police found them — all three are in their 20s — and produced them in front of a magistrate who has sentenced them to clean a railway station for three days as punishment. This doesn’t appear to have deterred others who continue to upload videos of such stunts online. According to a report published by the ministry of road transport and highways, there were an average of 1317 accidents and 413 deaths on Indian roads every single day in 2016.
The severity of road accidents (which is the number of people killed per 100 accidents) has increased from 29.1 in 2015 to 31.4 in 2016. This idiotic stunt is only going to make things worse. People performing this challenge are not just putting their own lives at risk, but also endangering others on the road.
There are easier ways of gaining 15 minutes of fame than putting your life and the lives of others at risk. The unfortunate 2016 internet trend called the underboob pen challenge that originated in Japan and China is proof. It’s all very well to indulge in, record for posterity, and then publicise one’s most foolish moments on social media. But perhaps a way can be found to continue this pointlessness that does not involve putting innocent lives at risk. It’s time to grow up, millennials.