Everybody did dumb stuff when they were young. Let’s correct that: More like 99.9 percent of everybody did dumb stuff when they were young.
Every school had that one kid who always did the right thing. Very annoying, but that “one kid” is now making a lot more money than everybody else in his/her graduating class, either programming computers or running a software company.
But in decades past, doing dumb stuff consisted of throwing toilet paper onto a friend’s house, eating a habañero pepper on a dare, or sneaking into an R-rated movie.
It didn’t consist of lighting someone’s clothes on fire with Axe body spray. That truly is dumb and something that has led to the temporarily expulsion of five Federal Way middle school boys.
According to the Federal Way School District, students caught on school property using the spray as a fire launcher are immediately expelled. Students can come back to school if they complete a fire safety program with South King Fire and Rescue. That’s a steep but fair penalty for doing dumb stuff.
So what actually goes through kids’ minds when they are contemplating attempting this feat? “This is going to be so freakin’ cool. What could go wrong? I’m only spraying a highly-flammable liquid onto my body and then lighting it with a match. The girls are going to think I’m awesome.”
The trend is apparently becoming popular in Federal Way. The school district even went as far as sending a letter warning parents that middle school boys were lighting themselves on fire.
“Our first priority is to create a safe and comfortable learning environment for all students,” the letter from Superintendent Tom Murphy said. “We depend on parents and other adults in our students’ lives to partner with us in that goal. Please model safe behaviors at home and talk with your student about the dangers of playing with fire. Lighting a person on fire can lead to first-, second- or third-degree burns as well as damage to property and criminal prosecution. Students who participate in this activity at school will be expelled.”
Come on, kids. Stick to TP’ing houses, and save the Axe body spray for its intended use — covering up body odor for people who don’t like taking showers.