Planking: Another trend taken to idiot levels

Early last Sunday, a young man aged in his early 20's plunged to his death from his apartment's balcony. When I first heard this news the first thought that came to mind was 'how sad. Gone too soon.' But when I read the details surrounding his death, pity turned into disbelief. As it turns out, the man had been out drinking with friends and upon returning to his apartment, he decided he wanted his friend to take a photo of him 'planking' on his balcony's railing. Of course, he lost his balance and... well you get the point.

And all because of this new internet craze that they call 'planking'. You know how it works: You lie on your stomach with your hands by your sides and you get your photo taken. You then post this picture on the internet so that other people can admire your work. People usually pose in dangerous, daring settings. On top of cars, on rooftops, on railings, on treetops and I even saw one released in the news of a planker perched on a basketball hoop! Clearly, the more daring your position, the more 'cool points' you get from fellow plankers. I guess this particular guy wanted to prove to his friends and some people on the internet just how hard he is by planking on that railing but instead, he got a one-way ticket to the afterlife.

Naturally, the police spoke out against this craze, stating that plankers risk hurting themselves and that anyone caught planking in dangerous locations could be charged. This was the case some time last week, when a knucklehead was fined for planking on top of a police car.
Predictably, plankers laughed off the police warnings, with the so-called Brisbane Planking Association stating that while accidents do happen, cops should lay off and let people have their fun. But they also warned other plankers that they need to be careful with dangerous locations and not to mix planking with drinking.

It never ceases to amaze me how people can turn the most mundane activity into a potentially dangerous activity that can have dire consequences for the participant. This trend is nothing more than a glorified 'anything you can do, I can do better' competition. Can you just imagine what would happen if this trend continues? People are going to start taking things too far. What's next? Plankers on top of a moving airplane? Plankers on top of Mt. Everest? Plankers in the Great Barrier Reef? Plankers riding on a shark or a crocodile? Hell, what if in the future people start running out of ideas on planet earth and start begging Sir Richard Branson for a trip to the moon just to plank?

Is getting praise from fellow plankers really worth getting seriously hurt or worse? Sure, you may look like a big hero to like-minded folks, but to the general public, you just look like a knucklehead with too much time on their hands. Really, if you guys want to throw caution into the wind just for the sake of some false praise from people on the 'net that you're probably never going to meet, well go right ahead. Just don't start crying to your mommies when you get hurt really bad just because you fell off a tree or off a moving vehicle.

Maybe I'm being too harsh. Not all plankers are idiots and planking, when it's done safely is ok. As it is with anything, as long as you don't overdo it, it's all good. But seriously, trying to pose on top of street lights, railings, moving vehicles, traffic lights and anywhere that could result in serious injuries is going too far. I do wonder, though. Had this trend taken off a couple of weeks earlier, wouldn't it have been funny to see a planker crash the Royal Wedding and attempt to plank on top of Prince William's head? Could have saved him from those unflattering photos!