To snowed-in Bostonians, it’s February of a leap year.
Here’s what we know. Since Massachusetts turned into a set from “Misery” a few weeks ago, a bunch of young people have filmed themselves jumping into the pillowy tundra outdoors, some stripped to their skimpies. Their launch points have varied in height and stability: street-level, the back porch, stair railing, the roofs of cars (but not the roofs of homes, thank god, though they may as well, seeing as they’ve been springing from second-story windows). The videos have been uploaded with the hashtag #BostonBlizzardChallenge.
Outlets started to cover the “phenomenon” in its nascent stages and noted the early social media attention. But it didn’t go full-on Facebook trending until it caught the eye of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who wants the daredevils to knock it the F* off already.
“I’m asking people to stop their nonsense right now. These are adults jumping out windows,” he said with a generous designation of the perpetrators on Tuesday. He added that it could be a fatal mistake, or at least one that leads to a 911 call.
“This isn’t Loon Mountain,” Walsh said, invoking an appropriately named New Hampshire resort if we’re keeping points for double entendres.
He’s right. But since his shut-in residents can’t have a Boston ski party, they’re going for the next best thing: hurling themselves onto snow-covered ground in freezing temperatures with no clothes on.
This thing has been compared to the #IceBucketChallenge. To Walsh’s point, I don’t know what anyone would be raising money for except their own medical bills (low-volume NSWF language in this one).
What’s the verdict on these antics? One only wishes we could have knucklehead correspondent Gov. Chris Christie weigh in.
I’ve seen these . . . videos of people stripping to their underwear and doing backflips off the stairs into the snow. You wanna be an acrobat? You wanna be in Cirque du Soleil? Move to Vegas. But as long as you’re in this state, in this weather, don’t be dumb. We don’t need anybody being admitted to the hospital for a case of the stupids right now.
Maybe it’s just a case of boredom. I understand that binge-watching movies is a blizzardtime activity. Perhaps these challenge accepters have been taking “Almost Famous” a little too inspirationally.
“You can tell the [Boston Globe] that my last words were . . . I’m on drugs!”
According to the National Weather Service, almost five feet of snow has fallen on Boston this month. The season’s total is 96.3 inches, which would about hit the knees of the gigantic Elizabeth Warren statue they’re going to build in Boston Common once she defeats Hillary for the Democratic nomination.
