Time to come out and say it: some people are materialistic to the point of stupidity. They are bent on building of an inventory of unnecessary luxuries by any means necessary.
An example of such misjudged need to acquire luxuries is the woman who died from water intoxication in the pursuit of winning a Nintendo Wii. Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old mother of three, died from water intoxication after participating in Sacramento’s KDND-FM radio contest “Hold your wee for a Wii.”
The contest was basically who could drink the most water without having to answer nature’s call. She was at two gallons worth of water. There are recordings from the contest on YouTube that shows disregard for the participants. Water intoxication occurs when an overabundance of water dilutes the body’s vital fluids and absorbs its necessary salts. It could lead to swelling of the brain, seizures, comas, an irregular heartbeat and, in some cases, death. It is essentially drowning without having to be submerged in any water.
While it was incredibly stupid for the radio station to hold a contest like, it just wasn’t all that intelligent to participate in it (no offense to the deceased).
And though it was incredibly irresponsible for Strange to participate in the ill-fated contest, the blame does go more toward the radio station. A radio station is here to entertain. If one of their public relations stunts contests might be dangerous, then at least warn the public that there are some dangers to it.
There is a major bout with irresponsibility on both sides. The organization holding the contest should know whether or not it could be dangerous. If the contest could end up being dangerous, then the company simply must research possible risks and inform contestants.
Luckily, the radio station which held the contest admited responsibility for Strange’s death and five DJs from the station were fired.
The participants also have to decide whether or not the prize is worth the risk. Let’s face it. Most of the prizes, if you save up properly, just aren’t worth the risk.