Dumb fuck sees stunt video, sets himself on fire

Inspired by a video he saw on YouTube, Russell Gortzig set himself on fire. (WESH.com)

* Dumb Fuck Alert *

And the mother, evidently a dimwit herself, is pointing the finger at YouTube.

By the way, hats off to Florida for doing it again as the birthplace, or eventual destination, of many of the nation's most notorious dumb and sick fucks. It's either that or the scope of local news coverage throughout the state is unparalleled. In any case, the host of Disney World never fails to entertain.

A teenager from Deltona reportedly was hospitalized today after suffering multiple burns while imitating a video of a stunt posted on YouTube.

The 13-year-old dunce, Russell Gortzig, said his friend siphoned gasoline from a riding lawnmower and poured it on him, and that though the lighter was held away from his body, a combination of the spark and fumes set his shorts on fire burning off the skin on his leg. He's recovering in a hospital.

The proud mother, Linda McCrea, said the boys were trying to copy a stunt they saw on YouTube in which a man in a banana suit lights himself on fire, and warned other parents to closely monitor the online activities of their children. Just like she did?

Here's what irks me the most: she's blaming YouTube for her son's pain and wants the website to tighten its user guidelines. She seems to believe her son's IQ and her parenting skills had nothing to do with it. And what makes her think she's entitled to tell YouTube what to do because of what her kid did to himself? The nerve...where does it come from?

If the video alone were the cause of such stupidity, everyone who saw it would set him/herself on fire.

A YouTube representative reportedly said that 20 hours of video are posted on the website each minute and that although YouTube cannot screen postings in advance, users can flag potentially dangerous videos. I think it's absurd for YouTube to even bother explaining itself in a situation like this, as it might give the impression that it owes an explanation.

Frankly, it never ceases to amaze me--and perhaps that's my problem--how people in this country find it so difficult, so painful and impossible to take responsibility for their actions and instead find it so easy to point the finger at someone or something else. In accidents, rather than take a moment to look into how they might have contributed to what happened, they use the moment to find lawyers and file lawsuits.

So I can't help but wonder if it has dawned on the mother that her son acted stupidly when he chose to bathe in gasoline and ignite a lighter. I suppose blaming the website for the foolish behavior of her offspring is more convenient and less shameful.

I also wonder if she has bothered to notice that a video of a stunt on YouTube is no different to those shown on network TV, cable TV, movies, ads, comic books, and video games--source of the most violent videos and a favorite hobby of boys.

Inspiration for dangerous acts abounds nearly everywhere we look. So when a person acts on such inspiration, should the inspiration be blamed and the person spared?

Source: WESH.com/Orlando
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