J'cans shock each other for fun

From the ice bucket challenge to the cinnamon challenge, teenagers and young adults are pushing the envelope in finding quite frankly, witless ways to entertain themselves with each passing day.

At present, the taser challenge appears to be the latest of the Internet-driven activities, in which persons participate for kicks-and-giggles. The taser is an electroshock non-lethal weapon, which delivers electric current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles, causing a person to suffer severe involuntary muscle spasms.

While obviously dangerous, there are a few young persons producing such videos to post them to various social-media networking platforms.

One local upcoming comedian and Youtuber, who goes by the name 'Kyng Tavii', appears to be the pioneer of the taser challenge in the island.

While the roughly two-minute-long tape starts off looking innocent enough, viewers are soon faced with the ensuing triteness. Scenes of the comedian attempting to 'psych himself up' as his demands for his accomplice to use the device on him follow.

"One, two, three," the comedian says as he anticipates the dreadful shock. Following the painful jolt, he is seen wringing in pain. That's it. That's the entertainment.

While several may be concerned about the mindlessness of the activity, it does not appear to be a widespread issue just yet, in our neck of the woods, but has caught on in the United States.

Head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force's (JCF) Armoury Division Superintendent Samuel Morgan informed THE STAR that so far, an apparent increase in the popularity of the taser does not appear to be a problem for lawmen.

So far, there appears to be no regulation for the use of such devices amongst civilians.

"I can't recall any incident or operation that the police have conducted where they have recovered a number of tasers or heard of any games of the sort being done by the youth," he said.