File This Under…
.. Well, I’m not sure. Stupid Human Tricks or Law of Unintended Consequences or even Misplaced Priorities are all viable categories…
A woman in California drank herself to death on water. Participating in a contest to "hold your wee for a Wii," she left the radio station complaining of a headache.
"She was crying, and that was the last that anyone had heard from her." It was not immediately known how much water Strange consumed. A preliminary investigation found evidence "consistent with a water intoxication death," said assistant Coroner Ed Smith.
If I were the marketing director for the station, I would feel really lousy. Probably, anyone connected with the ill-fated publicity stunt is feeling bad. Such a mindless tragedy.
"They were small little half-pint bottles, so we thought it was going to be easy," said fellow contestant James Ybarra of Woodland. "They told us if you don’t feel like you can do this, don’t put your health at risk."
Ybarra said he quit after drinking five bottles. "My bladder couldn’t handle it anymore," he added. After he quit, he said, the remaining contestants, including Strange, were given even bigger bottles to drink.
"I was talking to her and she was a nice lady," Ybarra said. "She was telling me about her family and her three kids and how she was doing it for her kids."
That’s where the misplaced priorities shows up. Personal joy does not come from external sources. For her to think her kids would be happy if they got a new game system is ridiculous. It ended up costing her life and ruining her children’s happiness for some time. Better she stayed home and read a book to them.