How Stupid Are They?

[Roy]

What the hell are these kids doing in this cave in the first place? Was this some sort of right of passage crap?

[HONDO74]

Thailand cave rescue: Boys 'can walk but can't dive yet'
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44747049

[Roy]

Thanks Hondo, but your article doesn't say why the team went in the cave.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

What the hell are these kids doing in this cave in the first place? Was this some sort of right of passage crap?

The team had just finished their weekly soccer practice and went to explore the cave with their coach. Apparently they had been inside the cave before and the story is that they wanted to go further in to write their names on the wall as part of an initiation.

[HONDO74]

Teammates who didn't go on ill-fated hike into Thailand cave don't blame trapped soccer squad's coach
https://abcnews.go.com/International/te ... d=56400697

The boys, clad in their khaki school uniforms, told ABC News' Matt Gutman in an interview Friday that venturing into the cave is something of a local rite of passage, and that kind of team-building exercise is critical because they spend 15 to 20 hours a week together.

Their 25-year-old coach had led them on many trips into the cave complex in mountainous Chiang Rai Province after soccer practice, they said. And if any of the boys didn't want to go, they'd wait for their parents to pick them up.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Teammates who didn't go on ill-fated hike into Thailand cave don't blame trapped soccer squad's coach
https://abcnews.go.com/International/te ... d=56400697

The boys, clad in their khaki school uniforms, told ABC News' Matt Gutman in an interview Friday that venturing into the cave is something of a local rite of passage, and that kind of team-building exercise is critical because they spend 15 to 20 hours a week together.

Their 25-year-old coach had led them on many trips into the cave complex in mountainous Chiang Rai Province after soccer practice, they said. And if any of the boys didn't want to go, they'd wait for their parents to pick them up.

Yes. Not a 1st time thing at all.

[Roy]

Thanks, guys. I guess they didn't know about rains flooding the cave, although that seems unlikely.

[HONDO74]

Yes. Not a 1st time thing at all.

And it won't be the last time. Maybe next time they will have more prudence and not do it during the monsoon season. They were warned about it.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Did the boys have to wade through water to get to where they are at present, or did the water start flooding in after they were perched in that chamber?

In the USA, we expect - require - that teachers and coaches will make wise and judicious decisions when in-charge of children/teams/students. There would have to be a file of "Permission Forms" signed by the parents and filed in the principal's office, giving that leader of the boys the prerogative to take them in there, specifically. If not, he would be in serious trouble, notwithstanding any "right-of-passage" tradition.

For example, several years ago, when taking Eighth Graders into Manhattan for a "Field Trip," each place we intended to visit/patronize had to be listed specifically on the itinerary. No exceptions or spontaneous adventures were allowed. While walking along Tenth Avenue, a young, less experienced teacher decided to spontaneously enter a restaurant-bar with her segment of the children for restroom use and some snacks and beverages. She did not have that prerogative and was reprimanded for doing so, on the spot. The students were quickly escorted out, and the teacher was replaced by an older, more experienced teacher who was immediately assigned to share and lead the responsibility over that particular part of the group. In other words, the teacher was, also, being supervised and escorted, along with her pupils, from that point forward.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Did the boys have to wade through water to get to where they are at present, or did the water start flooding in after they were perched in that chamber?

Unknown and yes water increased with rains, but whether they were on that ledge area in the pictures the entire time is also unknown.

In the USA, we expect - require - that teachers and coaches will make wise and judicious decisions when in-charge of children/teams/students. There would have to be a file of "Permission Forms" signed by the parents and filed in the principal's office, giving that leader of the boys the prerogative to take them in there, specifically. If not, he would be in serious trouble, notwithstanding any "right-of-passage" tradition.

For example, several years ago, when taking Eighth Graders into Manhattan for a "Field Trip," each place we intended to visit/patronize had to be listed specifically on the itinerary. No exceptions or spontaneous adventures were allowed. While walking along Tenth Avenue, a young, less experienced teacher decided to spontaneously enter a restaurant-bar with her segment of the children for restroom use and some snacks and beverages. She did not have that prerogative and was reprimanded for doing so, on the spot. The students were quickly escorted out, and the teacher was replaced by an older, more experienced teacher who was immediately assigned to share and lead the responsibility over that particular part of the group. In other words, the teacher was, also, being supervised and escorted, along with her pupils, from that point forward.

Well, we do love our regulations, policies, paperwork, rules, and more regulations when in the US.

[Roy]

These kids may have trusted their lives to this 25 year-old Bozo, but I doubt they'll make that mistake again. But then, I don't know their culture.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Imagine how he must feel.

[Roy]

Imagine how he must feel.

Damn-near murderously stupid? I don't know much about caves. Especially, I don't know the percentage of them that flood during rains. Just based on basic fluid mechanics, I would expect those that have tunnels that run down grade of their entrances might be at risk, especially if the entrance is close to a body of water.

Why is it necessary, or be seen as necessary, to put a potentially tragically stupid person in charge of teenagers?

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Everything you said makes sense to me, Roy, especially that part about not exploring caves (last and only time I did that was as a overly-adventuresome teenager - only once was enough) that go downhill. I hope someday we are able to hear from him about his conduct and decisions.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

But then, I don't know their culture.

Maybe that's something we need to consider here and in a lot of other conversations. We tend you judge people by our own applied standards with some expectations that ours are the only ones that matter......