By Taylor Jensen/entertainment editor

Although most of us have regrettably laughed at any number of pointless YouTube stunts, the moronic stakes have been raised to a more shocking and dangerous level to combat the monotony.

The widely popular “cinnamon challenge” is a great example of that escalation.

The challenge dares participants to cram a spoonful of ground cinnamon in their mouth and swallow, all the while enduring the burning torture for 60 seconds without the relief of water. The cinnamon, which is derived from tree bark and never meant to be ingested in large quantities, initiates a gag reflex, and the participant erupts an orange puff of powder. While the poor fool literally gasps for air, nearby friends shake with laughter. 

The recent discoveries of the consequences that follow the cinnamon challenge have labeled it both stupid and dangerous.

Medical research, along with a growing number of calls to the emergency room and poison control centers, has shown that cinnamon contains a substance called cellulose, which lodges in the lungs. In turn, the stunt can cause burning, difficulty breathing, vomiting, nose bleeds, permanent scarring, inflammation of the lungs and, in some cases, a collapsed lung followed by a life supported completely by a ventilator.

This information apparently has not deterred the cinnamon-consuming nitwits, as Google recorded 2.4 million hits for the topic last year.

A call to action must be made, and not just for the cinnamon challenge, but also for our general generation. How far does something have to go before it stops being funny? Jumping off of a house because you saw it on TV doesn’t make you a daredevil. It makes you an idiot. And ingesting a spoonful of cinnamon that causes internal damage because you are ignorant of the consequences makes you just that: ignorant.

We are young and, therefore, guaranteed to make mistakes. However, we are in control of the capacity of our mistakes and the effects they could have on the people we love. Stop putting yourself in danger for a flicker of fun and stop laughing at the pain of others. Whoever you are … you are too old for that.