When TF Idolatry Goes Too Far...

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Seibertron.com has found a news story that puts brandishing G1 Megatron around to shame in the stupid stakes.
A boy in Sichuan has been drinking leaded gasoline for 5 years to mimic Transformers (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/boy-drinks-gasoline-for-5-years-to-mimic-transformers/16562/). Needless to say, nowadays the kid ain't too bright, especially since he started at 9, and has a gas addiction to boot.

Truth be told, I'm quite (morbidly) impressed - this kid was downing 2-3 bottles at a time, that's dedication alright. Perhaps more to the point, surely if your kid was regularly drinking leaded gasoline you'd be, I dunno, taking him to a doctor or a shrink or something? Y'know, stopping your kid from drinking poison? As in before 5 years? Especially if it was your only child, and your country had a one-child policy?
So, to all you parents out there, be sure to explain the difference between 1: fantasy and reality, and 2: people and robots. If that doesn't work, point out Transformers drink Energon not gasoline (one of the comments on Seibertron suggest making frozen 'energon cubes' out of pink lemonade - it's worth a shot and might also stop them trying to fuel up by sticking their fingers into electricity sockets), and if that doesn't work then take consolation that at least you won't have to save to send your kids to college.

[1AZRAEL1]

Funny I just read the same article.

And if I were the parents, after finding out he went from lighter fluid to gasoline? I would have taken im straight to the docs and said it then, not after 5 years.

[kup]

I read this too.

I wonder if he tried to Transform after drinking the gasoline?

As far as I can remember, G1 Transformers cannot drink 'raw' fuel anyway - It needs to be converted into Energon first.

At least he should have taken notice of the Insecticons who eat organic crops to make Energon.

[GoktimusPrime]

Fossil fuels are usually converted to Energon before consumption anyway. What a noob. :p


I wonder if he tried to Transform after drinking the gasoline?
Buahahahahahahahaha! :)

[Lint]

Transformers is just being made a scapegoat for a plain old gasoline addiction.

Besides, Primes a truck, he'd drink diesel :p

[Kyle]

As much as I feel sorry for the kid and his family, I can't help but think that he was probably of below average intelligence before he even started drinking...

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

According to the father he was "a very smart boy" who could even repair the TV, but I have my doubts...

Does anyone knew which TF series he probably would have been watching 5 years ago? I looked it up on the TF wiki and 2004 was apparently Energon (which I haven't seen) but the TF wiki is really USA-centric and I don't know if it would have been the same for Chinese TV (assuming it was TV and not video or DVD, or reruns). I seem to recall energon was an element in and of itself in Energon and so wasn't made from other fuel sources, which casts a bit of doubt on the TF influence.
Just looked it up, in Energon the element was even portrayed as actively dangerous to Transformers apart from Omnicons and Terrorcons, with only the Terrorcons actually ingesting it!:rolleyes:
"I want to be an evil drone and get blown up by the good guys all the time!"*glug* *glug* *glug*
I'm thinking the kid (who to be fair was diagnosed as having a mental disorder, though that's sort of a chicken-and-egg question at this point) just developed a petrol-sniffing habit and this Transformers-made-him-do-it bit is a face-saving (i.e. cop-out for bad parenting) exercise.

[kup]

I think he was watching the G1 cartoon.

[Zahhak]

Being under 18 I hope it's just unleaded

[Saintly]

it's a really sad story

[Robzy]

Stupid and sad!


I'm thinking the kid (who to be fair was diagnosed as having a mental disorder, though that's sort of a chicken-and-egg question at this point) just developed a petrol-sniffing habit and this Transformers-made-him-do-it bit is a face-saving (i.e. cop-out for bad parenting) exercise.You could be right!

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Sniffing habit which then grew into it's present form, I mean.

Being under 18 I hope it's just unleaded'Fraid not, the doctors comments in the article specifically mention how it was so much worse for being during his formative years.:(

[Bartrim]

:eek:I just can't believe that this happened.

[JuzMel]

I just understand how in any way the boy could have linked Petrol to the pink energon liquid in a cube form? Doesn't makes sense when the petroleum he drinks is not even pink and does not come from a cube! :confused: If there's any closer relation to TFs drinking petroleum, I'd say it'll be more in the 07 or ROTF movie.

It's a wonder how his parents can let him keep drinking it for the past 5 years and it took them so long to bring him to the doctor? :rolleyes:

[Paulbot]

If there's any closer relation to TFs drinking petroleum, I'd say it'll be more in the 07 or ROTF movie.

And even then, the movie characters (on screen) don't seem to eat or drink anything. It was odd in the first movie and odder in the second movie when they did start talking about Energon.

[GoktimusPrime]

I think that RotF established that Transformers required a potent source of energy, such as from the AllSpark, Energon, the Matrix etc. in order to either create new Transformer life or restore a deceased Transformer. I guess presuming that the Transformer's body is still mostly in-tact... otherwise I do wonder why the Autobots never tried using the AllSpark shard to ressurect Jazz.

[SilverDragon]

What the hell?

First, how did this go on for five years without his parents taking him to a doctor before now?

And second, how does one want to mimic Transformers via drinking gasoline? I'd have thought that kids would try to mimic them by running around going "I'm Starscream and I can fly!!! Pew pew pew!".

It seems a bit too bizarre to be true.

[valkyrie_76]

It amazes me on how people can ingest/inhale petrol. I just get a headache from filling my car let alone sitting around sniffing that crap.

[sanbot]

I can't help but think the parents had something to do with this.

[GoktimusPrime]

Even if the parents had nothing to do with him starting this habit - as kids do try some pretty crazy things - I do wonder why they didn't try to do more to stop him. I can appreciate that they did do some things, but then when he was finding ways around it what did they do then? Perhaps immediately seek professional help... having an addiction isn't a good thing at any age, but at such a young age you'd think your alarm bells would be ringing and you'd try to get help for your kid.

But who knows... maybe they did. The article doesn't say whether they'd tried to get him therapy/counselling etc. or not. Also, there's a cultural problem - a lot of Asian parents don't like to seek help for their children as they see it as a loss of face. In my experience I've occasionally come across some Asian students who have undiagnosed issues like learning disabilities - and there's no history of testing possibly because the family's too embarrassed to be seen to have a child with special needs; which is tragic because ultimately it's a disservice to the child (a child's needs >>> family pride).

[16364279]

simple solution would of been:

idiots should not be allowed children as they are just multiplying themselves.

thankyou

[dirge]

16364279, please leave compassion at the door. Tell us what you really think! :p

[shokwave2]

When you think about it, the kids actually smart. It's cheaper to buy a litre of petrol then it is to buy a litre of milk. "Kid's, get in the car. We're filling up!"

[willocrew]

Drinking petroleum?? Nevermind brain damage and all that, how did the kid even manage to stay alive after 5 years worth of petroleum drinking?

Tough as brick that kid.

Most likely he sniffed the stuff rather than drink.