[antiRepublicrat]

Every time I think fads can't get any more sick and depraved, they come up with something like this.

This isn't new. These kids are discovering a ritual that's been practiced for thousands of years in India and other places. It is truly not about the pain, but in getting past it. People do this to a lesser extent all the time -- it's called tattoos.

[bigLusr]

it's called tattoos.

Egh. I've long had this desire to get a small rose over my ankle.

Gone now.

[thoughtomator]

Yeah I found the tattooing fads to be pretty sick and depraved as well. They used to be the domain of criminals, primitives, and mystics.

[Rembrandt_fan]

Some examples of Mayan art show men running thorny vines through holes in their tongues; ancient civilizations are rife with examples of seeking enlightenment through self-torture. No doubt these ancient peoples mistook the rush of endorphins for a religious experience. As misguided as these efforts were, they were genuinely motivated by a desire for some kind of spiritual transcendence. The modern-day equivalents depicted in the article are doing in for kicks. That 'empowerment' quote by one of the participants is nonsense. They are essentially rationalizing perversion.