Hardcore Parkour

Totally radical!!!

I stumbled across this while looking for videos on my hometown of Souderton (there weren't many). It's nice to see that mediocre skateboarding is still the #1 passtime of 15-year-olds in the Borough. And it's even nicer to see that being able to run, jump and climb apparently qualifies you for inclusion in the ninja-like order or parkour enthusiasts.

As you can tell from the video, parkour is a way for 15-year-olds who can't afford skateboards to still be able to injure themselves and loiter about on public property. It looks kinda fun, and I'm sure you can gain some measure of pride from hopping over tables and railings.

However, then I discovered this statement by the author of the video:

Parkour is a method of training which prepares me in a case of emergency, where I have to save people and/or myself, depending on the specific situation.

I'll grant him that perhaps he could save himself if the "emergency situation" takes place in an area with plentiful railings, wide ledges and no other people. But how's he going to save other people? Carry them on his back?

The following is a list of situations that I suggest would not be improved by the use of parkour:

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
Hindenberg explosion
Sinking of the Lusitania
The Holocaust
Johnstown Flood
1992 Rodney King riots
The Tet Offensive
Wildebeest stampede from "The Lion King"
9/11