Friends = Life ruined

What is the meaning of friendship? This is a question that has been posed by many philosophers. Some have argued that friends are necessary to our mental health because they are a form of "sanity regulating". By talking to friends, we are constantly reminded how to behave normally and how to amicably interact with other human beings. Others claim that friendship has a purely utilitarian process - we have friends because it feels good.

In reality, we know that friends aren't always there to help us. Sometimes friends will introduce us to the worst pains possible. Is is accurate to call these people friends at all?! Today, I'd like to look at three instances of young folks who decided to have a little fun with friends and consequently completely ruined their lives. As you read, remember the age of the perpetrators and think about whether you're looking at justice or tragedy.

I'd also like to know what's the one thing you did in your youth that should have completely ruined your life but miraculously didn't?

Kia Boyz

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know of this trend already. For those who don't know, a little backstory is necessary. Kias are relatively cheap cars developed by the South Korean manufacturer who also makes Hyundais. In a bid to keep their cars low-priced, some models of Kia do not feature an immobilizer. This is a simple device which reads your key and ensures that it is the correct key. This prevents people from stealing your car by hotwiring it or by making a duplicate of your key. Criminals caught onto this, but it also became popular among young teens who would steal a car, joyride it, perhaps commit a few more crimes, before dumping the destroyed property.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_Challenge

You can find several videos online of these youths teaching you how to steal a Kia using nothing but a USB cord. The effect of the Kia boys has been catastrophic. In 2022 alone, there was a 85% increase in the theft of these vehicles, and it is estimated that there are at least 9 million Kias and Hyundais that have the vulnerability. At this point, it doesn't matter if your car doesn't. By virtue of having a Kia or Hyundai badge, it will be targeted by crooks. Since the controversy, the car manufacturers have faced several lawsuits, and have given out free steering wheel locks in addition to paying out $200 million to affected customers. However, the trend continues.

https://old.reddit.com/r/ThatsInsane/comments/13sv53f/a_stolen_kia_rear_ends_a_school_bus_while_it_is

In today's case we'll look at some teens who went for a joy-ride and will regret it for the rest of their lives. The incident in question occurred in May this year. It is not quite clear what events led up to the tragedy, but it is believed that five teens stole a Kia then went on a joy-ride near a school. They went up and down the street repeatedly, until a security guard called the police and started recording. As the boys returned, one of them was sitting out of the window.

At high speed, they crashed into a bus. The boy hanging out the window hits the bus head on and is seen hanging limply from the car as the car rolls forward. The doors fly open and his "friends" abandon him. The driver was a 14 year old, and was charged with the following:

>first-degree reckless injury, hit-and-run, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, second-degree recklessly endangering safety and driving/operating a vehicle without owner's consent

https://www.fox6now.com/news/car-hits-milwaukee-school-bus-teens-charged

https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/14-year-old-driver-charged-in-stolen-kia-crash-into-milwaukee-school-bus-criminal-complaint

The boy who was hanging out the window was 15 and remains in a medically induced coma. The teens were caught and are currently on trial. It was found that they posted about it on Instagram afterwards, and one of the teens claimed he was not at the crash because he was at home sleeping. Let this be a lesson to choose your friends carefully. You do not want to be hanging lifelessly out a window as your friends flee.

The Steubenville R*pe case

I love these types of cases that involve young men getting drunk and either gang raping or hazing someone to death. It's always interesting to see how they try to cover up, and how so much trouble comes from relatively simple forms of mischief.

Today's case was an extremely popular and it became synonymous with the "r*ped at a house party" phenomenon. Steubenville is a town that is crazy for high school football, and much of the town treated the football stars like superheroes. In 2012, the Steubenville High team won a match, and they headed to a house party to celebrate. They could pick what they wanted, as there were a few house parties available for them to pick from. I say this because it's important you understand these were relatively wealthy teens whose parents were the type to give them the house for a party.

A drunk girl passed out at the part, and some men decided to take advantage. Trent Mays digitally r*ped her, while Ma'lik Richmond put his buttocks in her face. Friends were around. They didn't stop the boys. Instead they took videos where they laughed about how the girl was getting r*ped. These videos were shared widely on social media.

>The messages described the inebriated girl as “dead” or as a “dead body” and stated that Mr. Mays acknowledged penetrating the girl with his fingers.

>"they r*ped her quicker than Mike Tyson r*ped that one girl"

>At one point, a friend texted to Mr. Mays, “You are a felon.”

>"I shoulda r*ped her now that everybody thinks I did"

>One text sent from Mr. Mays's phone to an acquaintance stated that “if they press charges, they are going to look at all my texts,” according to the testimony of Ms. Gibb.

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/15/us/in-ohio-r*pe-trial-testimony-on-a-girls-drinking.html

In case you're still not entirely clued in on how football crazy this town was, you should know that when the boys first got a whiff of trouble coming their way, they texted their football coach. His first instinct was to try and help and protect the boys. The girl in question claims she has no memory of the event and only discovered what happened to her afterwards. During the trial, Anonymous leaked the identities of all involved, claiming that the town was doing nothing about the case to protect the boys. They were right about that. Several parents did not want the boys to get into trouble because they loved the football team so much.

There's a few things I find interesting here. Firstly, it is evident that the boys were drunk as well. This does not excuse their actions, but it is an indictment on society that youths had access to alcohol. The teens are being punished when the adults that provided them the alcohol should face the primary charges, in my opinion. The teens deserve secondary charges.

There's also the question of the nature of trauma. Can you be affected by something you have no idea happened? The girl doesn't remember the r*pe. If she never found out about it, would she be okay? Is the knowledge of the event traumatising her, or the event itself?

Sonia Quiles

This is one of my favorite criminal interviews ever. It is despicable because this woman is being interviewed on camera without an attorney and you witness her needlessly criminalize herself. The video also perfectly encapsulates the theme of this post. KNOW YOUR FRIENDS.

The events in question took place in 2015. Sonia Quiles went on a crime spree with Jason Womack (the father of her 2-year-old son) and 17-year-old Dequairius Bailey. During a housebreaking, one of them decided to kill a victim. It appears as though Sonia was in the car at the time, though details are murky. The victim was 54-year-old Frank Massington Jr, and he was found dead by his 28yo son.

https://www.insideprison.com/state-inmate-search.asp?id=2025392163

Anyone who watches true crime should know this pattern already. If you attempt a crime with friends, you have no control over what your partners do. You can't stop them from pulling the trigger or raping someone, and if you get caught, you'll both catch the same charges, even if you never touched a gun during the crime.

This young woman should have been at home looking after her child. Instead, she's out making mischief with her friends and catching murder charges. She didn't pull the trigger. She just traveled with men who did. Now her life is ruined, and her child's life is also probably ruined. It's fricking unfair that murderers can get a girlfriend and reproduce and I can't. I don't commit crimes and I'm poor so women will never turn my way.

Conclusion

I don't have friends or a gf, which is upsetting. However, I have had experiences with bad friends. Let me tell you one thing - I'd take a lifetime of loneliness over a day with a fake friend. Anyone who doesn't uplift your spirit and make you feel loved and happy to be alive, cut them out of your life. The greatest resource we have on Earth is human potential. Don't let anyone destroy yours, especially not anyone calling themselves a friend.