What would you be willing to risk to get the perfect picture for Instagram? Us reasonable people would say, “nothing, it’s just an app.” However, we all know there are people who act if their lives depended on it, and would do anything to increase their followers and get those precious likes. But getting into a toxic lake, really? Is it really that important? I don’t know, guys, it sounds idiotic, but as the wise Charles Darwin put it, at the end of the day, it’s natural selection.
We’ve seen it recently with the craze about visiting the abandoned city of Chernobyl after the massive success the HBO series had, and it’s not the first time. The thing is it’s not only about endangering themselves in the hopes to get likes on the social media app: it has turned into a morally questionable trend of visiting spots where the worst crimes against humanity have been committed. Yes, I’m talking to you, dumb person who poses at Auschwitz, or the YouTuber who filmed a dead body for his vlog. So, then again, what are we willing to compromise?
@puigrosLet’s go directly to the particular case of this lake and the fools who thought it would be a nice idea to take a swim in these toxic waters. Located in Galicia, Spain, this “lake,” which is actually a quarry, has been attracting lots of people mainly because of its clear turquoise waters, which, let’s be honest, are quite mesmerizing. However, it’s also widely known that their content is highly toxic, since it used to be connected to a Tungsten mine during World War II.
Abandoned shortly after the war ended, the water’s toxic contents were known by everyone, including the many influencers who have gotten sick in the past months after choosing to ignore the warnings. It all started as a local trend among Galician influencers who saw this “lake” as a unique spot of their own no one had already seen on social media before. Of course, the alluring colors and the beautiful landscape surrounding the quarry have garnered international attention since, making dozens of not-very-smart influencers rushing to the hospital after just a little time in contact with the water.
@loadingdesignerAs we mentioned before, the waters of Mount Neme (which has been recently re-named the “Galician Chernobyl”), are high in Tungsten, an element used to make light bulbs and hardening steel, not to mention other chemicals responsible for its unique color. According to doctors, just touching the water could cause a skin rash. Now, imagine swimming there. Not only that, but ingesting a bit of the water can also cause serious digestive problems, which many of these influencers have already experienced even weeks after being in contact with the water.
Of course (and again… natural selection), despite the local efforts to warn people about the toxicity of the “lake,” it’s still quite very popular among young people who can’t resist the temptation to get a photo no one cares about probably.
@senen_lopezSo, besides a massive facepalm, we can just say that if you’ve been warned and you still think it’s “dope” and worth the shot, then there’s not much we can do for you, oh, and yes, we probably everything that happens to us, because we can be really stupid as a species.
Cover image by @izzyandtai
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