Balconing

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Balconing (Germanized also Balkoning ) represents Balcony Jumping, a highly risky operation in which, mostly in hotels, from balcony to balcony or from a balcony, from windows or also attempts of roofs, in the pool to jump. Balconing is to be distinguished from urban parkour , in which balconies and other architectural elements are used (Saut de détente / fond), but in which the focus is on minimizing risks and mastering the jumping technique.

history

The term balconing is derived from the English word balcony and the suffix –ing . It follows similar names for new trend sports such as canyoning , canoeing or ballooning .

Contrary to what is often shown in the press and television, this behavior is not new and does not only occur on the Balearic Islands . It has only attracted increased public attention there because of the spectacular accidents since 2010.

There is literary evidence that as early as the middle of the 20th century, the Münster students jumped from the iron bridge of the Ems into the relatively shallow, disused canal arm from a height of 5–7 meters, adolescents jumped from overhanging tree branches into the quarry pond and children with a rain- or a parasol from a higher floor or from a balcony. The widely read and several times (1954, 1973, 2003) filmed Bestsellers The Flying Classroom of Erich Kastner says the phenomenon and its problems as early as 1933: Kästner lets the of his cowardice schämenden 14-year-old Uli a "parachute jump" with an umbrella perform from a tall jungle gym to impress his classmates. In doing so, he sustains serious injuries, but gains a high level of respect in the peer group . Kästner comments on the scene with the now famous sentence: " Only when the brave have become wise and the clever have become courageous will what has often been mistakenly stated, a progress of humanity " (1973, p. 16) can be felt .

These forerunners of balconing are known in the scene today as wild balconing . On the internet platform YouTube you can find documented jumps from the roof of a hotel ruin in Brittany into the river below or window jumps into deep snow from Russia . Balconing fatalities have been reported from Australia .

The imposing behavior established under the name of balconing has been known to a larger public since around 2003. The first websites on YouTube can be traced back to 2008. What is new here is the relocation of the adventure to the hotel grounds of the holiday areas with their row balconies and swimming pools and a corresponding conceptual fixation. Also new is the increased willingness to take risks after carousing bouts and drug consumption (flat-rate parties), which in two years alone led to over a dozen deaths and more than thirty seriously injured in Mallorca and Ibiza . The Spanish authorities reacted by issuing a warning to hoteliers and holiday organizers.

The high-risk jumps are now punished with fines of up to 1500 € and a hotel eviction.

variants

In addition to the well-known ways of falling into the depths with an umbrella or an open bed sheet, today's youngsters try to cushion the impact on the bottom of the pool by carrying inflatable plastic ducks or rings. Others complicate their jumps into artistic games by performing them as somersaults , twist jumps or combination jumps with partners. During the fall, acrobatic interludes with ball games and basketball throws are also performed, as shown by the video playback on the Internet forums YouTube and Facebook .

Hazard risk

In contrast to the older forms of jumping, which usually took place on an empty stomach and with rational planning, the risk of injury has increased dramatically, above all due to the practice of previous alcohol and drug consumption. The spectacular courageous events usually take place after a long night. The severely restricted ability to perceive, coordinate and judge as well as the lowered fear threshold seduce to inadequate and no longer responsible daring. The press reported that balcony jumps from the tenth floor into the pool. The videos on the Internet document significant weaknesses in coordination and incorrect assessments. The consequences are jumps that are too short, some of which land on the edge of the pool and can end with broken bones , paraplegia or a broken neck .

Meaning background

In view of the recognizable health and life endangerment of balconing, the question of meaning is very urgent. In a moment of uncontrolled self-overestimation, there is a danger that the value of life and health will be lost and the meaningfulness of what is done is called into question. When asked about their motives in a sober state, the usually 18 to 25-year-old (mostly male) adolescents often find only somewhat helpless, sometimes self-deprecating reasons that the way up the stairs was too far for them or that the girls behind others Wanted to visit balconies.

According to the analyzes by risk researcher Siegbert Warwitz , the young people lose themselves in a misjudgment of the real situation due to a lack of self-control and objective perception. Under the influence of alcohol the awareness of the dangers is faded out. You think you can fly. The question of meaning is not asked and accordingly not reflected on. A group dynamic process draws the little self-assured young people into irrational actions. Warwitz referred to from high self hazard a mere kick aspiring people in dismissal of the acting responsibly reflected Wage ends as Risiker . A background of meaning with reference to values, against which the commitment of life is worthwhile, is not recognizable with the pure risk taker.

The Viennese psychotherapist Viktor E. Frankl assumes that humans are existentially oriented towards meaning. He speaks accordingly of the clinical picture of noogenic neurosis when the sense of action is lost in a person. It is triggered by long-term deficits in meaning. According to Frankl, these people are spiritually homeless. His “Third Viennese School” tries to tackle the problem of lack of meaning or the loss of meaning on the path of logotherapy . She strives to create a new value base on which a sense of the value of life can also arise.

literature

  • Viktor E. Frankl: The soul's home is the meaning. 2nd edition, Munich 2005.
  • Viktor E. Frankl: The human being faced with the question of meaning. A selection from the complete works. Piper, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-492-20289-6 .
  • Erich Kästner: The flying classroom (1933). Verlag Dressler, 154th edition, Hamburg 1998.
  • Theguardian (Madrid) 11 August 2010.
  • Siegbert A. Warwitz: Search for meaning in risk. Life in growing rings. Explanatory models for cross-border behavior. 2., ext. Ed., Verlag Schneider, Baltmannsweiler 2016, ISBN 978-3-8340-1620-1 .
  • Siegbert A. Warwitz: From the sense of the car. Why people face dangerous challenges. In: DAV (Ed.): Berg 2006 , Munich - Innsbruck - Bozen 2005, pp. 96–111, ISBN 3-937530-10-X .

Web links

See also

Single receipts

  1. ↑ Frankfurter Rundschau of September 13, 2010.
  2. ↑ Focus online, October 7, 2010
  3. ↑ Stern, August 12, 2010
  4. ↑ Die Welt, August 12, 2010
  5. ↑ Hamburger Abendblatt from June 25, 2012
  6. ↑ Lexikographieblog - candidate for Anglizismus of 2010: balconing of 14 January 2011
  7. ↑ Warwitz, SA: Search for meaning in risk. Explanatory models for cross-border behavior. 2., ext. Ed., Verlag Schneider, Baltmannsweiler 2016, pp. 6–8
  8. ↑ Erich Kästner: Ulis test of courage. In: The flying classroom (1933). Verlag Dressler, 154th edition, Hamburg 1998, pp. 110-127
  9. ↑ Hamburger Abendblatt from June 25, 2012
  10. ↑ theguardian (Madrid) of 11 August 2010: Spanish Authorities warn holidaymakers of, balconing 'dangers.
  11. ↑ Juan José Segura-Sampedro, Cristina Pineño-Flores, Jose María García-Pérez, Patricia Jiménez-Morillas, Rafael Morales-Soriano: Balconing: An alcohol-induced craze that injures tourists. Characterization of the phenomenon . In: Injury . tape 48 , no. 7 , July 2017, ISSN  1879-0267 , p. 1371-1375 , doi : 10.1016 / j.injury.2017.03.037 , PMID 28377264 .
  12. ↑ Focus.de - November 29, 2010: Another dead person when trying to jump into the hotel pool.
  13. ↑ jugend-von-heute.com  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.jugend-von-heute.com  
  14. ^ Warwitz, SA: sensational addiction or search for meaning. Thrill or skill. In: ders .: Search for meaning in risk. Explanatory models for cross-border behavior. 2., ext. Ed., Verlag Schneider, Baltmannsweiler 2016, pp. 300–311
  15. ^ Siegbert A. Warwitz: When risk grows into madness. In: Ders .: Search for meaning in risk. Life in growing rings. Explanatory models for cross-border behavior. 2., ext. Ed., Verlag Schneider, Baltmannsweiler 2016, pp. 113–141
  16. ^ Siegbert A. Warwitz: From the sense of the car. Why people face dangerous challenges. In: DAV (Ed.): Berg 2006 . Munich-Innsbruck-Bozen 2005, pp. 96–111
  17. ↑ Viktor E. Frankl: The soul's home is the meaning. Munich 2005
  18. ↑ Viktor E. Frankl: Man before the question of meaning. A selection from the complete works. Piper, Munich 2006