# Lost Utah Kid Was an Idiot **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 22, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435 "2005-06-22T20:52:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/21 "2005-06-22T21:45:05Z")
> [@shelbo](#): > > “He had two thoughts going through his head all the time,” she said. “Toby’s always told him that ‘If you get lost, stay on the trail.’ So he stayed on the trail. We’ve also told him don’t talk to strangers … when an ATV or horse came by he got off the trail … when they left, he got back on the trail.” I guess the lesson here is always be sure to amend “Don’t talk to strangers” with “Unless you’re lost, then for fuck’s sake talk to a police officer or someone.” ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/22 "2005-06-22T21:52:34Z")
> [@Lao Tsu](#): > > Speaking as a Utahoo who knows that area fairly well. Yes, yes, he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. And he’s been taught neither jack nor crap. They make such a big deal that he was a boy scout, but most boys here are. Seldom are they effectively taught the basics like what to do if you get lost or be prepared before going anywhere. > I grew up here and IMO most parents here are grossly over protective. 30 years ago when I was a kid summers were spent unsupervised, out of doors. That’s simple not the case for children here anymore. > He is one lucky, lucky little bugger. That area can be dangerous, and it could be very easy to become lost anytime of day. The kid who got lost in the same area last year has not turned up yet. Nitpick; he wasn’t a Boy Scout but rather a Cub Scout who was a guest at a Boy Scout camp. When my son was this age, the local Boy Scout council would hold a camp and invite all the Cubs that were about to graduate from Cubs to come see what Boy Scouting was like. From my personal experience (both as a Cub and as a leader) Cub Scouts does not teach you squat about survival in the wilderness. [/nitpick] Yes, the kid was damn lucky. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/23 "2005-06-22T21:57:22Z")
Dude! These were boy scouts with an **artificial climbing wall** and a **mess hall**! :smack: What do you want to bet not a single one of 'em knows how to use a compass? Wussey wusses to the wuss degree, I’m tellin’ ya! Get those little bastards out into the woods where they can face a grizzly bear and a ghost story around a real life dangerous campfire already! (And, yes, I’m very, very glad this kid is OK, and simply surviving while walking for so long makes him Not a Wuss. His parents might be a few sticks short of a campfire, but he’s no wuss. No thanks to the boy scouts.) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/24 "2005-06-22T21:59:36Z")
> [@Fionn](#): > > I guess the lesson here is always be sure to amend “Don’t talk to strangers” with “Unless you’re lost, then for fuck’s sake talk to a police officer or someone.” You’d think though he’d realize that by age 11. I mean, when I was FIVE, I used to think that meant all strangers-I felt bad for saying “excuse me” when I bumped into someone at church (oh no, I talked to a STRANGER!!!) But at ELEVEN? That’s a little old to be thinking THAT rigidly. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/25 "2005-06-22T22:12:36Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > You’d think though he’d realize that by age 11. I mean, when I was FIVE, I used to think that meant all strangers-I felt bad for saying “excuse me” when I bumped into someone at church (oh no, I talked to a STRANGER!!!) > > But at ELEVEN? That’s a little old to be thinking THAT rigidly. I see what you’re saying, but I can also see how the fear of being lost combined with any supposed fear of being ridiculed, punished, or embarassed once you are found would drive rational thought out of the head of someone that age. He probably hasn’t seen one of the sitcoms where the teenager runs away after a fight at home and doesn’t com back sooner because he thinks everyone will be mad at him for running away and making them worry. Actually, there’s are really good animated movie called _Tokyo Godfathers_ that runs much along these lines. And those characters were grown-ups. Anyway, I don’t think his behavior is all that surprising. I am a bit surprised that he kept it up for so long. Wasn’t he missing for days? ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/26 "2005-06-22T22:18:40Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > You’d think though he’d realize that by age 11. I mean, when I was FIVE, I used to think that meant all strangers-I felt bad for saying “excuse me” when I bumped into someone at church (oh no, I talked to a STRANGER!!!) > > But at ELEVEN? That’s a little old to be thinking THAT rigidly. I have a feeling that the kid was incredibly sheltered. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/27 "2005-06-22T22:40:13Z")
When I was little I was separated from my mom in both a Cubs Food and a Wal\*Mart and I was smart enough to look for people in charge and tell them I was looking for my mommy, etc. So yes, I feel like making fun of this kid. But it sounds like he has something wrong with him…I mean, ok, I can understand MAYBE being afraid the first day or two. By day three without food or water you’d think he’d snap out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/28 "2005-06-22T22:43:29Z")
NBC News just ran a short piece about Brennan, with his parents saying essentially what was in the article and footage of rescuers calling his name. Afterward, the anchor apparently couldn’t resist noting that he’d avoided his rescuers because he wasn’t supposed to talk to strangers. This is definitely going to take Brennan a while to shake off. Brennan: I survived four days in the woods. Every other 11-year-old: You wouldn’t have had to if you’d gone up to the rescue people. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/29 "2005-06-22T22:54:05Z")
Is anyone else hoping this will lead to a “we need to teach our kids how to rationalize and maybe start earlier with the usefull survivial skills” craze? I’ve been waiting for one of these. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/30 "2005-06-22T23:02:23Z")
Regarding his being “socially immature”: the article linked to in the OP quote’s the family as saying ```auto ...that Brennan was born prematurely and he is socially immature as a result. "He doesn't have any disabilities; he's just immature," Toby Hawkins said. ``` What the heck would being born prematurely have to do with being socially immature? I was born prematurely and by the time I was 11 had caught up with all the other kids my age. I don’t get this. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Highwayman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@The\_Highwayman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Highwayman)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/31 "2005-06-22T23:03:34Z")
Maybe he’s just special. Maybe he chased a bassball into the woods and at being 10 feet from where he was supposed to be, promptly got lost. I’m sorry but that kid is stupid. I hope they don’t give him a ten-speed and a jumbo Mormon bible on his mission because he won’t be long for the world. P.S. This brings to mind that Smart case. Remember how the guy they thought did it had a stroke and died? What happened with that? I notice that all the foul play theories about this case died. ---
**Author:** ![JimSox5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5a626/32.png) [@JimSox5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimSox5)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/32 "2005-06-22T23:04:23Z")
After seeing footage of the kid on CNN and such, something doesn’t look right about him. I realize he’s awfully tired and all, but for being assured so often that the medical staff says he’s a-okay, he just doesn’t look right. I wish I could put my finger on just why I feel that way. Just, like has been said earlier, “socially immature” doesn’t quite seem to add it all up. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/33 "2005-06-22T23:07:38Z")
> [@The Highwayman](#): > > P.S. This brings to mind that Smart case. Remember how the guy they thought did it had a stroke and died? Don’t push my buttons. I _still_ get quite intensely pissed off when I think about that. They basically badgered the guy to death. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/34 "2005-06-22T23:09:57Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > He’s 11! Yeah, exactly. An 11-year-old should not be so stupid that he doesn’t know that it’s okay to talk to “strangers” when you’re lost in the woods for days. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/35 "2005-06-22T23:11:48Z")
> [@JimSox5](#): > > After seeing footage of the kid on CNN and such, something doesn’t look right about him. I realize he’s awfully tired and all, but for being assured so often that the medical staff says he’s a-okay, he just doesn’t look right. I wish I could put my finger on just why I feel that way. Just, like has been said earlier, “socially immature” doesn’t quite seem to add it all up. I saw the class photo of him that they showed before he was found, and I remember being surprised that he was 11. He had that “mouth-breathing, deer in the headlights” look that usually only much younger kids have. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/36 "2005-06-22T23:19:59Z")
> [@](#): > > he just doesn’t look right. I wish I could put my finger on just why I feel that way. He has that white-as-a-grub over-protected fundie-child innocence about him, as if he’s had the common sense bred right out of him. [sub]I got a laugh last night when some tv network said, “We’re going to talk to Ed Smart about this latest Utah miracle,” as if all child disappearances in the Bee Hive State are somehow inter-related. If some kid in Provo sees the outline of the Angel Moroni on his Pop-Tart tomorrow morning, expect Ed Smart to supply a soundbite.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@The\_Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hook)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/37 "2005-06-22T23:26:42Z")
It was all staged by Tom Cruise’s publicist. > [@Rilchiam](#): > > See, for whatever reason, he was at the bottom of the totem pole in his family. **Maybe** this will give him some cred. And now we’re all stuck with seeing his movie. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/38 "2005-06-22T23:28:50Z")
> [@Kolak of Twilo](#): > > Regarding his being “socially immature”: the article linked to in the OP quote’s the family as saying > > ```auto > > ...that Brennan was born prematurely and he is socially immature as a result. > > "He doesn't have any disabilities; he's just immature," Toby Hawkins said. > > ``` > > What the heck would being born prematurely have to do with being socially immature? I was born prematurely and by the time I was 11 had caught up with all the other kids my age. I don’t get this. Try reading it like this: He was born prematurely and scared the piss out of his parents. Terrified that he might die, they “protected” him and didn’t let him take the normal risks kids should take growing up. As a result, he’s grown shy and afraid of his own shadow. Make more sense? WhyNot, parent of a 23-week premie, who swears nightly she won’t do this to her daughter! ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/39 "2005-06-22T23:36:18Z")
I’ve got this kid pegged for a great career in the civil service. Rigid adherence to previously laid out guidlines without comprehension of their reason for being or spirit. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435/40 "2005-06-23T00:02:10Z")
I’m comparing Lost Kid to my niece, who is also 11, and I’ve got to agree that something ain’t quite right with Lost Kid. When my niece was _five_, I got to stay with her for a week while her parents were on a cruise. Before they left, there was the following conversation: Niece’s dad: While we’re gone, you have to do everything Aunt Laina says. Are you going to do everything Aunt Laina says? Niece: Yes. Dad: If Aunt Laina tells you to take a bath, are you going to take a bath? Niece: Yes. Dad: If Aunt Laina tells you to go to your room, are you going to go to your room? Niece: Yes. Dad: If Aunt Laina tells you to jump off a bridge, are you going to jump off a bridge? Niece: No way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-utah-kid-was-an-idiot/309435.md?page=3)