For my initial test subject, I looked up the term "trampoline mishap." Here is the selected picture:
My initial reaction was, "Oh, this looks like fun!" My secondary reaction was, "Wait, what exactly is this?" It appears to be some sort of basketball-type game, only one person can play at a time while everyone stands around and cheers. Or chants. Or maybe the person in the middle is trying to escape, and they're mocking him. Because there doesn't appear to be a way in or out of this trampoline-in-a-cage other than "over the side." And the landing outside doesn't look all that soft. Now, I'm sure it's nothing dangerous like that, but it is worth noting that the netting (chain link fence?) obscures the boy in the middle's face, so it's hard to tell if he's having the time of his life or trying to escape with his life. He could be either laughing or crying. I mean really. What fun could a group of people possibly have with a basketball trampoline game where only one person plays at a time? If this was a bigger trampoline and there were goals on either side, I could see a highly dangerous game of one-on-one in progress. But one guy bouncing with one ball? And when he shoots it, I guess the game's over, because it's outside the playing field.
So, conclusion #1: Whatever's happening here, it doesn't make any sense.
Unless, of course, the object of the game is to avoid the ball that's in the cage with you. That could actually be pretty fun, and you could take turns. (Assuming, of course, there is a way in, which there doesn't appear to be) Still doesn't explain the basketball goal. "Avoid the Ball for as Long as Possible" does sound like a game I would have invented when I was a bit younger. Of course, if the picture really is some sort of trap, the ball could be the instrument of torture or whatever, and everyone gathered 'round the cage are actually cheering for the ball and not the boy.
Aha! And then the basketball goal could just be a decoy! Makes perfect sense!
Now, I will admit that I'm not a huge fan of cage-fighting. (That's fighting in a cage, not fighting against a cage) MMA is, generally speaking, a little too brutal and unstructured for my tastes. This picture, however, presents a way to possibly make the sport even dangerous. I am talking, of course, about Trampoline Cage Fighting. You either have to knock your opponent over the top of the netting or...um...yeah, I just can't think of a good way for that to end. Most MMA bouts end when the ref senses one fighter can no longer or is no longer fighting back. Or when one fighter taps out. Two men (or women, I suppose) plus a ref on a trampoline, I'm afraid it'd be hard for the ref to determine when a guy is done. And the winner would probably get just as jacked up as the loser. So would the ref, now that I think about it.
Conclusion #2: Trampoline Cage Fighting is a terrible idea.
Conclusion #3: Bouncy Fencing, on the other hand, would be brilliant.
Another observation: the males in this culture all wear pants, while the females all wear shorts. And nobody wears shoes. Not sure what this might mean, but it's oddly consistent. (I can't quite tell about the figure in the back left. I think it's a male, but the netting makes it hard to tell, and I'm pretty sure he's in shorts, but the shadows make it tough to know for certain. It's possible he's an outlier to the pattern. Which could be why he was forced all the way to the back of the picture)
Maybe the trampoline surrounded by netting/fencing is sort of like a play pen for ten-year-olds. I'd imagine it'd be equally useful for youth groups and college kids.
Oh hey! The little girl on the left has a ball! I wonder if she's going to toss it into the fray in case the boy in the orange shirt defeats the green ball or the green ball simply isn't doing its job (whatever the heck that is). Or maybe she's next in line.
So, whatever's happening, the people watching are definitely into it. They don't appear to belong to the same family due to the variations in hair and skin colors. A green basketball goal may or may not play a part in the activity. The person in the middle is either the star or a victim, and he may or may not have a way out that does not involve hurtling himself into near-certain traction. His situation could either get more dangerous or more fun with the addition of a yellow ball. And, because the image came up on the first page of a "trampoline mishap" search, I'm afraid we have to assume the worst in each of these points.
This picture is worth 818 words. Not too bad!
