Because the University did not take proper safety precautions when holding an eating contest
Why hold the university accountable rather than the people who voluntarily choose to put themselves at risk?
That's not how anything works.
But it should be. If the university had slack food standards and accidentally chucked rat poison or whatever in the pancakes, I'd say THAT would be 100% fair to hold them responsible. But when the students - adult students at that - choose of their own accord to enter something like this, that's their fault if it goes wrong. They're fucking universities, not babysitters.
Its still the universitys responsibility to take proper safety precautions. Adult or not. If youre holding this type of event on campus as a school advertised event its their responsibility. Did the school have them sign waivers letting them know this could happen that would absolve them from blame? Nope. But theyre adults! Shouldnt be how laws in this situation work.
I get that's how things work in this day and age, but is it really the best system? In many ways I would prefer a system where we make adults more accountable for their actions.
For example, let's say I told somebody that I think they should ride their bike off a cliff into the ocean. And they do it. And they die. Do I get in trouble? Hell no. That was their choice. But let's say I post on Facebook "hey I'm organizing an event where we ride our bikes off a cliff. Let me know if you want to sign up." and then people sign up, we go through with the plan, but one of the guys dies. Then do I get in trouble? Maybe not, but why wouldn't I? How is that different than if the University organized the event? And if I would get into trouble...again why? At the end of the day, the person's action of getting on his bike and riding it off the cliff are 100% responsible for their death.
Really gets you to think...when you get right down to it, the only reason we hold things like universities and businesses accountable for things that go bad is because they have money.
Yes. Inciting people to commit crimes is still a crime by itself. Game shows can't get its participants to kill each other or do things like "film the best suicide" no matter if it's the "players themselves who choose to harm each other". People who organize things badly without the proper care need to take personal responsibility for their own consequences