Joshua Newell is lucky his stupidity cost him only $200, and not an arm.

A certain percentage of idiots like Newell, 35, of Gahanna, Ohio, always have been part of the human race. But use of social media to brag about reckless behavior and to encourage others to take risks is a growing concern.

So is blaming someone else for your foolhardiness, as Newell did in trying to shift some fault for what he did recently at the Columbus, Ohio, Zoo and Aquarium.

Newell posted a video on YouTube of what he did after jumping over a fence at the zoo’s cougar enclosure. He can be seen reaching through an inner fence to pet two mountain lions.

After being fined $200 for trespassing, Newell admitted what he did was foolish. He proceeded to suggest the zoo may have made it too easy to get that close to the big cats.

That is absurd, of course. An unwritten rule – that we are responsible at least in part for our own safety – guides much of what we do in life, regardless of what the trial lawyers would have you believe.

Imbeciles like Newell are not to be admired or emulated. Certainly, juries should not reward their irresponsibility by giving them money when they file lawsuits over harm they brought on themselves.

Parents must warn their children of all sorts of hazards in life and attempt to prepare them to stay safe. Newell’s stunt is a reminder to moms and dads that the most important advice they can give youngsters may be four words: Don’t be an idiot.