The Darwin Awards

Recently I have discovered the great joy that is called the Darwin Awards. Based on a scientific theme of Charles Darwins theory of Natural Selection, the Author, Wendy Northcutt illustrates Natural Selection in process. The purge of Stupidity from the human race, leaving only the more intelligent among us to procreate, thus making for a more intellectual human race.

A collection of stories involving a morbid analysis of human loss of life, or other infirmaties that restrict procreation, through the victims own stupidity, the stories are categoriezed as Darwin Awards, Honourable Mentions, Personal Accounts or Urban Legends. With a jovial tone that sets up the Darwin award recipients as Heroes, for causing their own demise and saving humanity from their stupidity, the Darwin Awards are an excellent read.

 Wendy Nothcutt herself is a professional, and although experienced and sophisticated writer, she is also very easy to follow. The stories themselves are a range from humourus, to 'what were they thinking?' through to simply Gut wrentching.

The rules for Winning a Darwin Award are set out in the book as follows: "The Candidate must be eliminated from the gene pool, the candidate must show an astounding misapplication of common sense, the even must be verified, the candidate must be capable of sound judgement, the candidate must be the cause of their own demise"

"(February 1998) Matthew and his friends were sliding down a Mammoth Mountain ski run on a foam pad at 3am, when he crashed into a lift tower and died. His makeshift sledge of yellow foam had been stolen from the legs of a lift tower on Stump Alley. The cushion is meant to protect skiers who hit the tower, and the tower Matthew ran into was the one from which he had created his sledge. There's a moral in there somewhere."