The Darwin Awards II: More True Stories of How Dumb Humans Have Met Their Maker Book

The Darwin Awards book two, subtitled "More True Stories of How Dumb Humans Have Met Their Maker", offers further proof of the kind unearthed in the original Darwin Awards, of just how stupid mankind can be. Taking its title from the cult Web site of the same name which Northcutt set up in 1993, the book contains a collection of cautionary tales of intensely stupid behaviour. Loosely based on Darwin's theory of natural selection, the idea behind the Darwin Awards is that a person can be so stupid that it would be detrimental to the human race for their genes to survive. If, therefore, someone was to behave so stupidly that they died or rendered themselves unable to reproduce, they would be doing the rest of us a favour by removing themself from the gene pool. It is this self-sacrifice that the Web site--and the books--applaud and reward, although, of course, nearly all Darwin Awards are necessarily posthumous. After all, "If someone does manage to survive an incredibly stupid feat, then his genes defacto must have something to offer (and) he is therefore noteligible for a Darwin award". Having explained the basic premise behind the awards, the book catalogues examples of foolish, and often extremely funny, misadventures in sections such as watery deaths, fatal ingenuity and sex-related incidents. What sets the Darwin Awards apart from other apparently similar books of urban myths is the care taken by Northcutt to verify the stories which are then classified as "confirmed" (by reputable newspaper articles, or confirmed TV (reports),"unconfirmed" and "urban myths". On top of this, the book draws on surveys carried out on the Web site to provide a glimpse into the thoughts of those who use it, strengthening the air that this is more than just fun, it is light-hearted research into the way people think. --Anoushka AlexanderRead More