Stupidity rewarded

After reading "The Darwin Awards II," I am convinced that Darwin's theory of evolution is entirely correct, and it is actively in effect for the human race as well as the animal kingdom. This book is a collection of the most hapless, reckless and just plain dumb members of the human race. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept of the Darwin Awards, it is a dubious honor for the person who has removed himself from the gene pool in a clueless or hapless manner; by removing himself he has ensured the long term survival of the human race.\nBy no means are the Darwin Awards intended to make fun of people whose luck has just run out. It's not to make fun of people who were involved in an unforeseeable accident. Key term: unforeseeable. It is not unexpected that grievous bodily harm will occur when you attach a Jet Assisted Take-Off unit rocket to the top of your car and go speeding through the desert. The Darwin Awards reward the clueless among us and show common sense is anything but common.\nTo qualify for the Darwin, a candidate must fill certain criteria. The candidate must no longer be in the gene pool; elimination can be accomplished with death or sterilization. The event must be a verifiable event, and the person in question must be able to make sound decisions. Finally, the victim must cause his own demise.\nUnfortunately for the human species, there seems to be no shortage of people who can fulfill the requirements. From the person who drowned while practicing walking on water to the owner of an equipment safety training facility who did not surviving the making of his own video, there are people who act so stupidly they accidently cause their own deaths.\nThere were some stories so ridiculous in this collection that I could not believe them. \nHow many experienced construction workers would cut out the floor they are standing on and fall eight stories to their deaths? \nWhat trombone player would put a lit firecracker in his instrument while playing? \nSome seem to be asking for their death and dismemberment through their incredibly stupid actions. \nAs a side note, one of the stories in the book has a special place in my heart. In "Fast Food Fatality," two night managers of a Burger King arranged a fake robbery/arson that went awry when the intended fire never erupted. One of the culprits was loosely bound in the freezer, and the fire would summon the fire department to rescue her, leaving her and her accomplice to spend the money without suspicion. However, the fire never erupted, and the loosely bound manager waited in the freezer until she died; she was bound so loosely she could have escaped at anytime.\nWhat makes this award stand out in my mind is that I remember reading this story in my local newspaper two summers ago. The women, who committed this miscalculated caper in Valparasio, Ind., were ridiculed by the press for their ridiculous plan and lack of common sense. \nI highly recommend "The Darwin Awards II" for any reader who can appreciate the humor of it. People who are overly sensitive or offended when ill is spoken of the dead should avoid this book; all it does is ridicule the hapless actions that resulted in the deaths of their perpetrators. It is harsh and unforgiving of stupidity, but so is evolution. Though the people honored in the book have passed on, they unwittingly made life a little safer for the rest of us.