Powerdoc, there are tragic, senseless ways that people die. Through accidents, random violence and other things that are no fault of their own. I don't - and wouldn't - make light of that and I'm not some nihilistic, careless person.
But when you strap a rocket to your car, or dare a buddy to shoot a beer can off your head (when both of you are loaded), tie several dozen balloons to your lawn chair to "see what it's like to hover" (and end up shooting 20,000 feet into the air), those are self-inflicted acts of stupidity that the average third-grader would probably think twice about.
If we can't have a small, tension-relieving chuckle at the outright idiocy and lack-of-forethought of others, then what's the point?
These people (the Darwin Award recipients) set out to actually do something most of us have the sense not to. They actively brought on their premature demise.
I don't feel that bad over gaining a head-slapping chuckle from it.
It's different than the kidnapping/murder of a child or the mob beating of two elderly men (neither of which I find amusing or giggle-inducing in the least).
But anyone who straps a jet engine to their car and totally disentegrates themselves in the process is fair game in my book.
it doesnt matter if this isnt the whole story... the fact of the matter is 2 20-year-olds got into an argument and now one of them is dead... over what? a difference in opinion...(so they say) but even if thats not the whole story--the thing is it could be accepted in this society w/o much outcry... sure the kid might be convited of a crime, and he might not.... this shows 2 things... lack of a good criminal system in the US and the lack of a good educational system to prevent the thing from happeneing in the first place...STUPIDITY....
Now, i realize that the whole country isnt like this--but the parts that are show no signs of changing any time soon...
and as for calling me an idiot because of something I said <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" /> why? what was the point? to make yourself feel better about yourself? <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" /> grow up a bit Mr. "phd"....
[ 08-04-2002: Message edited by: Paul ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well please spare me your whole "Ooooo I can't take this world anymore. I'm moving to Canada/Europe because the US is too ****ed up" Just ****ing get up and leave. We don't need idiots like you here.
I just say that one day or another we make stupid thing putting us in Danger. We can be clever and wise most of the time, but being stupid only once, if we are not lucky bad things can occur.
I don' t think that the story of the surgeon tree is comic, of course he did a mistake but the prize was too high. There is TV emission deal with stupid behavior, but they always show stories with a good end : no death.
Stupidity make me laugh too, and i can be very ironic and rude also, but definitevely this website delivering Darwin awards is bad taste. Telling a story like this is one thing, but make an entire site with awards is another story.
. We don't need idiots like you here.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Hmm, how many people can we discribe as idiots ... <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" /> <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
Be more cautious with the words : no personnal attack allowed here.
<strong>We don't need idiots like you here.</strong><hr></blockquote>
well the fact of the matter is, you are stuck with me until I either go to jail or leave when I want... thats the beauty of america--freedom. (although, this "beauty" can be ugly at times) you of all people should know that, true "patriot" that you are... the way you talk it seems as if you want to keep america "pure" of "idiots like me"
calling me an idiot because I see a problem with the US and rather then dealing with it want to move to a place that is "better" (remember this is all my opinion so there is no reason for you to get upset) is ignorant...
And while I am here I am going to try and change things for the better, but as soon as I have the chance and if at that point things havent changed then I am going to leave....
I'm not going to reply again to your posts in this thread unless it is an apology...I think I have made my point clear... <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
I agree that no one country has a monopoly on idiotic citizens / behavior (it all depends on who you ask, for one thing), but I tend to agree with the notion that America has more than its fair share in certain regards.
You can't really deny (though it would be hard to literally "prove it" one way or another) that a great many supposedly "educated" people in this country are mentally lazy in the extreme. So many people here derive their world-view from stupid television shows, glitzy news broadcasts and a heaping helping of heresay and public opinion.
Obviously, our population is pretty huge compared to most other industrialized nations so the raw numbers will always look worse than other places, but I'd venture to guess that well over 50% of the tax paying adults in this country not only couldn't name their congressman, various basic scientific facts and the like - but they know virtually nothing about the outside world. And it shows in a big way.
Sometimes it's poorly applied, but the "Ugly American" moniker is not without considerable merit, all things considered. Especially when looking from the outside in. Not saying America is evil or a bad place to live, merely that it could be a hell of a lot better if some of these supposedly "educated" people would simply act like it on a day to day basis.
Comments
But when you strap a rocket to your car, or dare a buddy to shoot a beer can off your head (when both of you are loaded), tie several dozen balloons to your lawn chair to "see what it's like to hover" (and end up shooting 20,000 feet into the air), those are self-inflicted acts of stupidity that the average third-grader would probably think twice about.
If we can't have a small, tension-relieving chuckle at the outright idiocy and lack-of-forethought of others, then what's the point?
These people (the Darwin Award recipients) set out to actually do something most of us have the sense not to. They actively brought on their premature demise.
I don't feel that bad over gaining a head-slapping chuckle from it.
It's different than the kidnapping/murder of a child or the mob beating of two elderly men (neither of which I find amusing or giggle-inducing in the least).
But anyone who straps a jet engine to their car and totally disentegrates themselves in the process is fair game in my book.
<strong>
cute...
it doesnt matter if this isnt the whole story... the fact of the matter is 2 20-year-olds got into an argument and now one of them is dead... over what? a difference in opinion...(so they say) but even if thats not the whole story--the thing is it could be accepted in this society w/o much outcry... sure the kid might be convited of a crime, and he might not.... this shows 2 things... lack of a good criminal system in the US and the lack of a good educational system to prevent the thing from happeneing in the first place...STUPIDITY....
Now, i realize that the whole country isnt like this--but the parts that are show no signs of changing any time soon...
and as for calling me an idiot because of something I said
[ 08-04-2002: Message edited by: Paul ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well please spare me your whole "Ooooo I can't take this world anymore. I'm moving to Canada/Europe because the US is too ****ed up" Just ****ing get up and leave. We don't need idiots like you here.
I don' t think that the story of the surgeon tree is comic, of course he did a mistake but the prize was too high. There is TV emission deal with stupid behavior, but they always show stories with a good end : no death.
Stupidity make me laugh too, and i can be very ironic and rude also, but definitevely this website delivering Darwin awards is bad taste. Telling a story like this is one thing, but make an entire site with awards is another story.
PS i agree that this story is pathetic
<strong>
. We don't need idiots like you here.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Hmm, how many people can we discribe as idiots ... <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" /> <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
Be more cautious with the words : no personnal attack allowed here.
<strong>We don't need idiots like you here.</strong><hr></blockquote>
well the fact of the matter is, you are stuck with me until I either go to jail or leave when I want... thats the beauty of america--freedom. (although, this "beauty" can be ugly at times) you of all people should know that, true "patriot" that you are... the way you talk it seems as if you want to keep america "pure" of "idiots like me"
calling me an idiot because I see a problem with the US and rather then dealing with it want to move to a place that is "better" (remember this is all my opinion so there is no reason for you to get upset) is ignorant...
And while I am here I am going to try and change things for the better, but as soon as I have the chance and if at that point things havent changed then I am going to leave....
I'm not going to reply again to your posts in this thread unless it is an apology...I think I have made my point clear... <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
( *hint* - it doesn't. )
One man's Pabst Blue Ribbon incident is another man's "misplaced" croussant.
You can't really deny (though it would be hard to literally "prove it" one way or another) that a great many supposedly "educated" people in this country are mentally lazy in the extreme. So many people here derive their world-view from stupid television shows, glitzy news broadcasts and a heaping helping of heresay and public opinion.
Obviously, our population is pretty huge compared to most other industrialized nations so the raw numbers will always look worse than other places, but I'd venture to guess that well over 50% of the tax paying adults in this country not only couldn't name their congressman, various basic scientific facts and the like - but they know virtually nothing about the outside world. And it shows in a big way.
Sometimes it's poorly applied, but the "Ugly American" moniker is not without considerable merit, all things considered. Especially when looking from the outside in. Not saying America is evil or a bad place to live, merely that it could be a hell of a lot better if some of these supposedly "educated" people would simply act like it on a day to day basis.
[ 08-04-2002: Message edited by: Moogs ]</p>