Let's give a big round of applause for our next Darwin Award contestant

[IronWing]

I'm only 23 and I don't mind dying.

Cliffs:
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. — Authorities say a Tucson man has died after parachuting from a cell phone tower and hitting high-voltage power lines.

 

[Red Squirrel]

lol wow. If you're going to parachute off something at least make sure there is a good landing area.

 

[destrekor]

This just in. Base Jumping kills many.
It's dangerous, Base Jumpers around the world fully know what they are getting themselves into, and most know someone who has died or know someone who had a friend die.

Hardly Darwin Award when they accept and embrace the odds.

 

[destrekor]

lol wow. If you're going to parachute off something at least make sure there is a good landing area.

Remember, this is base jumping. Part of the allure is doing it in very dangerous areas, such as crowded city landscapes and other assorted topography where among other things, power lines are everywhere.

Most of the ones who try and minimize the dangers as much as possible stick to the Earth aspect of base jumping - using high terrain features such as staggering cliffs with a steep face, but again, a lot of allure is being able to base jump basically anywhere - and not many can travel to the places that offer the best earthen jump opportunities.

 

[jhu]

This just in. Base Jumping kills many.
It's dangerous, Base Jumpers around the world fully know what they are getting themselves into, and most know someone who has died or know someone who had a friend die.

Hardly Darwin Award when they accept and embrace the odds.

I disagree. Doing dangerous things that have a high possibility of getting you killed just for lulz is definitely Darwin Award worthy, especially if they haven't reproduced yet.

 

[destrekor]

I disagree. Doing dangerous things that have a high possibility of getting you killed just for lulz is definitely Darwin Award worthy, especially if they haven't reproduced yet.

it's not for the lulz though, it's for the risk of death that gives that adrenaline rush.

I consider Darwin Awards to be relegated to the realm of idiots who do stupid things where they are not expecting a chance of death. Embracing the risk of death versus doing something so stupid and doing it so terribly wrong that death results are two entirely different things.

Do you consider pro BMX bikers, pro race car drivers, stunt bikers, skateboarders, and all things similar, especially the ones that carry high risk, to be equally darwin award material?

 

[illusion88]

I disagree. Doing dangerous things that have a high possibility of getting you killed just for lulz is definitely Darwin Award worthy, especially if they haven't reproduced yet.

Ever drive your car fast?

People seek thrills. This usually involves risk of some kind. You minimize the risk with skill, planning, technology (gear), timing, and at times a bit of luck.

Are people who do this for a living Darwin Candidates? What about Nascar drivers?

 

[Freshgeardude]

it's not for the lulz though, it's for the risk of death that gives that adrenaline rush.

I consider Darwin Awards to be relegated to the realm of idiots who do stupid things where they are not expecting a chance of death. Embracing the risk of death versus doing something so stupid and doing it so terribly wrong that death results are two entirely different things.

Do you consider pro BMX bikers, pro race car drivers, stunt bikers, skateboarders, and all things similar, especially the ones that carry high risk, to be equally darwin award material?

bmx bikers, pro racing drivers, etc arent doing things NEARLY as dangerous as base jumpers. Base jumpers have one protection method, a parachute, if that fails, they are dead. even with that gusts of wind at the wrong time or incomplete openings of the parachute can fail.


bmx bikers, etc have more protection. there are rules and boundaries they dont attempt for a reason.


I vote this guy for the darwin award

 

[darkxshade]

bmx bikers, pro racing drivers, etc arent doing things NEARLY as dangerous as base jumpers. Base jumpers have one protection method, a parachute, if that fails, they are dead. even with that gusts of wind at the wrong time or incomplete openings of the parachute can fail.


bmx bikers, etc have more protection. there are rules and boundaries they dont attempt for a reason.


I vote this guy for the darwin award

So your criteria for the award is based on the amount of protection? I suppose intead of a medal of honor, soldiers who throw themselves on grenades should be awarded the Darwin award since they took a risk that involves no protection at all?

 

[GagHalfrunt]

The gene pool thanks him for his sacrifice.

 

[destrekor]

bmx bikers, pro racing drivers, etc arent doing things NEARLY as dangerous as base jumpers. Base jumpers have one protection method, a parachute, if that fails, they are dead. even with that gusts of wind at the wrong time or incomplete openings of the parachute can fail.


bmx bikers, etc have more protection. there are rules and boundaries they dont attempt for a reason.


I vote this guy for the darwin award

Like I said, the point is if you know the risks and willingly, and joyfully, embrace the risk, it is an entirely different matter than someone who is too retarded to know better and dies doing something ridiculously stupid.

 

[IronWing]

Like I said, the point is if you know the risks and willingly, and joyfully, embrace the risk, it is an entirely different matter than someone who is too retarded to know better and dies doing something ridiculously stupid.

Like parachuting into a power line from 400' meaning the power line was only ~300' from his jump off point, just as an example of course.

 

[destrekor]

The gene pool thanks him for his sacrifice.

Oh and also, this is quite likely not the case in any sense of the meaning.

Most people who are serious risk takers offer the gene pool a critical control element that is also incredibly beneficial for the species.
The risk taking gene helps encourage natural selection - albeit almost entirely insignificant in this modern massive population - if the risk taker is able to breed prior to get the gene to stick around for a long time, every now and then cropping up randomly down the genetic line again.
But more importantly, risk takers can be the difference between a great genetic line surviving and not, because serious risk offers both terrible and excellent outcomes. Risk without positive result is worthless.
In this modern day, most serious risks are merely "pointless" for the species and on an importance scale, but there is reward on a personal satisfaction level. Sociologically, that can still have positive impacts as it may produce a more fulfilled and happy individual, which can encourage more successful breeding.

Just saying... we likely have to thank the "risk-taking" genetic coding for our existence.

Darwin Awards aren't for risk takers. They are for absolute idiots who fuck up the simple things in life.

note: the above anthropological statement is completely fabricated theory, though it makes perfect sense for evolution imho.

 

[IronWing]

Risk without positive result is worthless.

Darwin Awards aren't for risk takers. They are for absolute idiots who fuck up the simple things in life.

Jumping into a power line is, you know, kind of for absolute idiots. I guess he got a charge out of it, though since it was AC the results are both positive and negative then positive again.

 

[destrekor]

Like parachuting into a power line from 400' meaning the power line was only ~300' from his jump off point, just as an example of course.

or closer, or further.

Wind is a brutal bitch for base jumpers. It is often the element that if different in every situation that resulted in death would instead have resulted in a safe landing.

Think about it.
Power lines only 100' from the tower? Ideal wind characteristics would mean they would easily be cleared. 500' away? In most scenarios, quite avoidable through adequate maneuvering techniques.
Sudden wind gusts, changing direction, improperly timed deployment of the chute (most often the other equally weighted factor), etc.

Every base jump is equally dangerous. Many environments offer perfect jump environments in the right conditions, and highly dangerous jump environments if one factor is changed.

 

[destrekor]

Jumping into a power line is, you know, kind of for absolute idiots. I guess he got a charge out of it, though since it was AC the results are both positive and negative then positive again.

Yes, because a snowboarder jumping and flipping over 100' and timing his motions wrong and breaking his neck when landing is for absolute idiots.

Accidents during extreme sports happen. All environments are hostile in extreme sports.

If he was aiming on purpose to land right next to the power lines, the situation is different. But for some reason I want to say a base jumper likely wasn't aiming for the power lines, rather, was making attempts to avoid them.
Or didn't see them? Like chopper pilots don't see them or misjudge their approach.

 

[Lean L]

How does one get electrocuted in the air? Doesn't he have to be grounded?

 

[darkxshade]

Jumping into a power line is, you know, kind of for absolute idiots. I guess he got a charge out of it, though since it was AC the results are both positive and negative then positive again.

That's all relative... there's no absolute threshold that determines where jumping at one point means a person is an idiot and he's not if he were one mm further away. He would have to be blatantly close and ignore them to be qualified. Technically you could say anyone who's ever gone parachuting deserves a darwin award since they jump at much greater heights from a plane thus increasing the radius to such a degree that it would be impossible for them to not be in an area without powerlines... but they almost always jump anyway right?

 

[IronWing]

How does one get electrocuted in the air? Doesn't he have to be grounded?

Form a contact between a hot wire and a ground wire. This is how power lines kill big raptors.

 

[Mr. Lennon]

This is on the verge of being a Darwin Award.

Story cited in OP is not Darwin Award worthy.....unless the guy was jumping off with an umbrella or something.

 

[jhu]

So your criteria for the award is based on the amount of protection? I suppose intead of a medal of honor, soldiers who throw themselves on grenades should be awarded the Darwin award since they took a risk that involves no protection at all?

Thats not even a good analogy because 1) the soldier is paid and 2) he's protecting other people. That's honorable. On the other hand, breaking into a restricted area so you can base jump off of the cell tower inside and then getting electrocuted on your way down due to power lines is Darwin Award worthy.

 

[darkxshade]

Thats not even a good analogy because 1) the soldier is paid and 2) he's protecting other people. That's honorable. On the other hand, breaking into a restricted area so you can base jump off of the cell tower inside and then getting electrocuted on your way down due to power lines is Darwin Award worthy.

I didn't set the criteria... the criteria that is implied was that race car drivers, bmx bikers, etc have more protection than a base jumper and thus does not fall into the category of a darwin award recipient, so I played dumb and suggested that a soldier who throws himself into a grenade affords himself less protection than a base jumper thus according to *his* criteria, then he should equally be awarded the darwin award... Race car drivers get paid too btw.

 

[TheVrolok]

Like I said, the point is if you know the risks and willingly, and joyfully, embrace the risk, it is an entirely different matter than someone who is too retarded to know better and dies doing something ridiculously stupid.

Just to clarify, if my idea of a rush was grabbing a revolver, loading a single bullet, giving it a spin, cocking the hammer, putting it in my mouth, and pulling the trigger... And I died, it would NOT be Darwin Award worthy because I knew I had a 1/6 chance of death and did it for fun?

 

[lxskllr]

Just to clarify, if my idea of a rush was grabbing a revolver, loading a single bullet, giving it a spin, cocking the hammer, putting it in my mouth, and pulling the trigger... And I died, it would NOT be Darwin Award worthy because I knew I had a 1/6 chance of death and did it for fun?

That's correct. Darwin awards are for people who fuck themselves up thinking they're doing the right thing, and oblivious to the consequences.

 

[jhu]

"The Awards honor people who ensure the long-term survival of the human race by removing themselves from the gene pool in a sublimely idiotic fashion."

One 'Honorable Mention' (a man who attempted suicide by swallowing nitroglycerine pills, and then tried to detonate them by running into a wall) is noted to be in this category, despite being intentional and self-inflicted, which would normally disqualify the inductee.

I'd say the kid qualifies for a nomination but not an award.