Darwin Awards

This passage refers to a comical award that people can "receive" for doing stupid or silly things.

Lexile Level: 1210L

Categories: People & Places

We all do things from time to time that might be considered less than intelligent. But some people seem to excel at being unwise. Originating on a Stanford University website, the Darwin Awards are presented to those who have removed themselves from the human gene pool through acts of stupidity. One German couple won the award for locking themselves out of their car in the middle of a tiger grotto. Park visitors are repeatedly warned not to open windows or exit cars while on park grounds. Within minutes of choosing to ignore this advice, the couple was attacked by three Bengal tigers, who delivered fatal injuries. Another unfortunate Darwin recipient was found with bullet wounds and a bereaved dog. The dog had apparently fired the loaded rifle with its paw. One lucky man failed to win a Darwin when he managed to survive an ascension to sixteen thousand feet after he attached forty-five weather balloons to his lawn chair. While winning awards can offer a welcomed boost to the ego, no one should hope to have his or her name engraved on a Darwin.