# Darwin Award for Ryan Dunn? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 23, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-award-for-ryan-dunn/607179 "2011-12-23T13:34:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-award-for-ryan-dunn/607179/21 "2011-12-23T18:44:45Z")
> [@PacifistPorcupine](#): > > Drunk driving is nowhere near “unique.” The examples listed in the article are way more spectacular. And yet, the later Darwin Awards books feature a parade of “This guy got REALLY drunk and wrapped his car around a tree” stories. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-award-for-ryan-dunn/607179/22 "2011-12-23T18:46:28Z")
> [@Theophane](#): > > I don’t understand how this could not be Darwin worthy. What more is required? Something unique or noteworthy. His death, while tragic, is fairly mundane in the grand picture. If he hadn’t been on Jackass doing other stupid stuff this wouldn’t even be a blip on the radar. A better example (sorry, no link) was the guy protesting mandatory motorcycle helmet laws who died from a head injury from a motorcycle crash, obviously wearing no helmet. His accident was relatively mundane, too, but it relates directly to what he was protesting. Driving drunk really doesn’t relate much to Ryan Dunn’s Jackass stunts. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-award-for-ryan-dunn/607179/23 "2011-12-23T18:50:29Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > And yet, the later Darwin Awards books feature a parade of “This guy got REALLY drunk and wrapped his car around a tree” stories. I’d still prefer to nominate some guy that got drunk, put wheels on a tree and wrapped it around his car. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-award-for-ryan-dunn/607179/24 "2011-12-25T11:56:54Z")
> [@Theophane](#): > > He was driving drunk, in a dangerously modified Porsche. **His passenger was killed.** He took someone else with him. Was photograped with his friends drunk at a bar shortly before the crash (which totally demolished the car). > > What a jackass. The part that I emphasized automatically disqualifies him from a Darwin Award. Someone who (no matter how stupid his or her own behaviour) endangers or kills others is not allowed to receive a Darwin Award. [Link to the Rules of Darwin Awards, in the Darwin Awards site](http://www.darwinawards.com/rules/) Copy-paste of the relevant paragraph: _ **Killing others: The death of innocent bystanders absolutely rules out a Darwin Award. We don’t applaud those who take others out of the gene pool, even if they share some DNA in common. Injuring bystanders is also frowned upon.** _ Therefore, according to the rules of the Darwin Awards, Ryan Dunn is not eligible for one. ---
**Author:** ![Theophane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@Theophane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theophane)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-award-for-ryan-dunn/607179/25 "2011-12-25T14:20:29Z")
> [@JoseB](#): > > The part that I emphasized automatically disqualifies him from a Darwin Award. > > Someone who (no matter how stupid his or her own behaviour) endangers or kills others is not allowed to receive a Darwin Award. > > [Link to the Rules of Darwin Awards, in the Darwin Awards site](http://www.darwinawards.com/rules/) > > Copy-paste of the relevant paragraph: > > _ **Killing others: The death of innocent bystanders absolutely rules out a Darwin Award. We don’t applaud those who take others out of the gene pool, even if they share some DNA in common. Injuring bystanders is also frowned upon.** _ > > Therefore, according to the rules of the Darwin Awards, Ryan Dunn is not eligible for one. Fair enough. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-award-for-ryan-dunn/607179/26 "2011-12-27T14:17:20Z")
It sounds like suicide to me. ---
**Author:** ![Theophane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@Theophane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theophane)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-award-for-ryan-dunn/607179/27 "2011-12-27T14:46:13Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > It sounds like suicide to me. Suicide and manslaughter. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-award-for-ryan-dunn/607179/28 "2011-12-27T18:59:53Z")
Got a possible winner: [Oklahoma City News, Weather and Sports - KOCO 5 News](http://www.koco.com/r/30037563/detail.html). This guy kicks any drunk driver’s butt. hh ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-award-for-ryan-dunn/607179/29 "2011-12-28T00:29:33Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > ISTM the _only_ reason he’s seen as a Darwin candidate is because of his stunts on Jackass. Had he been any other person and died in the same way no one beyond the locals would have even have heard about it. I vote no. > > Had he died doing a Jackass stunt, then I could understand the nomination. And I would argue that past dangerous behavior is relevant for the award. The whole point of natural selection is that it removes people who are not fit enough for the gene pool, not that it removes someone who did one stupid thing once. To put it another way, his extreme risktaking personality, as evidenced by his run on Jackass, is very likely the reason he made the decision to drive drunk at such a high speed. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-award-for-ryan-dunn/607179/30 "2012-02-03T19:18:17Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And I would argue that past dangerous behavior is relevant for the award. The whole point of natural selection is that it removes people who are not fit enough for the gene pool, not that it removes someone who did one stupid thing once. > > To put it another way, his extreme risktaking personality, as evidenced by his run on Jackass, is very likely the reason he made the decision to drive drunk at such a high speed. It also lacks excellence. Ten thousand people a day match this criteria. (a small exaggeration.) It is far to common for the Darwin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-award-for-ryan-dunn/607179.md?page=1)