If you want to keep Dad safe this Father’s Day, it may be time to have a serious discussion about the “Male Idiot Theory”.
We already knew that the statistics show that men are far more likely than to be hurt in accidents including motor vehicle accidents, and suffer serious sports injuries, but there have been many theories on why men face greater risks.
Now, a study published in The BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal), has revealed a type of risk that should be completely avoidable – idiotic risks. The authors define idiotic risks as, “senseless risks, where the apparent payoff is negligible or non-existent, and the outcome is often extremely negative and often final.”
Analyzing the Darwin Awards
In “The Darwin Awards: sex differences in idiotic behavior” researchers tell us that an analysis of the data on Darwin Award winners over a 20 year period, from 1995-2014, found that 88.7% of winners were male.
In case you aren’t familiar with the Darwin Awards they, “commemorate individuals who protect our gene pool by making the ultimate sacrifice of their own lives: by eliminating themselves in an extraordinarily idiotic manner, thereby improving our species’ chance of long-term survival.”
In order to win a person must be removed from the gene pool, either by death or sterility, the harm must be self-inflicted, and it must be the result of an idiotic act.
This Father’s Day, don’t be afraid to show your love by reminding Dad that you do not want to find yourself nominating him for a Darwin Award. Be sure to share our Darwin Awards Infographic with him.