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2008 January Slush
(UL)Roping A Deer
(Hmmm)Tiger, not lion, kills 1, injurs 2
(DA)Slippery When Wet
(DA)Pulled into the abyss
(Hmm)White Spirit IS Flammable
(?)VA Man Shot to Death While Beating
(DA)Not a Shred of Sense
(DA)Chest Piercing Electrocution
(?)Un-happy slapper
(?)Need for Speed
(?)Great Balls of Fire!
(?)Had big balls.
(?)Rich and Overconfident
(DA)Sneaking Across
Conveyor belt outlasts runner
(?)Let Me Get a Better Look!
(DA)A series of Im-Pined Events
(HM)Home Made IED
(?)Graffitists drown in storm drain
Skier dies after triggering avalanc
Do-I-Yourself Shock Therapry
MANS BEST FRIEND???
Rafts, Rivers, Cement and Bridges
Woman attacked twice by shark
Picnic Lunch
Holy Flaming DOH!
gangsta guns & fireworks don't mix
The high cost of gas
Police: Man Shot Himself In Genital
Auger to Heaven
Drunken driver saves beer
(NO)Disabled man turned himself into hu
Miami of Ohio University...
(?)Jumbolair Airborne BMW
Fire up the BBQ !
(several)
Man stabs self while fleeing
The Faster Method
Kinky Sex, Shocking Death
highway worker nearly earns award
Reverse Mohawk
1 shoot closes slaying case
Grafitti Vandals Drown
When Couch Potatoes Take Root.
two for one
dangerous mixture
Is half a Darwin better then none?
Do Tell
Drowned pair 'spraypainting inside
Man Shot Himself In Genitals During
Explosive Military Intelligence
Men shoot themselves in tattoo atte
Making Deadly Gas at Home
German man goes out with X-mas Tree
vodka+viagra death
Fake hanging becomes all too real
Death by Exploding toilet
Down the drain!
Pneumatic Nail Gun Surprize
One sleeper too many on rail tracks
Man Killed in Backyard Explosion
What was he doing up in that crane?
Semi-Conductor
That is one Fowl Shot
diver drowns for golf balls
Metal fence gets revenge
Burning Pants
Police Break in?
Killer Drill
Go Get the Lawnmower
Next Time Buy a Ticket!
dumest showoff driver ever
Couldn't wait to get down and party
Truck-a-Luck
dangerous dog food
They Ain't no Bo and Luke Duke!
The Blue - Handed Pikeman
Un-happy slapper
Driver found unbuckled in crash, bu
Man Shot Himself In Genitals During
He now hates that 'Tom Tom' GPS!!!
A Crocodile Poacher gets scrambled.
Bare hand versus table saw
Drunken Phone Repair
Knife thief stabs self during getaw
Belly dancing through traffic
Who knew trucks were heavy?
Man held by ankles to snap photo
Super Glue Eye Drops
Eagle explosion
Cutting up a Napalm Bomb
Escalator Misused
Flash Powder near miss
Log Jamming
Driver requires GPS Train-ing
elevator surfer
Two men dead after swimming in drai
New year buffaloe ride
freek accident
Rest in Peas
Bike VS. Train
Is Arthur still going to heaven?
Slow Learner
Hangings should never be mocked up
Strong finger for firing a pistol
unsuccessful robber shoots self in
The Death of Deadtown
Don't want to fall out of this bed!
Abused car strikes back
Goat Overcomes Man
New years Nose Ring In Brain
Dog Love
Homosexual Couple Hospitalized
Listen to your parents!
Run over getting the bins in
Man breaks neck in pool accident
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Darwin Awards
2008 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
Should I include it in the archive?
Vote to tell me what *you* think!

The Death of Deadtown

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Shawn Howard created the Deadtown Tavern as a hybrid Metal/Rock-a-Billy Bar, the common theme being rebellion and a sheek disregard for and defiance of political correctness, attracting a broad range from jack-booted "skin heads", to punkers, to refugees from the 60s. While this defiance is considered sheik and hip, the behavioral extensions are often quite ugly. This bar and its atmosphere has an attitude of hate mongering from graffiti to T-shirts pinned upon the walls. For a while they focused it upon the homeless, mentally ill with T-shirts that said "F___ the Homeless" posted on the wall. This attitude resulted in the previous owner and bar manager chasing down a homeless schizophrenic man, who just discharged from the psych hospital, into a vacant lot where they attacked him. Ironically, the homeless, schizophrenic, in a freaked out state, defended himself by grabbing a pipe and killed the owner. Here is the story http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,129230,00.html. Shawn caused his own death by seeing a homeless, mentally ill man, through elitest eyes, as vulnerable, and acting upon this emergent genre of hostile disregard for others. Attacking a psychotic person would presumably provoke lethal retaliation. The homeless, mentally ill person was known to be non-violent and liked by most other homeless individuals and agency workers serving the homeless. Shawn mistook this good nature as powerlessness, a fatal mistake. His genes have been removed from the gene pool by his own elitist, arrogant philosophy personified in the bar he created, the Deadtown Tarvern.

Submitted on 01/06/2008

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: Associated Press, Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

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>> Moderator Scores <<

Bruce said:
Definitely Toss: No Self-Selection
After reading the referenced article I really don't see any self-selection here. The victim knew he worked in a dangerous area since he wore brass knuckles whenever he left the bar. The article also doesn't mention the hate mongering reputation of the bar, anything about the homeless person being mentally ill, nor anything about the attitude of the bar owner, so I question the veracity of those statements in the submission. This sounds more like an unfortunate late-night confrontation in a dangerous part of town rather than anything worthy of a Darwin nomination. Thanks just the same.


Jack said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
This is an interesting story and I'm almost tempted to recuse myself for personal reasons, but a google found that the DA was unpopular politically, and there did seem to be some local animosity against the homeless. The Deadtown Tavern doesn't seem to be as bad as represented, and I couldn't find any evidence that Badgwell (the homeless man) was seriously mentally ill. Bottom line is that Badgwell pleaded no contest to 1st Degree manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon <http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070319_1_BR1_Terry70244&breadcrumb=Breaking%20News>. Personally, I believe that this was a case of self-defense by Badgwell, so I'm giving a tenative ok for a DA for the Bar owner who attacked someone whom he believed to be defenseless and died for his mistake.


James said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
I'm inclined to agree with Jack here, since it is quite clear that the victim was the instigator and felt entitled to boss homeless people around. It is probable that the victim also threw the first punch, and that the brass knuckles were more an offensive than defensive weapon (pepper spray is usually the protective weapon of choice among more civilized folks, at least here in NYC). And while the fatal blow was most likely due to luck rather than deliberate aim, stupidity and arrogance were the root cause. I will depart from my usual take on such events and vote DA as well!


Chip said:
Maybe Toss: No Self-Selection
Tough one... Looks to me like the posters, t-shirts, et al have appeared since the incident and is a reaction to the death. I see no evidence that there was any intense dislike or push against the homeless prior to the incident. And I don't see any evidence that the bar owner was hunting homeless as is implied in the write up. No one knows really what led up to the incident. I just don't see enough here to say that it was a case of Evolution in Action. Thanks for the story though.


Shadow said:
Maybe Toss: No Self-Selection
I have to agree that i just dont see the self selection here... but i do thank you for the submission!


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