Celebrating Indonesians’ contributions to natural selection by way of careless deaths.
Is it just me, or does it seem some Indonesians are perpetually on a death wish?
Every time I look through the newspaper, I see stories and pictures of people doing highly unusual/dangerous things.
Perhaps you may have already read about Bonek taking the train to/from Bandung:
Bonek prefer a/c alam
But not to be outdone are Jakmania, fans of Persija in Jakarta:
JakMania taking the bus
Fourteen fans died on the way to matches last season, reports the Jakarta Post. For example:
“There was a guy, who tried to wave a heavy flagpole on top of a bus. He could not lift it, lost his balance and fell, just as a huge container truck passed by,” Riko said.
Police also recently seized 104 home-made weapons from fans before an Indonesian Super League game.
You might be surprised to know that Indonesia’s biggest killers are not earthquakes, tsunamis or volcanoes.
Yes, Indonesia has more active volcanoes (129) and historically has had more volcanic eruptions causing death than any other country. But there are other lethal activities that do not make the news as much.
1. Smoking: approx. 400 000 per year:
2. Road toll (people killed while driving): Approx. 15 000 – 30 000 per year
This latter statistic really doesn’t surprise me. Looking out the window, I increasingly see people riding motorcycles also doing things like using their mobiles and even writing sms-es while driving with one hand. Thanks to Benny the Great for these pictures:
Then there are other common practices, like:
– Packing all the family on to a motorcycle.
– Using busway lanes and overtaking the buses when they are at stops.
So these frequent occurrences make me wonder if Indonesia should give up trying to curb these practices and just recognise them, using a vehicle like The Darwin Awards.
As the Darwin Awards website says:
Named in honor of Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, the Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it in an idiotic fashion.
Every year, it produces a short list of winners, usually stories that readers submitted. It is widely read and has produced a number of spin-off books and even a movie:
As such, I feel Indonesia is somewhat under-represented in the Darwin Awards. A search for “Indonesia” reveals only five matches.
How does this compare to its regional neighbours? It is only one more than the much smaller Malaysia, the even smaller “little red dot” Singapore and the Philippines, and two more than Vietnam. It is the same as Thailand. Curiously, its far less populous southern neighbour, Australia, has many more matches: 30.
So if you agree with the concept, please send in your suggestions for:
1. Stories of Indonesians involved in Careless Deaths
E.g. Defecating man eaten by crocodile in Kalimantan:
2. A suitable name for an Indonesian Darwin Awards Ceremony
I personally would call them the Marwoto Komar Awards (after the pilot of Garuda flight GA200 who ignored 15 automated warnings before crashing the plane), except he didn’t die. However, he did subsequently become the first pilot to be jailed for negligence while flying a commercial aeroplane.
Copyright Indonesia Matters 2006-2025
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact
I have an entry into this worthy competition. It is a picture. How can I send it to you for inclusion on this website.