“Planking,” the Darwin Award, and Darwinism

Behavior meriting the Darwin Award usually occurs in isolated incidents. But in The Australian we learn of an entire organized movement that deserves the Darwin Award: “planking,” described as “the internet-driven phenomenon whereby people lie plank-like in unusual locations and take photos of themselves, often posting them on social media websites.” In the last few days in Australia, one 20-year-old man fell to his death from a seventh-floor balcony railing where he was “planking,” and another 20-year-old man is in a coma after falling from a moving car on which he was “planking.”

Collective suicidal behavior meriting the Darwin Award is no joke. Given the immigration and race policies that are being assiduously followed by every historically white country, the entire white race arguably deserves the Darwin Award. Which raises an interesting question. How can Darwinian evolution, consisting of random genetic mutations which are naturally selected because of their power to help their possessors survive and produce offspring, have produced an entire race that is committing suicide? The wholesale adoption of Darwin Award-winning behavior by the white race would seem to suggest that the Darwinian theory of evolution is not true.

Here is the article:

The 20-year-old, named in media reports as plasterer Simon Hallam, from Inverell, fell from the vehicle as it drove along Ross Lane, in Inverell on Monday night.

It is understood he was planking on the boot of the Holden Commodore.

Planking is the internet-driven phenomenon whereby people lie plank-like in unusual locations and take photos of themselves, often posting them on social media websites.

Mr Hallam remains in an induced coma at Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital on Thursday morning, Seven Network reported.

A 19-year-old man has been charged with three offences over the incident.

The charges include dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm, and negligent driving.

The man was granted bail to appear at Inverell Local Court on June 16.

Police officers are said to be examining mobile phone footage of the incident.

It follows the death of a 20-year-old man while planking in Brisbane on the weekend.

Acton Beale, 20, from Brisbane, fell from a seventh-storey balcony railing.

- end of initial entry -

James P. writes:

You write,

How can Darwinian evolution, consisting of random genetic mutations which are naturally selected by their power to help their possessors survive and produce offspring, have produced an entire race that is committing suicide? The mass adoption of Darwin Award-winning behavior suggests that the Darwinian theory of evolution is not true.

One might note that under Darwinian theory, every species seeks to survive but is not guaranteed to survive. Species become extinct all the time for various reasons, but this fact alone does not refute evolution. The most notable cause of extinction, and especially mass extinction, is a change in the organism’s environment. When the environment changes, and characteristics and behaviors that previously ensured success no longer do so, then the species will not survive unless it adapts (which normally means that most of the species will die except for a few that are adapted to the new environment).

So, what has changed in the environment that produces non-survival behaviors in whites? One could note technological factors that have made it easy to transport non-whites to previously majority-white environments, and that have also allowed non-whites to breed in great numbers. More importantly, in my view, is the change in the political environment—in short, the overwhelming prevalence of liberalism. Liberalism is the weapon that “elite” whites use against non-elite whites. Thus, what is happening is not the mass suicide of the white race, but the mass murder of many whites by a small group of whites (who often use non-whites as their instruments). The survival interests of the small group are advanced, while the interests of the race as a whole are not. In order to survive, the larger group must recognize what is happening and fight it. Liberalism

LA replies:

The change-of-environment argument occurred to me before I posted the entry, and I almost decided not to post it for that reason. But then I remembered that according to Darwinism the reason species go extinct in a new and different environment is not that they are adopting some NEW and non-adaptive behavior (like white suicide), but that they are continuing in their OLD behavior which is no longer adaptive in their new environment. A new or changed environment can explain a species dying out. But it can’t explain a species systematically adopting an entirely new behavior leading to its destruction, since the new behavior, not enhancing survival and reproduction, would not be naturally selected. So it seemed to me that the change-of-environment argument did not disprove my point, and I went ahead and posted the entry.

However, you’re bringing up a couple of new factors here which I will have to think about, after I return from the Yankees game which I am attending today.

May 26

Gilda A. writes:

Young men have always acted stupidly and recklessly. Don’t overthink it.

Philip M. writes:

You wrote:

But then I remembered that according to Darwinism the reason species go extinct in a new and different environment is not that they are adopting some NEW and non-adaptive behavior (like white suicide), but that they are continuing in their OLD behavior which is no longer adaptive in their new environment. A new or changed environment can explain a species dying out. But it can’t explain a species systematically adopting an entirely new behavior….

Maybe some of our most suicidal behaviour is not new behaviour, it is just in a different context. For example, a woman may seek out the most exotic male she can find, as having different bio-chemistry and greater genetic variation can lead to stronger, fitter children. In an all-white Britain this may mean a man from a town down the road, in modern Britain the same signals may be telling her to breed with Nigerians. Or perhaps in the past collaborative efforts and trust has been adaptive in an all-white environment, but in a multicultural one it aids other groups at our own expense.

Or on a different tack, maybe in the past it has been normal and adaptive for lower and average IQ people to copy the behaviour of the more intelligent members of the group, and it is only their behaviours that have changed.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at May 25, 2011 09:16 AM | Send