The way we die says a lot about the way we live. And according to this video from Vox about the leading cause of early death in each country, we are dying for some very sad, very predictable, and very stupid reasons (via Matador Network).
The Stupid
In Saudi Arabia, the leading cause of early death is car accidents. And while every death is tragic in its own way, some of these deadly accidents are caused by the easily curable, but usually fatal condition of “driving like a dick.”
[**Though, there are a lot of videos on YouTube dedicated to Saudi stunt driving on openly trafficked roads, we did not mean to imply that this was the leading factor in Saudi automobile deaths. Apologies for any confusion. -ed**]
The Sad
In many countries in Africa, early death is caused by treatable illnesses like malaria and diarrhea, while even more countries are dying from preventable diseases like HIV and AIDS.
And in countries like Syria, the leading cause of early death is the equally preventable, more immediately fatal condition of war.
The Predictable
Due to China’s economic expansion, the country’s leading cause of death has shifted from preventable diseases (as seen in Africa) to preventable strokes caused by poor diet, overwork, and stress. And since the leading cause of early death in the U.S. is heart disease, it appears that China has not only fully embraced American capitalism, but our commitment to slowly killing ourselves with bad food and inactivity as well.
It’s not quite as stupid as dying from a drifting accident in Saudi Arabia, but it’s close.
(via Vox)
