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This Is the Viral Australian 'Dumb Ways to Die' PSA that Glenn Beck Loves (and Will Be Stuck in Your Head All Day)
(Image: DumbWaystoDie.com)

This Is the Viral Australian 'Dumb Ways to Die' PSA that Glenn Beck Loves (and Will Be Stuck in Your Head All Day)

"mix a morbid subject matter with saccharine levels of cute"

Last Friday, Meredith Jessup on TheBlaze blog brought you a PSA from Melbourne Metro Trains as it was just beginning to go viral. Now, only six days after being uploaded to YouTube, the "Dumb Ways to Die" video has garnered more than 14 million hits, not to mention it has been reposted and shared elsewhere with thousands of hits on those as well.

If you were listening to the Glenn Beck radio program this morning, you might have heard the crew cracking up over it.

Although the PSA covers a plethora of dumb ways to die, its main message is to promote safety around trains.

Here's a look at some dumb ways to die:

Set fire to your head (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Poke a grizzly bear with a stick. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Take out of date prescription pills. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Use your private parts as piranha bait. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Get your toast out with a fork. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Invite a psycho killer inside. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Scratch a drug dealer's brand new ride. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Sell both your kidneys on the Internet. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Dress like a moose in hunting season. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

The catchy refrain goes "Dumb ways to die. So many dumb ways to die." It isn't until 2:22 into the video that the PSA gets to its point: dumb ways to die if you're not safe around trains.

Stand on the edge of the train platform. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Drive around the gate blocking you from crossing the tracks. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Cross the tracks between platforms. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

These latter three, the lyrics admit, might not rhyme "but they quite possibly could be the dumbest ways to die."

Seriously, watch the video for yourself and see what all the fuss is about if you haven't already:

Check out the Dumb Ways to Die website to learn more about the campaign. The website states that while avoiding these dumb ways to die might be unnecessary for the majority of people, "a few people just don't get it."

"Most people don't like being told what to do," the website continues. "But if you can download this song and share it with your friends, they'll be able to discover for themselves the few simple ways to avoid premature death. The more people that watch the video or listen to the song, the less accidents we'll have and the happier we'll all be."

John Mescall, who created the viral video, told the Australian marketing website mUmbrella (via PhysOrg) he decided to "mix a morbid subject matter with saccharine levels of cute" to make it funny.

"Ultimately, it's an ad that doesn't feel anything like an ad," Mescall said to mUmbrella. "It's happy and silly and joyful and clever and more than a little odd; the intangible things that are so hard to rationalise, but so very important."

The song is so popular you can also buy it on iTunes or download an MP3 of it.

If we've learned anything from advertising from the land down under, it's that they do it well. Check out this post about a New Zealand airline's Middle Earth-stye airplane safety video.

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