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One of the big news items this week centered around the unfortunate death of Jackass star Ryan Dunn. Perhaps just as newsworthy as his death was the very public response to it. Notably, film critic Roger Ebert tweeted that “friends don’t let jackasses drive drunk.” In response, many of Dunn’s friends from Jackass (and Perez Hilton) chastised Ebert, calling him heartless and saying that it was too soon.
Given the circumstances of his death – and the fact that a passenger was killed – the question deserves some discussion: Is it too soon to judge Ryan Dunn?
This question was actually presented to me first, although not personally, on Twitter by Harvey Levine of TMZ. He noted that the crew was debating whether or not such a debate was “too soon.” My immediate answer was a resounding “No.”
If anything, I’d say that it was “too soon” simply because we didn’t have all of the evidence yet. Sure, Dunn posted pictures on Twitter of him drinking with friends (one of whom perished in the accident), but for all we know that was one of only a couple of drinks he had. At the time, we didn’t know if alcohol factored into the accident – so in that regard, it was a bit callous for Roger Ebert to so authoritatively condemn Dunn.
However, we now know that Ryan Dunn’s blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit and that he was driving nearly three times the posted speed limit. Knowing this, I don’t believe Ebert was out of line. If Ryan Dunn had died alone, it would have been regarded as a sad, stupid mistake that cost him his life. But that’s not the reality of the situation, as another human life was lost due to Dunn’s decision to drink and drive. And considering the reckless nature of his death, the potential for others to pay for his misjudgment was significant. I don't pretend to be self righteous. I'm sure many of us have made questionable decisions while impaired. But that doesn't excuse Dunn's actions.
Is Ryan Dunn’s death sad? Immensely, and especially to those who knew and cared about him. Is it “tragic”? Yes, in the sense that any loss of life is tragic. But I’m more inclined to say that the death of the car’s passenger can be classified as “tragic” (don’t get me wrong – getting into a car with a drunk driver is almost as unwise as driving drunk yourself. And as you can see, the consequences can be just as dire).
I don’t blame Dunn’s friends for grieving and coming to his defense, but I do think their anger is misguided. It is human nature to fire back at Roger Ebert, but the more important message here should be that Ryan Dunn’s actions led to the loss of his life, his friend’s life, and could have very easily resulted in many others being harmed or killed as well. It saddens me to think that fans of Jackass will look at this situation and say, “Roger Ebert is a heartless bastard.” They should really see it and learn from Dunn’s mistakes.
Given the circumstances of his death – and the fact that a passenger was killed – the question deserves some discussion: Is it too soon to judge Ryan Dunn?
This question was actually presented to me first, although not personally, on Twitter by Harvey Levine of TMZ. He noted that the crew was debating whether or not such a debate was “too soon.” My immediate answer was a resounding “No.”
If anything, I’d say that it was “too soon” simply because we didn’t have all of the evidence yet. Sure, Dunn posted pictures on Twitter of him drinking with friends (one of whom perished in the accident), but for all we know that was one of only a couple of drinks he had. At the time, we didn’t know if alcohol factored into the accident – so in that regard, it was a bit callous for Roger Ebert to so authoritatively condemn Dunn.
However, we now know that Ryan Dunn’s blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit and that he was driving nearly three times the posted speed limit. Knowing this, I don’t believe Ebert was out of line. If Ryan Dunn had died alone, it would have been regarded as a sad, stupid mistake that cost him his life. But that’s not the reality of the situation, as another human life was lost due to Dunn’s decision to drink and drive. And considering the reckless nature of his death, the potential for others to pay for his misjudgment was significant. I don't pretend to be self righteous. I'm sure many of us have made questionable decisions while impaired. But that doesn't excuse Dunn's actions.
Is Ryan Dunn’s death sad? Immensely, and especially to those who knew and cared about him. Is it “tragic”? Yes, in the sense that any loss of life is tragic. But I’m more inclined to say that the death of the car’s passenger can be classified as “tragic” (don’t get me wrong – getting into a car with a drunk driver is almost as unwise as driving drunk yourself. And as you can see, the consequences can be just as dire).
I don’t blame Dunn’s friends for grieving and coming to his defense, but I do think their anger is misguided. It is human nature to fire back at Roger Ebert, but the more important message here should be that Ryan Dunn’s actions led to the loss of his life, his friend’s life, and could have very easily resulted in many others being harmed or killed as well. It saddens me to think that fans of Jackass will look at this situation and say, “Roger Ebert is a heartless bastard.” They should really see it and learn from Dunn’s mistakes.
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