http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...ar-travelling-130mph-fatal-Porsche-smash.html
I only found out about the death of Ryan Dunn as I was watching Comedy Central's Roast of Charlie Sheen last night. Dunn, of Jackass and The Bam Marjera Show fame, was killed along with passenger Zachary Hartwell on June 19th, 2011. Dunn was driving his Porsche 911 at a staggering 130 mph in a 55mph zone at 2:30am in Westchester, Pennsylvania, causing said vehicle to fly off the road and into a tree, breaking the car in half. Police on the seen described the crash as the "worst they've ever seen". Autopsies of both Dunn and Hartwell(A production assistant on the JackAss movies) were inconclusive as coroners could not determine if both men died from the impact, or the subsequent fire following the crash. This much is known to be true: Dunn was shown in pictures to have been drinking, where witnesses claim he had "at least" three beers and three shots. But it's film critic Roger Ebert that has come under the most fire following Dunn's death, due to a tweet he wrote on the same day Dunn died:
Ebert, a film critic who's previously won a Pulitzer for criticism, is a frequent tweeter on controversial subjects. But Ebert finds himself in the position of being criticized, most notably Dunn's best friend Bam Marjera. In response to Ebert's tweet, Marjera tweeted the following:
For those unaware, Marjera was referring to Ebert's history as an alcoholic. Ebert himself has in the past recounted his own history of drinking and driving. Ebert alledges he has been sober since 1989, and is a spokesman for Alcoholic's Anonymous. Between his past with being an alcoholic and his spokesman's role for AA, Ebert has been outspoken in the past about drinking and driving, and that trend continues here. Shortly after posting his tweet regarding Ebert, Marjera tweeted the following:
Much of the other criticism levied at Ebert has been based on the fact that Ebert was presuming Dunn was drunk at the time of his accident. The timing of his tweet has also been questioned, as his tweet was posted just 6 hours after Dunn's death. Another notable celebrity that has been outspoken about Ebert has been celebrity blogger Perez Hilton:
Regarding the criticism that Ebert assumed Dunn was drinking, photographs surfaced before Ebert's tweet of Dunn drinking, and eyewitness accounts emerged the following day that have stated Dunn had at least 6 drinks, possibly more. Ebert never stated that Dunn was driving drunk in his initial tweet, just that he drank and drove. Toxicology reports later confirmed that Dunn was indeed drunk at the time of the accident, with a BAL of .161, twice the legal limit. Ebert did apologize for the timing of his tweet, while holding to his position:
Ebert also tweeted the following, expanding on his first tweet:
Was it too soon for Ebert to have commented? I don't believe so. These things do happen and likely come as second nature to someone who's in the public eye because of their criticism of film and others. I believe Ebert would have been best served had he tweeted the beginning of his second tweet before saying anything else. Friends and family of Dunn's had just lost someone beloved, and condolences should have been offerred first and foremost. I also understand Marjera's emotional response, as mine would likely have been similar had it been my best friend.
But, in my eyes, the truth of the matter is this: Had it had been LSN from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania making the comment Ebert did, there would be little to no backlash. I'm a nobody in the sense that Im unknown to the people who matter in the entertainment industry. Because the comment was made by a celebrity in Roger Ebert, the ire of others was drawn. Lost in all of this is the fact that Ebert spoke the truth.
If Ryan Dunn hadn't been a "celebrity", the criticism would have been fast and furious. The official police ruling as the cause of the accident was a DUI. It was sheer luck and good fortune as well as the late hour that someone else was not on that road at the same time. If Dunn had survived the accident and had killed someone else, would people be so critical of Ebert tweeting soon after? What Marjera and others critical of Ebert haven't discussed is that Dunn did take a life because of his drinking and wrecklessness. As noted earlier, Dunn wasn't alone in death. Dunn's actions also cost Zachary Hartwell his life, almost completely overlooked in this story, garnering nary a mention by most. Instead, there's been a Twitter war between Marjara and Ebert and friends and family talking about the loss of Dunn, and of how great of guy Dunn was.
Anyone who alledges Ebert was insensitive without mentioning the death of Hartwell because of Dunn's actions is being hypocritical. Where are the condolences and mourning for Hartwell, who all of them knew? I won't presume to know the circumstances that preceeded the crash. Hartwell may have been more intoxicated then Dunn, and he may have been encouraging Dunn to drive faster. Impossible to know. What we do know is that it was the actions of Dunn that cost Hartwell his life, making him the true victim here. Regardless of what was said or done, Dunn was behind the wheel and made the decision to drive at a rediculously high speed. None of the members of Dunn's family or friends have even mentioned his actions, as if his actions are excusable because he was killed. The facts speak for themselves here: I understand Marjera was(and probably still is) mourning the death of his friend, but he was essentially pissed off because someone dared speak the truth about HIS friend. What if Dunn had hit another vehicle and killed other innocent people? What if Dunn had lived after killing someone else? He would surely have been charged with vehicular homicide and DUI. Everyone would be tearing him to bits in the media, most likely even his closest friends to some extent. But because he died at his own hands, it is now taboo to speak the truth about his stupid choices?
Ryan Dunn is the true jackass here, regardless of beloved he was by his friends and family. He drank, drove drunk, and two people died. That matters most here.
Who do you believe is the real jackass here?
Was Ebert insensitive in his comments, and did his comments come too soon following Dunn's death?
Any other thoughts about this are open to discussion.
I only found out about the death of Ryan Dunn as I was watching Comedy Central's Roast of Charlie Sheen last night. Dunn, of Jackass and The Bam Marjera Show fame, was killed along with passenger Zachary Hartwell on June 19th, 2011. Dunn was driving his Porsche 911 at a staggering 130 mph in a 55mph zone at 2:30am in Westchester, Pennsylvania, causing said vehicle to fly off the road and into a tree, breaking the car in half. Police on the seen described the crash as the "worst they've ever seen". Autopsies of both Dunn and Hartwell(A production assistant on the JackAss movies) were inconclusive as coroners could not determine if both men died from the impact, or the subsequent fire following the crash. This much is known to be true: Dunn was shown in pictures to have been drinking, where witnesses claim he had "at least" three beers and three shots. But it's film critic Roger Ebert that has come under the most fire following Dunn's death, due to a tweet he wrote on the same day Dunn died:
Ebert, a film critic who's previously won a Pulitzer for criticism, is a frequent tweeter on controversial subjects. But Ebert finds himself in the position of being criticized, most notably Dunn's best friend Bam Marjera. In response to Ebert's tweet, Marjera tweeted the following:
For those unaware, Marjera was referring to Ebert's history as an alcoholic. Ebert himself has in the past recounted his own history of drinking and driving. Ebert alledges he has been sober since 1989, and is a spokesman for Alcoholic's Anonymous. Between his past with being an alcoholic and his spokesman's role for AA, Ebert has been outspoken in the past about drinking and driving, and that trend continues here. Shortly after posting his tweet regarding Ebert, Marjera tweeted the following:
Much of the other criticism levied at Ebert has been based on the fact that Ebert was presuming Dunn was drunk at the time of his accident. The timing of his tweet has also been questioned, as his tweet was posted just 6 hours after Dunn's death. Another notable celebrity that has been outspoken about Ebert has been celebrity blogger Perez Hilton:
Regarding the criticism that Ebert assumed Dunn was drinking, photographs surfaced before Ebert's tweet of Dunn drinking, and eyewitness accounts emerged the following day that have stated Dunn had at least 6 drinks, possibly more. Ebert never stated that Dunn was driving drunk in his initial tweet, just that he drank and drove. Toxicology reports later confirmed that Dunn was indeed drunk at the time of the accident, with a BAL of .161, twice the legal limit. Ebert did apologize for the timing of his tweet, while holding to his position:
Ebert also tweeted the following, expanding on his first tweet:
Was it too soon for Ebert to have commented? I don't believe so. These things do happen and likely come as second nature to someone who's in the public eye because of their criticism of film and others. I believe Ebert would have been best served had he tweeted the beginning of his second tweet before saying anything else. Friends and family of Dunn's had just lost someone beloved, and condolences should have been offerred first and foremost. I also understand Marjera's emotional response, as mine would likely have been similar had it been my best friend.
But, in my eyes, the truth of the matter is this: Had it had been LSN from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania making the comment Ebert did, there would be little to no backlash. I'm a nobody in the sense that Im unknown to the people who matter in the entertainment industry. Because the comment was made by a celebrity in Roger Ebert, the ire of others was drawn. Lost in all of this is the fact that Ebert spoke the truth.
If Ryan Dunn hadn't been a "celebrity", the criticism would have been fast and furious. The official police ruling as the cause of the accident was a DUI. It was sheer luck and good fortune as well as the late hour that someone else was not on that road at the same time. If Dunn had survived the accident and had killed someone else, would people be so critical of Ebert tweeting soon after? What Marjera and others critical of Ebert haven't discussed is that Dunn did take a life because of his drinking and wrecklessness. As noted earlier, Dunn wasn't alone in death. Dunn's actions also cost Zachary Hartwell his life, almost completely overlooked in this story, garnering nary a mention by most. Instead, there's been a Twitter war between Marjara and Ebert and friends and family talking about the loss of Dunn, and of how great of guy Dunn was.
Anyone who alledges Ebert was insensitive without mentioning the death of Hartwell because of Dunn's actions is being hypocritical. Where are the condolences and mourning for Hartwell, who all of them knew? I won't presume to know the circumstances that preceeded the crash. Hartwell may have been more intoxicated then Dunn, and he may have been encouraging Dunn to drive faster. Impossible to know. What we do know is that it was the actions of Dunn that cost Hartwell his life, making him the true victim here. Regardless of what was said or done, Dunn was behind the wheel and made the decision to drive at a rediculously high speed. None of the members of Dunn's family or friends have even mentioned his actions, as if his actions are excusable because he was killed. The facts speak for themselves here: I understand Marjera was(and probably still is) mourning the death of his friend, but he was essentially pissed off because someone dared speak the truth about HIS friend. What if Dunn had hit another vehicle and killed other innocent people? What if Dunn had lived after killing someone else? He would surely have been charged with vehicular homicide and DUI. Everyone would be tearing him to bits in the media, most likely even his closest friends to some extent. But because he died at his own hands, it is now taboo to speak the truth about his stupid choices?
Ryan Dunn is the true jackass here, regardless of beloved he was by his friends and family. He drank, drove drunk, and two people died. That matters most here.
Who do you believe is the real jackass here?
Was Ebert insensitive in his comments, and did his comments come too soon following Dunn's death?
Any other thoughts about this are open to discussion.
