Roger Ebert Responds to Ryan Dunn Twitter Controversy
As more details emerge about the single-car accident that killed Jackass star Ryan Dunn and passenger Zachary Hartwell -- an Iraq war veteran who was recently married, according to MTV -- the story has been overshadowed by a controversial tweet from film critic Roger Ebert, and an angered response from Dunn's best friend and Jackass cohort Bam Margera. In an effort to quell the outrage, Ebert took to his blog on Tuesday morning to clarify his remarks.
In a blog posting titled "Friends don't let friends drink and drive," Ebert admits his initial tweet about alcohol being involved in Dunn's death was poorly timed, even if it turns out to be true.
To begin with, I offer my sympathy to Ryan Dunn's family and friends, and to those of Zachary Hartwell, who also died in the crash. I mean that sincerely. It is tragic to lose a loved one. I also regret that my tweet about the event was considered cruel. It was not intended as cruel. It was intended as true.
I have no way of knowing if Ryan Dunn was drunk at the time of his death. What I knew before posting my tweet was that not long before his death, he posted a photo on Tumbler showing himself drinking with two friends. I tweeted:
"Friends don't let jackasses drink and drive."
What did I mean by that? I meant exactly what I wrote. I wasn't calling Ryan Dunn a jackass. In Twitter shorthand, I was referring to his association with "Jackass." I thought that was clear. I note that Bam Margera uses the word "jackass" in the same way in his tweet.
[...]
I don't know what happened in this case, and I was probably too quick to tweet. That was unseemly. I do know that nobody has any business driving on a public highway at 110 mph, as some estimated -- or fast enough, anyway, to leave a highway and fly through 40 yards of trees before crashing. That is especially true if the driver has had three shots and three beers. Two people were killed. What if the car had crashed into another car?
The hysteria over Ebert's initial tweet has gotten to the point that his Facebook page was flagged as inappropriate, likely -- Ebert states -- because of angry Jackass fans. (It has since been reinstated.) Police are currently performing an autopsy on the body of 34-year-old Dunn to help determine whether alcohol played a role in the crash.
· Friends don't let friends drink and drive [Roger Ebert's Journal]
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Comments
I don't get the controversy. Two people died because a man was driving too fast and had apparently been drinking. Granted, Roger Ebert was trying to be clever with his reference to Jackass, but while it failed, it doesn't change the facts. Yes, it is a terrible thing that Ryan Dunn is dead. It is also true, however, that he would probably not have died if someone sober had been driving.
Everybody needs to grow up. I'm with Ebert on this one. The accident is a tragedy because two young men had their lives cut short due to drinking and driving, but not because of Ryan Dunn's indelible contribution to society. Lesson to be learned: Live like a jackass, die like one.
any mature and logical person, will agree with Ebert. Alex andTommy Marx also have nailed the situation. Dont get pissed off for hearing the truth, sure it hurts. As a society, we simply dont learn from our mistakes. People will continue to drive while intoxicated and cause either themselves and/or others harm. It is sad to loose any human life. Condolences to both families.
From my standpoint, the problem is not whether what Ebert stated was true (which, frankly, Ebert could not possibly have known with surety when he tweeted it. We don't know it for a fact now.). The problem is that it was heartless: a public declaration that perhaps Dunn got what he deserved on the same day that his loved ones learned of his death. "Unseemly," Roger? I think "cruel" might be a more apt description to those who were suffering from the shock and grief of loved ones' deaths.
This is a show that was based on overconsumption, recklessness, lizard-brain behavior, etc. It is sad a cast member died this way but it is not remotely unpredictable.
This sick culture is our culture, and based on the response to Ebert's comment, we will all fight to preserve and protect it (no matter how self-destructive, ugly and unprofitable for us it might be).
Alcohol is the worst thing you can do to your body. Stick to sticky green.
RIP R.Dunn, pretty funny guy w/out having to do gross stunts