It’s always a gut-wrenching moment when you learn that someone you know, someone you admire and even someone you hate dies. Ryan Dunn, star of the Jackass TV series on MTV that spawned three movies, killed himself along with a friend last Monday after crashing his Porsche 911 GT3 against a tree.
As this is being written, a coroner is performing an autopsy on Dunn’s body to figure out if he was drunk or intoxicated. Does it really matter?
Speed, alcohol, drugs or the combination of all three obviously escalates the risk of getting in an accident. A fourth element can also be considered, at least for the current-generation of teenagers and young adults: invincibility.
These kids have seen it all, and nothing seems to scares them. Hell, they’ve been watching the Jackass cast perform dangerous stunts and pull mean pranks on each other for years.
I know what you’re thinking. Jackass should be banned completely because it’s an extremely bad influence on our kids. I disagree. I’m a big Jackass fan; I’ve seen all the episodes and their movies several times, and I find that it’s stupid, immature yet pure entertainment. Nothing more, nothing less.
But after watching Jackass, I never felt the need to throw myself off a rooftop, to climb into a ring with a pro boxer and get my lights punched out, or to stick a foreign object up where the sun don’t shine and head to the clinic for x-rays. Those who do are either due for a brain scan or have become a serious contender for a Darwin award.
But Ryan Dunn didn’t die as a result of a stunt gone wrong. He plainly screwed up and drove his car into the ditch at 2:30 am. Jackass didn’t kill Dunn, but the sense of invincibility he developed while being part of Jackass probably contributed to his sad fate.
As humans, we like to take risks for the thrill. But feeling invincible while we’re driving a car—especially when we’re under the influence and/or have friends on board encouraging us—just increases our chances of doing something we’ll regret for the rest of our lives, or end our life altogether.
Drive safely, everybody.
Read more on road safety:
Read more on road safety:
Unlimited fines for minors to make roads safer?
Seat belt usage on the rise in Canada
As this is being written, a coroner is performing an autopsy on Dunn’s body to figure out if he was drunk or intoxicated. Does it really matter?
Speed, alcohol, drugs or the combination of all three obviously escalates the risk of getting in an accident. A fourth element can also be considered, at least for the current-generation of teenagers and young adults: invincibility.
These kids have seen it all, and nothing seems to scares them. Hell, they’ve been watching the Jackass cast perform dangerous stunts and pull mean pranks on each other for years.
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| Photo: MTV Network |
I know what you’re thinking. Jackass should be banned completely because it’s an extremely bad influence on our kids. I disagree. I’m a big Jackass fan; I’ve seen all the episodes and their movies several times, and I find that it’s stupid, immature yet pure entertainment. Nothing more, nothing less.
But after watching Jackass, I never felt the need to throw myself off a rooftop, to climb into a ring with a pro boxer and get my lights punched out, or to stick a foreign object up where the sun don’t shine and head to the clinic for x-rays. Those who do are either due for a brain scan or have become a serious contender for a Darwin award.
But Ryan Dunn didn’t die as a result of a stunt gone wrong. He plainly screwed up and drove his car into the ditch at 2:30 am. Jackass didn’t kill Dunn, but the sense of invincibility he developed while being part of Jackass probably contributed to his sad fate.
As humans, we like to take risks for the thrill. But feeling invincible while we’re driving a car—especially when we’re under the influence and/or have friends on board encouraging us—just increases our chances of doing something we’ll regret for the rest of our lives, or end our life altogether.
Drive safely, everybody.
Read more on road safety:
Read more on road safety:
Unlimited fines for minors to make roads safer?
Seat belt usage on the rise in Canada