Ryan Dunn's Death and Ebert's Twitter Comments

Recently, the American public was informed of the death of Ryan Dunn. Until June 20, 2011, I had never even heard of Ryan Dunn. He was apparently a very popular star on a show called Jackass. That might explain why I never heard of him. It doesn't really sound like a show that I would watch. In any case, Dunn was killed in a car accident in the early morning hours of June 20, 2011.

Dunn apparently had millions of fans that loved him. Posts on Twitter and FaceBook will attest to that. One person left a comment on Twitter that rendered his FaceBook profile deleted. That's right. Ebert's tweets got him booted off FaceBook! The offender was Roger Ebert. For those of you who don't know who Ebert is, he's a movie critic. His comment on Twitter was something to the effect that "Friends don't let Jackasses drive drunk". The controversy that followed that simple tweet went completely out of control.

Family, friends and fans deluged Ebert's FaceBook page blasting him for the Twitter tweet. FaceBook had a kneejerk reaction to the complaints and deleted Ebert's FaceBook account. Yet another controversy ensued by outraged Americans who wonder what happened to freedom of speech. Ebert, in the meantime, has his name floating around the internet and has gained new fame because of a dumb comment that he put on Twitter and spilled over to FaceBook. If that is all it takes to become re-famous or famous, let's all make dumb comments about people who do dumb things on our FaceBook and Twitter pages.Here is the bottom line. Ryan Dunn was on a show called Jackass. Did anyone stop to think that Ebert was only referring to the show that Ryan apparently loved? Even if he wasn't referring to that, did everyone forget about the photos posted by Dunn himself shortly before the accident occurred? Probably not because that is what happens when people grieve. We don't want to think anything bad about the person who died. The truth is though, that Ryan was definitely drinking just before he was in the car crash.

The other thing to consider is that Ebert is an American citizen. As such, he has a right to his opinion and free speech. If people don't like it, that is their choice. For FaceBook to react as it did in deleting the account (even though it has been restored) was completely uncalled for. There were no threatening remarks and there was nothing hate filled about it. Ebert simply stated his opinion and it wasn't even on FaceBook. Of all the things floating around on FaceBook and Twitter, this is the one they decided to delete the account for? It doesn't make good sense. I have seen FaceBook pages that are filled with nothing but hatred. People spew their venomous anger towards their target of the day and they have remained on FaceBook without so much as a moments interruption.

The situation is most definitely tragic. There are no two ways about it. Two people died in that car crash that had many years of life left before them. Drinking was involved, no matter how long the information is withheld from the public. How do we know this? Because Dunn posted photos of himself drinking with friends shortly before the accident occurred. Drinking and driving kills and that is a fact. People who drink and drive should not do it. That is a fact. What can the world learn from Ryan's death? They can learn that no matter who you are or your status in life, you can die if you drink and drive. No one is immune to it.

I feel for the family, friends and fans of Ryan Dunn. I truly do. I don't think that Ebert's comments were in good taste. Those who loved Ryan should be allowed to grieve without insensitive comments about what happened. The problem with that is that those comments are out there regardless of whether Ebert posted them or not. People are allowed to have their opinions, even if posting them on the internet is in bad taste. The internet is full of tasteless comments about famous people and not so famous people. When you are famous, those comments seem to surface faster and are often more harsh and cold.

Ryan Dunn isn't the first famous person to land into trouble that lead to their death. Hundreds of people went before him, more from overdoses than car accidents. The tragedies always bring some kind of negativity because most of the time, there were negative things going on in the person's life long before they passed away. The proof is there, even before the internet was a part of daily life. Look at Marilyn Monroe, whose death is still a conversation piece for conspiracy theorists. You can also look at the death of John F. Kennedy. Conspiracy theories still float around as well as rumors (founded and unfounded) about his many affairs outside of marriage. Look for information on famous people such as Corey Haim or Jeff Conaway, you'll find that the comments can be brutal when discussing them. Just as many people defend them.

People seem to forget that they may be guilty of the very thing they are putting Ebert down for. Anytime that you talk about someone else as being bad, you are committing the same crime as Ebert did with his tweet. You are judging someone that you may or may not know. You are treating them with disrespect as well. Is there a way to stop that type of behavior? Yes, there certainly is. Stop being a part of it. Don't respond to it when others do it. When we respond to it, it fans the flames. One side has its say and then the other side until it becomes an argument where both sides are right to some extent.

What did Ebert get out of the entire thing? He got his name splattered all over the internet for it. He found defenders, even in those who did not agree with his post. Why do they defend him? Because they know that this is the United States and in the United States, right or wrong, a person has the right to express their opinions. Those who made a big deal out of the Ebert comment gave Ebert the exact thing he was seeking. Had no comments or complaints been made about it, it would have virtually gone unnoticed by the masses that don't have Ebert as a friend on FaceBook or Twitter.

The death of Ryan Dunn is made no more or no less significant by the comment Ebert made. Those who loved him, mourn him. Those who didn't like him, don't feel any different than they did before Ebert made the comment. Those of us who had never heard of him until the accident aren't affected any differently either. Opinion is opinion. Everyone has one and they rarely completely match another person's opinion. It is time to move on from Ebert's tweet.