Looking Back at Death

Does the way that someone dies change how you view them? Short answer: Yes and no. Long answer: Keep reading.

A.) No

Chris Henry (NFL WR) was honored during Week 15 of the 2009 NFL season by beginning each game with a moment of silence before kickoff. He died relatively tragically, falling out of the back of a moving pickup truck driven by his fiancé and mother of three of his children. His former teammates, coaches, and current family were noticeably shaken by the event, lamented at the progress he had made, and, as his former coach said, they ‘watched a guy mature as a young man.’

Sounds good in theory, until you realize that the man, over the course of the three years before his death, and all while playing in the NFL, he:

• Got a speeding ticket without a valid driver’s license and with marijuana found in his shoes (Dec 2005)
• Was arrested for multiple gun charges including concealment and aggravated assault with a firearm (Jan 2006)
• Allowed three underage females (15, 16, and 18) to consume alcohol in a hotel in KY, one of which accused him of sexual assault (Apr 2006)
• Was arrested for drunk driving in Ohio (Jun 2006)
• Was suspended (1 game) by the NFL for two games for violating the league’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies (Oct 2006)
• Was suspended again (8 games) by the NFL for violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy (Apr 2007)
• Allegedly assaulted a valet attendant in KY (Nov 2007)
• Was arrested a second time for violating his probation from the Jan 2006 arrest (Dec 2007)
• Punched a man and threw a beer bottle through the window of his car (Mar 2008)
  (Source: Wikipedia)

The circumstances of your death do not interest me if you were a bad person and lead a shitty life. It might be unfair to judge someone based on a three year span in which a man came into more money than he could ever imagine, but the track record alone is enough to not miss this man when he died. For his family and friends and teammates, it might seem tragic, and they might try to glorify his attempts at correcting his lifestyle, but when you break it down and look at what he did, aside from literally putting his life in danger to protect another, it’s hard for me to imagine a situation in which the way in which he died would make up for the abysmal way in which he lived his last few years on earth.

B.) Yes

Former Jackass and CKY star Ryan Dunn recently died in a car accident. ‘Preliminary investigations suggested that the car has been traveling between 132-140 mph in a 55 mph zone,’ and ‘a toxicology report showed Dunn had a blood alcohol level of .196, more than twice the legal limit’ (Wikipedia).

From everything I know, Ryan Dunn was a good guy. As a group of friends that made their money by filming themselves doing stupid stunts, they were down to earth and connected with fans. There didn’t seem to be a level of elitism that young and rich tends to bring out. His participation in the Jackass franchise involved putting his body in harm’s way, giving up his body for crazy stunts, and occasionally risking his life, all in the face of entertainment and pleasing his fans. From everything I ever saw or heard of Ryan Dunn, I have no reason to believe that he lead anything but a decent life with good friends and family.

So what was my first thought when I heard the circumstances of his death? Fine. Not included in the Wikipedia article is how the passenger of his Porsche also died. You want to get hammered and drive 130mph, endangering your passenger, and god forbid, any stranger that may have been on that road at that specific time, completely void of concern? Fine. But I won’t shed a tear when the situation turns ‘tragic.’ The way I look at it, the world is a safer place without him. That’s evolution, baby. Survival of the fittest, or in this case, the not heinously stupid. Stupidity was his career, and danger walked hand in hand with his fame and success. But there’s place when entertainment ends and reality begins: when you start endangering the life of others.

I no doubt sympathize with Ryan’s friends and family that he leaves behind. The void in their lives cannot be filled, and in no way do I understand what he meant to them. But the over-pronounced lack of judgment in this case cannot be overlooked. Roger Ebert was lambasted for his initial tweet the day of Dunn’s accident, posting “Friends don’t let jackasses drink and drive,” and maybe his timing was too soon (less than 12 hours after the announced death), but I can’t help but to agree with him.

Life, above all things, should be cherished. Those who don’t take care of their own are one thing, those that don’t take care of others’ is different. I recently heard a fantastic quote during the brilliant first season of Game of Thrones regarding death:

“There is only one god and his name is Death. There’s only one thing we say to Death – ‘Not today.’”

132mph and .196 BAC don’t say ‘not today.’ They say, ‘why not, I’ve had a good run.’ Well the person who says that does not get a glimmer of my respect, nor my compassion in passing. Save the ones that care about life. Is it any surprise that his emergence to stardom began with videos entitled ‘Camp Kill Yourself?’ Mission accomplished.

What was left of his Porsche