toldailytopic: Killed drunk driving. How do you feel about people who kill themselves

[Nathon Detroit]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for June 22nd, 2011 11:01 AM

toldailytopic: Killed drunk driving. How do you feel about people who kill themselves (and others) while drunk driving?

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[Nathon Detroit]

Roger Ebert has recently taken a lot of heat for posting the following tweet after Jackass star Ryan Dunn killed himself and a friend while drunk driving... "Friends don't let jackasses drink and drive."

Personally, I don't think that's an out-of-line comment. Drunk driving should be stigmatized as stupid and dangerous behavior.

What do you think?

 

[assuranceagent]

I agree. And I can't help but find it morbidly ironic that one of this guy's best known "stunts" is shoving a matchbox) car up his rectum.

... ah, sick poetry. lain:

 

[Nick M]

I feel no pity. Not really for the family even. Next time, try to teach right and wrong and you won't out live your kids.

 

[El DLo]

The problem is, everything gets spun. See, Ryan Dunn was at a bar prior to the accident, true. He also posted a picture in which he had a drink in his hand several hours before the accident.

However, Ryan's fault was speeding, not drunk driving. There was a deliberate attempt to stop made (as evidenced by skid-marks) before the accident, so the more likely scenario is that he lost control of the car while going too fast.

Thing is, and don't think that I'm arbitrarily defending him, people who were at the bar have been quoted saying that he seemed completely fine. Even the bartender, who frequently sees impaired people, said that he had no reason to think he wasn't capable of driving. Just because he had a drink in his hand several hours before driving doesn't mean he was drunk, and doesn't mean he got in the car while drunk.

The outrage directed at Roger Ebert is due primarily to his ignorance to the issue, not his message itself. No one's trying to defend drunk driving. However, I find it personally reasonable to defend a recently deceased public figure when someone else is trying to discredit their judgment immediately following their death when there's no viable evidence of such claims.

Could he have been driving drunk? Yes, absolutely, but Roger Ebert spoke too soon, and not only was he not totally informed, but he paid no respect to those that were grieving.

 

[Dena]

Roger Ebert has recently taken a lot of heat for posting the following tweet after Jackass star Ryan Dunn killed himself and a friend while drunk driving... "Friends don't let jackasses drink and drive."

Personally, I don't think that's an out-of-line comment. Drunk driving should be stigmatized as stupid and dangerous behavior.

What do you think?

Correct me if I am wrong but the toxicology report hasn't been completed so it's not possible to know for certain he was drunk.

That being said, I've always been a fan of revoking the license of anyone caught driving drunk. If he was drunk then it's his own fault, obviously. He killed himself and he killed another person because he was so self centered and foolish to think he could do it and get away with it.

 

[Dena]

I feel no pity. Not really for the family even. Next time, try to teach right and wrong and you won't out live your kids.

For goodness sake, you have no idea what he was taught. I know people who were taught that drinking was forbidden by the Bible and driving drunk was completely reckless. Guess what? They still drove drunk. Thankfully, they have learned their lesson and quit doing it so far as I know. One day your kid/s will be grown and they just might do things you taught them not to do. That isn't your fault and if they got hurt, you would still deserve sympathy.

 

[Ktoyou]

Roger Ebert has recently taken a lot of heat for posting the following tweet after Jackass star Ryan Dunn killed himself and a friend while drunk driving... "Friends don't let jackasses drink and drive."

Personally, I don't think that's an out-of-line comment. Drunk driving should be stigmatized as stupid and dangerous behavior.

What do you think?

How might a reasonable person disagree with what is a rational truth and the law?

Oh jackass part, well negligent would also do; it does not have the emotional force as 'jackasses'.

 

[Sherman]

Driving drunk is an act of sheer stupidity. Death is a risk one takes when engaging in this inane behavior. The drunkard should be the one to shoulder the blame. Ryan Dunn is not an innocent victim here.

 

[Newman]

I think they should be punished as murderers. I don't think drunk driving should be illegal, though.

Feast on that can of worms. :Shimei:

 

[Dena]

I don't think drunk driving should be illegal, though.

There are many things I believe should be legal but drunk driving is not one of them. Not only should it be illegal but the consequence if caught should be severe.

 

[Quincy]

Accidents happen, that is pretty much how I see it until things get confirmed. Judging him without the info is ignorant. I think, regardless of those results people will be judging this because of his work in that film. Look, they don't give IQ test with a driving exam. Even if they did and a person passes, there is no promising they won't goof off or make a bad choice when driving. It's just an accident unless they prove he was impaired. Then it's a stupid choice with a unfortunate result.

 

[coulter4president]

it was insensitive, but people have a right to say what they want... or so i thought...

whatefer happened to free speech?

anyhow...

geez, that sure does't look like Roger Ebert...

has it been THAT long since i watched any TV?????

i hear the Twilight Zone music ...

anyway...

i think those who acted in outrage were also immature and out of line...

i mean, that one guy who said he cried all day...

yet he wasn't so grief stricken that he could resort to obscenity...

i mean, if i were grieving... i think i would be too messed up to even bother w/ Facebook... not crazy about it anyway...

i just dont think there is ever a good reason to use obscenity...

i use it... like when i hit my thumb w/ a hammer unexpectedly...
but i feel i cannot control that... and usually there is no one around to hear it... except God...

and he is big enough to deal w/ it... :chuckle:

 

[coulter4president]

Accidents happen, that is pretty much how I see it until things get confirmed. Judging him without the info is ignorant. I think, regardless of those results people will be judging this because of his work in that film. Look, they don't give IQ test with a driving exam. Even if they did and a person passes, there is no promising they won't goof off or make a bad choice when driving. It's just an accident unless they prove he was impaired. Then it's a stupid choice with a unfortunate result.

i know ppl who have high IQs

but they do some really dumb things..

maybe there ought to be some kind of Wisdom Quotient test???

high IQ does not = prudence

 

[Nathon Detroit]

Correct me if I am wrong but the toxicology report hasn't been completed so it's not possible to know for certain he was drunk.

Ryan was smart enough to post pictures of himself (on Twitter) getting drunk, only a short time before the crash.

 

[Dena]

Ryan was smart enough to post pictures of himself (on Twitter) getting drunk, only a short time before the crash.

I saw a picture of him with a drink in his hand. That is not confirmation that he was drunk behind the wheel.

 

[Newman]

There are many things I believe should be legal but drunk driving is not one of them. Not only should it be illegal but the consequence if caught should be severe.

Why should it be illegal? No rights are violated by drinking and driving, or even driving under the influence. It's a victimless activity until somebody gets hurt in a car accident. I think that the punishments should be more severe for people who got into accidents because they were drunk, and we shouldn't punish people to drive drunk and don't get into accidents.

This is all not to mention the fact that any law about drunk driving would have to set up arbitrary measurements of what "drunk" is (usually in ways that make it difficult for people to know if they can "legally" drive), even though alcohol affects individuals differently.

 

[kmoney]

Why should it be illegal? No rights are violated by drinking and driving, or even driving under the influence. It's a victimless activity until somebody gets hurt in a car accident. I think that the punishments should be more severe for people who got into accidents because they were drunk, and we shouldn't punish people to drive drunk and don't get into accidents.

This is all not to mention the fact that any law about drunk driving would have to set up arbitrary measurements of what "drunk" is (usually in ways that make it difficult for people to know if they can "legally" drive), even though alcohol affects individuals differently.

Hmm....I don't think I go so far as to say that drunk driving shouldn't be illegal, however I have had thoughts regarding having a blood-alcohol limit.

I don't know how exactly the limits were derived but I believe that some testing was done to determine when people generally start losing the ability to operate a vehicle. I don't know if I would call the limit arbitrary, however, as you say alcohol can affect people differently. I think I prefer field tests which seek to know if the person can actually function, rather than their blood alcohol levels which might be beyond the legal limit but the person can function completely fine.

 

[kmoney]

I feel no pity. Not really for the family even. Next time, try to teach right and wrong and you won't out live your kids.

:sigh:

The lack of your compassion and sympathy is staggering.

Showing no concern for the drunk driver is one thing (though I think some level is still called for) but none for the family? Do you know anything about how his parents raised him? Taught him? Did they permit drunk driving?

 

[Nathon Detroit]

I saw a picture of him with a drink in his hand. That is not confirmation that he was drunk behind the wheel.

Would it make him smarter if he were smarter if he was sober when he flew off the road killing himself and a passenger at over 100 mph in his specially prepared Porsche?