ryan dunn died. If you don't know who that is don't be alarmed. a minor character in the occult sideshow that is Jackass, he was paid to be a sadomasochist on camera. something like this was bound to happen.
Don't get me wrong please. I hold very minimal contempt for Jackass as a cultural and anti-intellectual phenomenon. I don't hold my nose above it's low-brow humor and I'm not immune to the debaucherous (and in some ways innocent) charm of some the "stars," Ryan Dunn being one of the best. Amongst the crew of juvenile and highly competitive pranksters (who can be the most juvenile!?) Dunn always seemed a little more human than the rest. He showed hesitation before skits and often indicated remorse when something went wrong (or as planned). Jackass is best read as a reality television show about a group of sadomasochists who, through some painwrenching twist of fate, all managed to find one another. And of this cyclonic team of self-destruction, Dunn was always one of the more appealing, never malignant despite the territory of subject matter. Compare him to his best friend Bam Margera who doing the same acts comes across as an inconsiderate dick. Dunn had the same sort of shine as Johnny Knoxville (the star) who somehow found sublime revelry in the most base and self-endangering.
But, not comfortable eulogizing a man I never knew, I'd like to at least employ his death (and life) in order to question mankind's allure with recklessness. The whole concept of Jackass takes recklessness to unbridled commercial heights, but impulsive and imprudent behavior is not unique to the MTV class of person, it's something we each engage with at some time or another, and some of us more than others. How many of us have that one friend who scare us infinitely? It's like because that won't do it for themselves, we have to be afraid for them. I knew this kid who would just get loaded and hit the wheel at 120 mph through winding roads. He would drink droughts of orange soda, vodka, and cold medicine and go hiking for hours with no shoes. But he wasn't limited to reckless stupidity when he was intoxicated, I've seen him cross streets 4 lane streets through 60mph traffic, it looked like a game of Frogger. Was he just bored or did he actually want to die?
There's recklessness and risk and sometimes the line is blurry but most of the times you know when someone is just being plain stupid. Risking injury to themselves for no gain. But risk doesn't have to be a bad thing, the opposite really. I read this paper once that argued risk-taking is an evolutionary advantage as it often leads to greater pay-out. But where does the stupidity come from?
Dunn reportedly died as he was driving drunk going super fast. The car exploded kind of fast. I said at the beginning it was only a matter of time before one of the jackass dudes died and the reason why is because for years their ruthlessly self-destructive tendencies have been validated financially and socially. Why wouldn't they continue leading the lives they do?
Personally I love biking in traffic. A lot of times I don't wear my helmet. I'm pretty sure that adds to the appeal. I go fast. And I weave. And I go through small little holes between cars that hardly seem wide enough to fit a mouse and other times I zip through oncoming traffic. And I love it. And I know I should slow down, and be safe, and stay in my lane to the side, but I just can't, it's too much a thrill. Where does that thrill come from? Is it from being close to the edge? What about sky diving ? And deep sea diving and free climbing, and all those other activities which come with the immediate risk of harm? Why do we go after them ? Do we want to die?
