Brett Banter

It was going to happen, sooner or later. When you star in a show called: Jackass", you have to think that somewhere along the way, you or one of your death-defying buddies will have to pay for it. And pay for it Ryan Dunn did, in a deadly accident caused by excessive speed and, allegedly, intoxication.

Not a surprising ending for the daredevil stuntman, similar to Steve Irwin’s death from a poisonous stingray five years ago. Both men died due to lifestyle hazards. But while Irwin was posthumously chastised, Dunn was untouchable in the days following his death. When Roger Ebert, noted film and celebrity critic, denounced Dunn’s final actions over Facebook, fans became so enraged that Facebook removed not only the post, but Ebert’s page altogether. Facebook eventually apologized and reactivated Ebert’s page, but fans’ insistence that Dunn’s death be respected as tragic got a bit out of hand. Only a few hours before his death, Dunn tweeted pictures of himself drinking at a bar. He was proudly showcasing his stupidity all over social media, just like he did for a career on MTV.

Ebert called him out for it. It’s that simple. No matter how much you might think it violates privacy, if you put yourself out on the internet, your actions will be judged by your friends, your employers, and even celebrities. It’s not disrespectful or offensive; it’s standard. And you can’t hide from it, even in death.