Roger Ebert Tweets Chastisement After Drunk Driving Death

[Akarui Kibuno]

He was very lucky it was only a one car wreck - he could've killed more than 2 people that night.  If his friends want to make a big deal about how offended they are about Ebert's tweet when the tweet is SUPER MINOR compared to what their friend did, no sympathy at all for them.  If there's anything here to get upset over, get upset at the guy who drove drunk and killed someone.

I re-read the thread to find a post that would explain the way I feel about it. This is one, and PeasAndCues has a way to put it I can pod as well.

[Giggity]

Mr. Ebert has had a longer career than any of the people on Donkey. I'd say he's contributed more towards movies as an art form than any of the "entertainers" in that group. I really don't think he needs publicity off of their name.

Yeah, that Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is one compelling cinematic experience.

I'm with afbluebelle on this one. Ebert's a hack who should have kept his mouth shut. Ryan Dunn is someone's child, and Ebert just demonstrated some stunning insensitivity to those who grieve him.

ETA: Ebert's post was also pretty pointless, since the Donkey crew weren't even around ... and therefore, quite self-serving.

[Wonderflonium]

ETA: Ebert's post was also pretty pointless, since the Donkey crew weren't even around ... and therefore, quite self-serving.

He said "friends don't let j@ck@sses drink and drive." He never said the friends were part of the JA crew; he referred to Dunn as the JA, and frankly, given that it's a name he embraced and made bank off of, I don't find it inappropriate.

[Betelnut]

Ebert's a hack?  A Pulitzer-prize winning one then.

[Giggity]

Exhibit A:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Valley_of_the_Dolls

[PeasNCues]

Exhibit A:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Valley_of_the_Dolls

What's your point? 

[Lauren]

 To me, the message came across as him being angry and upset at the situation.

Except that it's really NOTHING to do with him. Which is the point a lot of people are making.

Frankly it was none of his business. Celebs who Tweet are going to be reported more than JoeBlow who tweets something similar. And since this has nothing to do with Ebert then he should have kept his thoughts to himself. While I agree with everything said here about Ryan Dunn, the guy hadn't even been dead a day. There *is* a time and a place to say these things and heaping more hurt on his family and friends did nothing but make a pretty devastating hurt worse.

I have a very close friend die from drink driving. He took his wife and daughter with him. I said the worst things about him in the days after he died. I hated him so much for being so dingdangity stupid. And yet hearing some random person in my office say the same things had me screaming abuse at her. How dare she say those things, she didn't know him or his family. It was a horrible response (and I did apologise later which she was gracious enough to accept) I also heard it on the radio and I had to pull over from crying so hard. His family and friends KNOW what Ebert said was true. That doesn't mean that Ebert had to say it.

In regards to celebrity, I have no idea who Ebert is. He's famous in America, but not really outside of it. My FB page lit up when Ryan Dunn died.

[Giggity]

Exhibit A:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Valley_of_the_Dolls

What's your point? 

That there's more than one reason I consider him a hack, and this is just #1.

[PeasNCues]

Exhibit A:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Valley_of_the_Dolls

What's your point? 

That there's more than one reason I consider him a hack, and this is just #1.

Ah, okay, so you don't like the movie. "Cult classic," though, that's pretty good. I'm only familiar with Eberts' reviews though, and I mostly agree with him there!

No one has really explained why the comment is offensive? Why it was too soon? Can people spell out to me what bothers them about it? Thanks in advance! 

[Lauren]

No one has really explained why the comment is offensive? Why it was too soon? Can people spell out to me what bothers them about it? Thanks in advance!

The comment was offensive because it wasn't Ebert's place and it was too soon. It was too soon because it was barely even a day after he died. (I don't think it was even a day!)

[Wonderflonium]

 To me, the message came across as him being angry and upset at the situation.

Except that it's really NOTHING to do with him. Which is the point a lot of people are making.

Frankly it was none of his business.

Actually, when Dunn decided to get drunk and drive on public roads, it became everybody's business.

[Lauren]

Actually, when Dunn decided to get drunk and drive on public roads, it became everybody's business.

Except he is now dead. He has suffered the ultimate punishment for his own stupidity. And to make it worse he took someone else with him.

That still doesn't put Ebert in the right here.

[Miss Misery]

Really? I don't feel I have been bent out of shape about this.

I never said you were.

I stated my opinion, clear and simple.

So did I and so did Ebert.

But isn't etiquette about getting your point across politely, and not being a jerk to people, even if they deserve it.

In this case, Ebert was the lesser of two jerks. The real jerk was the drunk jerk who killed himself and his passenger.

There are better ways to get your point across, and frankly I think his method was insensitive at best, and self serving at the worst.

I have to disagree. Ebert is standing by his tweet and I'm glad he is, and that he had the guts to tell it like it is and not sugarcoat the actions of a drunk driving fool. Like I said, the truth isn't always pretty.

[EduardosGirl]

He didn't say that Dunn got what he deserved or delight in his death. Before he tweeted the infamous tweet, he commented in another RIP Ryan Dunn. He has stated he has empathy for alcoholics given that he was one himself, nearly dying in a car accident. In one blog post (or more) he explicitly stated, there but for the grace of god go I.

He stated that friends (or JAs, ie the crew of friends in question) don't let friends drive drunk. They shouldn't. This was not an offensive expression. I'd say it's a sorrowful one as this was a death, well 2 deaths, that was avoidable.

It was soon, but it wasn't as though his was the first comment on the subject. Again, he didn't glory or delight or gloat in what happened. He expressed a thought that was relevant, valid and timely.

It's not speaking ill of the dead or making light of the loved ones' pain. It's acknowledgeing the pointlessness of what happened, the sheer avoidability of what happened.

Russ Meyer is certainly an acquired taste. I myself preferred Beyond the Valley of the Ultradolls, thankyouverymuch.

[Wonderflonium]

Exhibit A:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Valley_of_the_Dolls

What's your point? 

That there's more than one reason I consider him a hack, and this is just #1.

So, because you think he's a hack, he's automatically wrong? Or not famous? Needed a career boost? I'm not sure I understand the point.

If you want to start talking about talent, I personally don't see a bit of talent in doing stupid and dangerous things that can and often do result in bodily harm. However, I accept that that's my opinion and others disagree. I don't think it's relevant to the situation at hand.