"Drink driving" is like global warming. It's pushed down our necks at the earliest convenience. As soon as we have a hot day there is some guy telling me to re-cycle my yogurt pots or pay a fine. I have views about why using anything other than a cardboard bike for transport is now unacceptable but that's for another day, this is about the untimely death of Ryan Dunn.
News Of The World hack Dan Wootton wrote on Twitter "There's only so much sympathy I have for Ryan Dunn when he drove his sports car 140mph while drunk. He could have killed an innocent child."
Yes, less than a week after Ryan's death Dan was ready and willing to put the boot in. There is a limit to Dan's sympathy. In fact, this was the extent of his sympathy. No mention at the time of his death just one public tweet about how lucky it was that he killed himself and not some imaginary 5 year old strolling the streets at 3:30am.
So I replied to Dan Wootton:
"The guy is dead. how big a bitch can you be? he could've killed a child at 3.30am? he didn't. He killed himself and a friend. "
Now I have found myself in an argument over drink driving with other tabloid hacks who think my comments are in some way condoning his actions.
News Of The World Tom Latchem responded first,
"He could have killed anyone Steve. Are you seriously justifying drink-driving?"
No I am not. He killed himself and a friend and it was only a few days ago. Can we not give the guy a break at least until he is in the ground?
But while the term "Drink-driving" had been mentioned, I couldn't help think ahead and my views on the power of words. Drink driving is a pointless expression. Drink-driving is not illegal. It doesn't relate to the crime. The crime is excessive drink-driving. It's like calling Date-Rape just date-sex. Drink-driving is only valid if the long term object of society is to ban drinking while in command of a vehicle. Otherwise I find it blurs the line of right and wrong.
Let's face it most people drink and drive. It may be under the limit but we do it. Even just half a lager or a small wine. You have drunk and driven. Now I'm not going to argue the case for zero tolerance. I'm just pointing out the error of a term like "Drink driving" and how it doesn't represent the facts.
This lead me to the obsession with certain crimes and diseases within the tabloid press. Again, I don't wish to expand too much but I mentioned suicide which is rarely reported but kills many more teenagers than knife crime for example. But hey, God forbid we have to discuss why people suffer from depression, that would be...depressing. It might even make us look at the way our society works. Advertising, selling to kids, sexualisation, greed, speed, need, want, buy, consume, debt. It's even too much for me to talk about.
I'm am just fully aware that things are not as black or white as the News Of The World wants you to believe. Maybe Ryan drove too fast and drank too much because he was depressed, maybe he was very happy and excited to go somewhere, maybe he loved all the great advertising and wanted to show his WKD side - I don't know. All I know is that he died on Monday and his family and fans miss him.
Yesterday, US film critic Roger Ebert apologised for the timing of his comments which were similar to those of Dan Wootton. Maybe tweeting on the day of his memorial was a little insensitive?
Ryan Dunn and Zachary Hartwell may you both rest in peace.
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