It seems that it is the season for serious celebrity accidents at the moment. First Steve Irwin‘s tragic encounter with a stingray while filming an underwater documentary and now Richard Hammond has been seriously injured (but fortunately not fatally) while performing a high speed stunt for BBC’s Top Gear.
Dicing with death seems to be all in a day’s work for a high profile celebrity, obviously.
Or is it? I was rather surprised and alarmed to read Focus: The blame game – an article in the Sunday Times written by Jeremy Clarkson (for non-brits, a fellow co-presenter on Top Gear). It appears that there have been calls for the popular car show to be axed or severely neutered in light of the recent accident. There have also been quieter mutterings in the press and public comments (and I noticed this with Steve Irwin’s death too) that as a parent, Richard Hammond shouldn’t be putting himself in these sorts of risky situations anyway.
I can sort of see where people are coming from. When I became a mother, I did find myself being far less tolerant of being in potentially dangerous situations. I haven’t ridden pillion on a motorbike since giving birth to Akra Jr five years ago, and the thought (frankly) terrifies me. Yet I was happy enough doing so even while in the early stages of pregnancy. The thrill of riding on rollercoasters no longer exists – I now either actively dislike or am indifferent to the sensation for anything other than the tamest of rides. I’m sure I’m not the only mother that has had the same attitude reversal towards self-risk. The problem comes when you assume parents who don’t experience that attitude reversal are somehow flawed.
You see, if I don’t actually want to do those things anymore, then there’s no actual sacrifice on my part to stop doing them, is there? And yet, there is a certain smugness inherent about saying “they shouldn’t do that if they’ve got children dependant on them” when you yourself are not making any sacrifices to not take those risks. We give up a hell of a lot for our children (rightly so), often verging close to the obliteration of our own hopes and dreams – if I was being asked to give up something I felt totally, utterly passionate about … would that be a sacrifice too far? What sort of message would that be giving to our offspring? Go for your dreams, kid, but the second you or your partner gets pregnant you can never do anything worthwhile with your life again!
There’s the thing. Steve Irwin and Richard Hammond both chose/choose to live the life that the did/do (random aside: that is SUCH a convoluted sentence, sorry about that). No-one forced them to do it – the BBC didn’t tell Richard Hammond to do a dangerous stunt, he volunteered – thought it’d make a good piece. They both presumably had the blessing of their family (and if they didn’t, that’s between them and their families, not the general public). They didn’t take stupidly insane risks: Steve Irwin knew a lot about the animals he dealt with, he had respect for them, he worked with knowledge and skill; Richard Hammond had emergency backup, was using a car designed for the speeds and was driving on a private track designed for high speed trials.
They were accidents. Accidents taken while in pursuit of something with the risks accepted by the people involved and taken into account. Steve Irwin’s accident could probably have happened to any experienced diver – stingrays are not known as dangerous, might give you a nasty sting and a minor injury, but fatality was extremely unlikely. It was an incredibly unfortunate accident. Richard Hammond – well, there’s not a lot you can do about tire blowouts – I’m sure there’s more than a few deaths at legal speeds on public roads in average estate cars that actually have dismal safety ratings (with shows like Top Gear being the ones publicising and lobbying for safety improvements). Given the level of safety equipment and emergency backup he had there while filming, I don’t think you could or should fault anyone.
Maybe we should remind ourselves that we need more risk takers. Risk taking can be good. We’re constantly being told that children are being over-protected, scared of taking risks, that our economy requires more people who know when to take risks – we’re crying out for entrepreneurs, more inventors, more innovators. There’s constant complaints in the press, blogs, message boards, in the school playground at hometime all about the Nanny State that the next generation are growing up into.
So why in the event of an accident do we immediately bay for the blood of the risk taker?
10 responses so far ↓
1 Ellen // 25th Sep 2006 at 10:13 pm
My guess – as to why we bay for the blood of the risk taker AFTER an accident has occurred – is because we ourselves are frightened of death or crippling injury – and always there is some excuse that one can tell oneself to pretend that it wouldn’t happen to ourselves. Secondary of course is the love of beating up on celebrities – and of course the press is behind THAT favorite pasttime. OK, perhaps turn those orders of reasoning around…
2 Miss L // 26th Sep 2006 at 8:26 am
I remember one of the disabled crickters who played for our team, throwing himself in the way of the ball and literally slinging himself out of his wheelchair in the effort. He was so thrilled to be doing something dangerous (for him) instead of living in his coccooned wheelchair-ridden life. As another player put, he had a brief encounter with a ball. I bet he felt as good as the hamster did after several of his escapades. How many people get killed by ordinary cars each year?
3 Cath // 26th Sep 2006 at 9:17 am
It’s just another symptom of an increasingly sanitised society, we are no longer allowed to take any risks with our lives in case we upset anyone or cost the country money. I think it’s partly down to celebrity culture and the increasing importance of television in our lives. Both Steve Irwin and Richard Hammond were/are frequently on our screens so we feel like we know them and own them and we (wrongly imho) have a right to say what they do with their lives. (When I say we, I mean the general public at large).
My personal opinion is that Steve and Richard and people like them should be allowed to do what they do as it means we can put ourselves in their places when we watch them do it. I will probably never wrestle a crocodile or drive a car at 150mph but I have some idea of what it must be like as I have seen others do it. I get a rush of adrenaline with them which is why it makes such good viewing. As you say, it is their personal choice and because they are filmed doing it, these experiences are opened to everyone. I love Top Gear and I loved watching Steve Irwin, I’m not a great watcher of television but programmes such as these are great viewing and informative.
Long may they continue.
4 zip // 26th Sep 2006 at 1:01 pm
Why do we bay for the blood of the risk taker? – because the world is full of *my Dad*.
My Dad : whenever I stood in the house tending to my latests cuts, bruises, sprains and breaks after falling off my bike/skateboard/go-cart/tree my dad would immediately start ranting ” I told you not to do that didn’t I? But do you listen to me? No! It’s your own fault and so I’m now confiscating your bike/skateboard/tree(?)
My Dad, and the general *we* react like this because we care and don’t want people we like/love to get hurt. The lack of control we ourselves had over a specific incident weighs immediately heavy on us and in an attempt to get some control back we soak up some guilt. We don’t like feeling guilty so we blame someone else. We use what’s left of the guilt and the lack of control to fuel our act of confiscating. Now satisfied that it shouldn’t happen again we feel back in control of everything and can sleep at night.
To quote Clarkson:
““Who’s fault was that?” I barked.
“Oh for God’s sake, how’s that going to help?” said Hammond.
He’s right. How can blaming someone help?”
Hammond was indeed right in my opinion. I would have far less issues with life if my dad had handed me the antiseptic cream and elastoplast rather than issue the same speach each and everytime.
5 Tami // 26th Sep 2006 at 1:02 pm
Do you think it is because they are men?
It is amazing how much I matured after I had my first child. I felt a responsibility and for some reason, I became more fearful of what could happen if an accident did occur. It’s as if I thought I was invincible before I gave birth, that or I just didn’t care.
Maybe some men never learn that fear.
6 Pewari // 26th Sep 2006 at 9:25 pm
Ellen: your reasoning makes perfect sense to me.
Miss L: was watching some of the Top Gear clips on their site earlier today – who else would have come up with caravan conkers?!! You do get the feeling all of them actually *live* life, don’t you?
Cath: agree 100% I’d *much* rather watch someone else wrestle a crocodile ;)
zip: the “natural consequences” philosophy of life. You know, it’s probably someone’s *fault* we’re all like this … *grin*.
Tami: I think it’s marginally more socially acceptable for men as well as less of a biological imperative perhaps? But certainly mothers aren’t excluded from passion for danger. They just get slated even more by the press if they dare do so. Remember that mother who died while mountaineering (K2 or Everest I think)? Press had a field day…
7 Alley Katt // 27th Sep 2006 at 7:14 pm
I saw an article on the news today about a british (female) racing driver who crashed into a wall at 180 mph and her car disintegrated. Her father goes to every race, and the first thing she said was “tell my dsad I am okay!”
This shows that the risk takers think of their families whilst they are doing what they do. It is very sad when one of them dies. Roland Ratzenberger, Ayrton Senna in May 1994 – I remmeber watching it on telly horrified. They tried to stop racing then.
Everyone knows the risks when they do these jobs. Please don’t judge or linch me for what I am about to say. I beleive that everything happens for a reason. You die at a predetermined time. There is nothing – no how – no way that you will stop that. When your time is up, your time is up. If Senna or Ratzenberger had not died on the track, they would probably have been hit by a bus, or slipped in the bath.
It was Steve Irwin’s time, it was not Richard Hammonds.
Sorry this was so long
Alley Katt
8 Angela Giles Klocke // 27th Sep 2006 at 8:24 pm
We put ourselves at risk every time we drive a car…or walk down stairs. Or walk on flat ground, as is the case for me when I hurt myself half the time. If I’m going to die, might as well be doing something I love, eh?
9 Alley Katt // 27th Sep 2006 at 8:40 pm
Just leaving a message to update my website address and to agree with Angela. :D
10 Pewari // 27th Sep 2006 at 8:59 pm
Alley Katt: don’t worry I love long comments, especially well thought out ones. I’m always in awe that someone has been interested enough in my rambling to put that much thought into a reply :) I agree with you about the predetermined time – I couldn’t say *why* I agree with you, but just something I’ve felt is “truth” for a fairly long time.
Angela: abso-bloody-lutely. What’s that Chinese proverb? Something like “one day as a tiger is worth a thousand as a sheep”…
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