Injured Daredevil Criticized For GoFundMe Page After Failed Jump

[mjr]

That's the headline of the article...

It should really read something like:

Injured Moron Criticized For GoFundMe Page After Failed Jump

Note: Article below does contain graphic video.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2017/...r-failed-jump/

[s_stabeler]

actually, daredevil is an appropriate term here- the guy's a thrillseeker.

anyway, I actually think the GoFundMe is fine- the guy is basically saying " if any fans want to help me with my medical bills, i'd appreciate the help"- considering that his fans were presumably entertained by his antics, and may have ether intentionally or unintentionally encouraged him, it's fair to say a few quid towards the medical bills sin't unreasonable.

[mjr]

actually, daredevil is an appropriate term here- the guy's a thrillseeker.

anyway, I actually think the GoFundMe is fine- the guy is basically saying " if any fans want to help me with my medical bills, i'd appreciate the help"- considering that his fans were presumably entertained by his antics, and may have ether intentionally or unintentionally encouraged him, it's fair to say a few quid towards the medical bills sin't unreasonable.

I understand your statement about him being a "thrillseeker". Nothing wrong with that.

Where I have the problem is that most "stunt men" (which this guy basically is) either get money in advance for their stunt, and/or get insurance in case they get injured. Insurance for stunt men isn't cheap.

[s_stabeler]

Not really. Or at least, you're thinking of professional stuntmen, like you would see in the movies ( and actually, you'll find that thrillseekers make very poor stuntmen, since they typically end up like this guy, and are too injured to work.

This guy is more the "hold my beer and watch this!" end of things- and to be blunt? pretty much no insurer will cover him for his stunts. (too high-risk. an insurer works on the basis of there being x% chance of $y in payouts. The premuim is $z, where z> y X 0.x ( basically, the premium must be higher than the total payout divided by the number of policyholders) This guy, the premium would need to be a significant percentage of the potential payout, and he probably couldn't afford it. Hence why it's reasonable to ask for a small voluntary contribution by fans- they are benefiting from him taking the risk- but getting insurance would be too expensive.

In short, it's reasonable because in some ways, the adulation of the fans contributes to the risk-taking behaviour, so asking for a contribution towards the costs is reasonable. However, the fans should not be expected to take on the entire cost, because he WAS something of a moron to do it.

[Aragarthiel]

Considering what s_stabeler pointed out about insurance and that it's almost, if not entirely impossible to plan for medical expenses due to medical facilities rarely, if ever giving out information about their pricing, I don't see a reason why he can't set up a GoFundMe to help out with costs. Yes it's his own idiocy that caused them but nobody is forcing anyone else to donate. If his fans want to donate, that's their prerogative, just as it's his if he decides he enjoys the taste of dirt and blood.

[Gravekeeper]

Eh. The guy is an idiot but that's why people watch him so I don't have a problem with him setting up a GoFundMe for fans to help him out if they want.

Now, if he had no established fan base and had never made a successful jump then sure he'd look like a complete twat here.

[mjr]

Are we, as a general society, really in favor of rewarding idiocy? Is Idiocracy really closer than we'd like to think ("Ow, My Balls", anyone??).

Aside from that, I'd think that "Storm Chasers" would be classified as "thrill seekers". I don't know that storm chasers set up GoFundMe accounts when they get injured or their property is destroyed in a storm. Maybe they should.

If this guy wants a thrill, why can't he just film himself on Kingda Ka, or some other Stratocoaster, or Hypercoaster, or something like that? Those are, after all, referred to as "thrill rides".

[TheHuckster]

He's an entertainer. An amateur one, for sure, but someone who has made some kind of following for himself who probably gets some ad money from YouTube for his stunts.

So, in essence, the only thing separating him from a professional daredevil or stuntman is a wider audience and doing things on his own rather than being hired by a film studio or TV show.

We already "as a society" support medical assistance to other entertainers in risky business, such as sports players, reality show stars (including Mythbusters and Jackass), and stunt doubles. The only difference is there are more people watching those people, thus there's wider support for it. If this guy wants his own supporters to help him out, then what's the problem?

[mjr]

We already "as a society" support medical assistance to other entertainers in risky business, such as sports players, reality show stars (including Mythbusters and Jackass), and stunt doubles. The only difference is there are more people watching those people, thus there's wider support for it. If this guy wants his own supporters to help him out, then what's the problem?

There's truth to this. However, in the case of MythBusters, they also get paid, and they actually have insurance (probably paid at least partially by the Discovery Channel). If Adam Savage falls off of something and gets a sprained ankle, he's not setting up a GoFundMe to pay for it.

Also, there have been numerous times on MythBusters where they've basically said, "Insurance won't let us do this..."

As far as athletes, they're not really asking for monetary support from their fans, either, when they get injured. Should they? I mean, name any injured player in the NFL...people would lose their minds if that player set up a GoFundMe to help with their medical bills.

I asked a friend of mine here at the office if he thought people would watch a "pie in the face" channel on YouTube. Basically where every few days someone hits him/herself in the face with a pie (or pies). His response: "Most Likely". And honestly, if the pie person got hurt, they could probably get people to send them money.

Almost like the guy who raised $25,000 for potato salad.

Makes me want to start a GoFundMe so I can raise $150K or so for a Tesla.

[TheHuckster]

I'm responding directly to your "we as a general society rewarding idiocy" remark. My point is entertainers get paid to do what would be idiotic stuff if they didn't have an audience (or in some cases still is idiotic even with an audience). Some of them get paid very well, too.

Football players get rewarded for roughhousing on a field chasing a football. I mean, hey, I like watching football, but that's all it is. Same goes for all stunt-based entertainment.

And it isn't a new phenomenon, either. People like Houdini and circus performers have been doing this kind of stuff for well over a century now.

[s_stabeler]

mjr, it's more that since he does do these stunts for an audience, it's reasonable for him to ask the audience in question to chip in. With Mythbusters, they were working for Discovery Channel, producing a show that ultimately would benefit Discovery Channel via attracting ad revenue.hence, the expectation is that either Discovery would pay for any injuries received, or would arrange via insurance for any injuries to be paid for. This guy is, ultimately, doing it to entertain himself and his audience, so asking for a contribution towards his medical bills is reasonable.

I agree he's a moron for doing it- hence why a voluntary contribution from his audience is appropriate, not a mandatory one ( and why it's arguable it should not be for the entirety of the medical bills) ad I would militate against charging for the videos, but his audience DOES have some responsibility for encouraging him, even if unintentionally.

[HYHYBT]

Let's say there was no good reason for him to do it; it was complete idiocy; even, for the sake of argument, pretend there was no intended audience. So what? Why does that mean he shouldn't use GoFundMe to attempt to raise money for his medical bills?