Car Accident Takes the Life of Actor Paul Walker

[RedDeadFred]

Well, this desperately needs to be posted.


The fact that he starred in movies about cars and died in a car crash is COINCIDENTAL, not ironic.

No but the fact that he played a character who was a very good driver in his movies and pulled all kinds of death defying stunts only to die in a car accident in real life, IS irony.

OT: I didn't mention this in my previous post. While I didn't enjoy any of his movies past the first one, he actually was a stand up guy. I haven't lost anyone close to me so I can't imagine what his family is going through.

 

[Poetic Nova]

Shame that he passed away, while the movies that made him famous are ricercrap he was a good actor.

 

[SecondPrize]

snip

I would rephrase the statement as this:

People in California do not know how to drive.

In this state, nobody knows how to stop (there is a reason it's called a "Californian roll"), how to use roundabouts ("oh god, what is this round thing? Do I turn left? Right? Can I drive over it?), how to yield ("It's only a suggestion"), or how to follow the speed limit ("But officer, I was only going ten miles faster!")

The last one is important, because, when we are not caught in the grid lock of "rush hour," nobody follows the posted speed limits, unless we see a cop. In normal weather conditions, this isn't really a problem.

In the rain, all bets are off.

People can't drive for shit anywhere. I moved down southish to Asheville and the big thing there is turning left in front of oncoming cars also turning left, not passing them and turning. This isn't how such a thing is done. Also they consider themselves stopped at a four-way stop sign for the purposes of their turn to go as soon as they stop, not when there is no one ahead of them anymore.

 

[Carnagath]

Pretty disgusting posts in here, I had to double check to see if I went to /b/ by accident. RIP, he seemed like a cool dude from the interviews I've seen.

 

[Kennetic]

RIP Paul.

Paul Walker was just an all-around nice guy. Had quite a bit of talent as well.

 

[faefrost]

This leads me to another point, where people scream about gun control yet more folks are killed in car wrecks yearly than by guns (not taking suicide by gun into account) yet there's little done to make car companies make safer cars. Remember when cars where made of steel, not just the frames? I'll bet most of you don't.

Do you know why cars aren't made of steel anymore? It's an unintended consequence of government imposed arbitrary fuel standards. The only way to increase fuel mileage to meet government CAFE standards is to reduce weight. However for every 100 pounds of weight you take off the car you decrease its crash survivability. Modern technology actually does make much safer cars then we used to have. But it is overshadowed by the decrease in structural weight because of the fuel standards.

Be careful what you demand the government do. It rarely works out the way you planned.

 

[Cpt. Slow]

Pretty disgusting posts in here, I had to double check to see if I went to /b/ by accident.

Yeah, reading up on forums, Twitter and NSAbook Facebook when it comes to celebrities people really don't care. If it would happen to someone else who's not famous, the local newspaper will report it. Maybe even national but the day after it's business as usual.

What strikes me as odd is the fact that the admins don't do anything about it. Or perhaps the admin who is on duty had a rough night after ending up in Bangkok with two other dudes and a Chinese gangster and a Capuchin monkey with a severe hangover from last nights party.

Any how, it's sad to see such reactions from people because it is just too far removed from their own lives. Like musicians, actors also make a great sacrifice with their way of life. Jumping from one city to another, doing promotions between shooting films. I d not envy the life of an actor, nor any public figure who is always in the spotlight (even if it's by choice).

Edit: As did the Romans when they had their Colosseum fights with the gladiators. When the gladiator would win a battle they cheered. When he lost a battle they would also cheer because losing a battle meant death. Also a nice critique on that was the film Running Man. It was 'situated in the 'nearby future' but people in that film still acted like they did 2000 years ago. Pure savagery. I guess the internet is also a kind of real life although it being a very warped version of that.

 

[Mr. Q]

It's truly heartbreaking to see a life cut down so soon. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Paul Walker's family and friends.

Rest in peace.

 

[Makabriel]

So I guess I'm supposed to ignore all of these additional definitions for the term Irony?

Full Definition of IRONY
1
: a pretense of ignorance and of willingness to learn from another assumed in order to make the other's false conceptions conspicuous by adroit questioning ?called also Socratic irony
2
a : the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning
b : a usually humorous or sardonic literary style or form characterized by irony
c : an ironic expression or utterance
3
a (1) : incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result (2) : an event or result marked by such incongruity
b : incongruity between a situation developed in a drama and the accompanying words or actions that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play ?called also dramatic irony, tragic irony
See irony defined for English-language learners »
See irony defined for kids »

The fact that the man played in a movie about death defying car stunts and then died in a car accident is coincidental, yes, but it also makes it ironic. Words are not Black and White, when it comes to definition.

in·con·gru·ous adjective \(&#716in-ˈkäŋ-grə-wəs\
: strange because of not agreeing with what is usual or expected

Irony in this case would be him dying playing tennis.. something totally in-congruent with a risky act.


P.S. RIP Paul.

 

[Scorpid]

However for every 100 pounds of weight you take off the car you decrease its crash survivability. Modern technology actually does make much safer cars then we used to have. But it is overshadowed by the decrease in structural weight because of the fuel standards.

That's not true. It's true, cars are mostly made from light metals such as aluminum, but they are also designed to handle impacts far better than any cars before.

Example - one "aluminum, unibody" modern car versus an all steel, full framed land yacht:

As for the people throwing a fit that there are some of us offering our condolences... let me offer this bit written by someone on another forum I visit. Please excuse the language, I'm just quoting here, these are not my words:

ZOMG Evidence vs hyperbole!? =O
GJ Carnage

 

[DSP_Zulu]

Yeah, i know, right?

The guy in the land barge is deader than a doornail. The guy in the Malibu is probably hurt, has a concussion, and whiplash something fierce.. but chances are high he walked out of that wreck while the other guy had a steering wheel meet the back of his skull and the firemen and paramedics are scraping him out of the front seat.

A little more on topic...

Wether you liked the movies or not, he was a decent actor and a pretty decent human being. He raised millions every year for charities around the world, including one he started. It sucks to see him go like this, when he deserved a lot better. A lot of people will miss him, and the good work he did, not to mention his movies, which, i have to agree with MovieBob, are pretty good action-popcorn flicks at the very least.

Condolences to his family, particularly his teenage daughter, and his friends and those he helped with his charity work.

 

[RTR]

He always seemed like a very decent guy.
I'm seriously bummed out by this.

 

[zxvcasdfqwerzxcv]

Very sad news, sadder still too see some of the responses to the premature loss of two human lives.
If anything, I hope people take away a renewed understanding of driver responsibility - it doesn't matter how good you are (or think you are), one minute mistake at speed and you are over. Roger Rodas was a very accomplished driver apparently, but images of the car show a catastrophic wreck.
Still, this is the internet, so rather than learning anything, there'll probably just be a bunch of new memes...

 

[Ipsen]

What I find most "interesting" about this, is the sheer amount of people pointing out that it's ironic he died in a car crash and/or use the

> pun "Too Fast too Furious" like it's a: not glaringly obvious and every 5 year old could of come up with that one (and probably has) - b: like it is actually that ironic (like people who've made films about guns, haven't been shot, or others that made films about cars haven't died in a car crash etc.) - c: a million other people won't have pointed it out already, because it is just that obvious a thing to say - d: somehow makes them funny and really needs sharing with the world.

Just like the post above mine, basically. Look - feels the need to use the "Too Fast..." line (wishing it was a pun) even though like 10 others have said exactly the same thing...

Shows you the intelligence/creativity of people who tend to post online.

Consider it fault of forum discussion format.

There isn't much to say in this situation, but when people post on forums, they either do so in response to another, to make a universal point to the topic or just speak their small-minded opinion, with no regards as to what it adds (or distracts) to the discussion.

This situation is ironic because in the work he's most famous for, he drives cars incredibly dangerously while suffering little to no physical harm. In the movies, the things that bring provide his income, happiness and a sense of purpose are what killed him in real life.

Did he REALLY drive those cars? I think the very profession of professional stunt performer throws a kink in the idea of irony here. He was an actor, who could look and act out the human parts of the movie, most likely better than the people who could actually drive cars like in F&F.

The irony stands within the movie. Outside of that, and you're grasping at straws. Or at least looking silly for equating movie world with real world.

 

[The Feast]

The most upsetting thing is that people like to make fun with everybody's demise these days. You get used to death so you make joke about it? Trust me, when your time comes, you don't even dare to laugh...

Surely when my time comes I won't be able to laugh? On account of being dead and all that.

What? You think what is dead stays dead? We who live may see you with a lifeless body but maybe you should reconsider on what happen in the afterlife. That is if you want to try it yourself...

 

[RA92]

No but the fact that he played a character who was a very good driver in his movies and pulled all kinds of death defying stunts only to die in a car accident in real life, IS irony.

Paul Walker wasn't driving. In fact, he did a lot of the stunts in the movies himself, so he was a pretty good driver and it stands to reason that if he was in the driver's seat, this might not have happened.

 

[Undomesticated Equine]

Found this on my Facebook today. Not very nice but fairly amusing. And yes i know he was not driving.