A) Risk versus reward behaviors. The "Jackass" crew was paid well above and beyond the normal level of reward for their risky behavior. Major media influences many people. Seeing someone unduly rewarded for risky behavior shows it in a certain light, and major media portrayal will influence some people to see it as such. Period.Originally Posted by jest118
No shit people did dumb crap before this phase of televised entertainment began, but it was just usually something that someone came up with on their own to get a laugh or something. You'd have to be pretty ignorant not to know that. However, the media shows so few consequences to the behaviors and risks that are on display, and makes multi-millionaires out of the people performing the dangerous acts. Face it guys: Kids do the dumb shit they see famous people do on TV. I stand by my thought that this, if nothing else, serves to right that risk and reward imbalance. It's not a cause and effect thing by miles, just a portion of both. Yes, it's sad someone died young, but pragmatically speaking, it goes to show that leading a risky lifestyle can have dangerous consequences.
B) Bam Margera is better at skateboarding than most people, but he's a godawful example of a skateboarder. I was a fan of him in his younger years, when he was the am on Toy Machine doing new and impressive things on his skateboard. The fact he's "a dick" doesn't play into my disdain for him... It's the media figure he allowed himself to become, letting skateboarding take a backseat. Had he still been putting out awesome footage and getting spreads in magazines, or even doing well on some contest circuit in tandem with the success of his non-skateboarding he would still be respected in the skateboarding community. But, that new and impressive stuff he USED to do only served as a launchpad for all the crap he's done since, and as he gained his initial fame via skateboarding, the mainstream media still lumps him in as one of us. Fact is, he more or less abandoned skateboarding to peruse... Uh... Acting?! Whatever you'd call his current career, yet he's still one of the biggest names in the sport. He's almost the Larry Gaga of skating. He's not a famous skateboarder for skateboarding any more than Gaga is famous for being anywhere near a decent musical artist. It's all superficial shit glorified in the name of something I hold above that debased level of superficiality.
In summary - Media has made the behaviors of the Jackass crew more appealing to attempt by some by rewarding said behaviors beyond typical means. Media DOES carry influence over more people than anyone would call normal. Very rarely does said media bother to show nearly the consequences that would balance out the level of reward it offers. For once, those easily influenced by media have something tangible to connect with those consequences. NO, TV didn't make people act dangerously, but it did, for some, entice, justify, or encourage people to behave poorly.
And fuck Bam Margera.
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