The Silver Lining to Paul Walker's Passing

"RyanFrew" (ryanfrew) 12/02/2013 at 14:22 • Filed to: Paul Walker, Fast and Furious, Grief

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Dear Oppos,

This is my first post here, so I thought I might as well go with the controversial one that has been at the front of my mind since Saturday night. Apologies in advance if I offend anyone.

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It should be noted, beyond any shade of a doubt, that Paul Walker's and Roger Rodas' deaths are tragedies, the same as any other death that comes too soon. It is appropriate to grieve for their friends, family, and anyone else whose lives they touched.

After reading the (unlikely) story posted on Jalopnik that the Carrera GT Walker was a passenger in was drag racing an S2000, I was reminded of the scene above. Although corny, this is a sexy scene, especially to an impressionable adolescent male. And when an impressionable young driver sees something like this, they do not see a closed road with stunt drivers in a controlled situation; they see street racing and then beautiful women immediately afterwards. They see a young good looking rebellious dude taking chances and winning. I'm not here to hate on the F&F movies - they are fiction and, frankly, I have guiltily enjoyed most of them, but they have increased kids interest in street racing. Is that F&F's fault? Absolutely not. People have a responsibility to discern reality from fiction and make good choices. Nonetheless, I dare you to go stand in a movie theater parking lot on the night of a F&F premier. Plainly, kids come out to their Civics and think they're Vin Diesel.

That's the thing about Paul Walker's death. Reality just clashed with fantasy. I'm pretty sure that Paul Walker will be in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . He'll probably illegally race some tuner car and he will definitely look awesome doing it. But by then, everyone in the theater will have had a brutal reminder of the fragility of life, and that the streets aren't for driving at high speeds, even in an exotic sports car. Whatever that Carrera GT was doing, it was not going the speed limit. It is difficult to crash a mid-engine Porsche going 50mph. Harder still to bounce it into 4 trees. For all I know, Rodas passed out from health complications and his foot got stuck on the accelerator. He very well might not have been racing, but he was going too fast - that is for sure.

Personally, it's a goal of mine, and probably everyone else, for my life to improve (or save) the lives of others. And this is where I am praying for a silver lining. Street racing just got a lot less cool because the poster boy just died. Hopefully, kids (and adults) will remember Paul Walker and opt to take their cars to the track and drive more responsibly on the roads. Hopefully, more people will realize that when they have a passenger, they are responsible for that life, as well as their own. And thus, hopefully, lives will be saved through this tragedy.

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TL;DR Version:
Paul Walker's death was incredibly sad
The death was probably a result of high speeds on a public road
Young street racing candidates will remember this and make better choices
Less people will be killed in street racing accidents

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > RyanFrew 12/02/2013 at 14:30

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I agree that the death of such an iconic Hollywood actor, known for street racing in his movies will certainly bring some attention to the dangers of street racing, I certainly hope it does. Also, I can only hope that his death was beyond his or Roger's control. But perhaps it wasn't...

Either way I will definitely miss Paul Walker, I very much liked him as an actor.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > RyanFrew 12/02/2013 at 14:38

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In your thinking I agree and really hope that something called "Paul Walker Foundation Against Street Racing" gets formed by someone.

Swale > RyanFrew 12/02/2013 at 14:38

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It is always hard to find a good in a situation like this. Especially as comments about the "unsafety at any speed" of the Porsche mark flying around the comment and editorial section of news sites and blogs.

I think you make a good point though. I remember when the first F&F came out while I was in middle school and how many of my friends at the time took a sudden but fleeting interest in cars, racing, and tuner culture.

I don't fall into the camp saying kids will imitate anything they see on TV but without a doubt those movies have and continue to glorify a subculture which to greater and lesser extents like to thumb their nose at authority. Maybe the tragedy of what happened over this weekend will make that high school kid who thinks after seeing Fast7 he will try a powerslide exit from the parking lot to reconsider. Maybe it wont. I think at the very least it will have a lot of us thinking about our own driving habits.

As a jalop and a former street racer I know what I am going to do. I am going to hug my family close and give my car an extra good wash and wax as a 'thank you' for seeing me home safe day after day.

shinsen > RyanFrew 12/02/2013 at 15:21

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side comment, do you know that the ferrari driver is the director of F & F...

THE MORE YOU KNOW!

Burrito de EJ25 > RyanFrew 12/02/2013 at 18:04

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This could have been a very offensive post. It's evident that this was written by someone thoughtful, and with much care.

I've seen a few people trying to make the same point but it often quickly devolves into an offensive tirade.

I hope we see more out of you on Oppo.

Burrito de EJ25 > shinsen 12/02/2013 at 18:07

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He's actually the producer. The pizza delivery guy was the director.

McLarry > RyanFrew 12/02/2013 at 20:46

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Well written and I agree with you. Like Alex Carrillo said, this is a pretty sensitive point that's easy to get wrong, but I think you've communicated it well. Personally, I think the 'street racing an S2000 story' is hogwash... Carrera GT vs S2000? Laughable. However, it also seems pretty clear these guys weren't putting along at 35mph (and I can't say I would've been either in their shoes).

RiddldedTomcat > Burrito de EJ25 12/05/2013 at 16:58

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Agreed!