"Revolutionary" lol
A revolution of pretentious idiots on the internet who always yap about a bunch of crap and make assumptions about others. So frequently when you read about this story, there's people saying stuff like "oh he lived so much more full, such a happier life than all of you".....How the hell does anyone know what kind of life some random person has from an internet comment?
A lot of people, hell most people probably haven't "figured out life", everyone has problems, but people react differently to their troubles.
It's a rather sad story to me...there were loved ones of his who didn't know what happened to him. That's obviously horrible to go thru. And his death, likely from starving to death rather than the theories put forth by Kraukner and Penn....that's a terrible way to go. His SOS notes at the end of his life state that he was weak and obviously was in distress. He weighed less than 70 lbs and died of starvation, so it's pretty clear he suffered, as anyone going thru that would.
It seems like a lot of people hate the guy, but I think it's more just not liking how he's been glorified and how Kraukner and Penn romanticized the whole story and how people react to it. I don't know why people after all these years would stil so strongly hate the person so much, he died a long time ago and suffered enough, it's not like he was some mass killer or serial rapist or something. He already paid the ultimate price for his mistakes.
If he had a mental illness, which is a theory brought forth quite a bit, then it's still a sad story. A young person doesn't get the help he needs and dies a painful death in the wilderness. If he really was content with his life and died satisfied, it's still a sad story for his sister and other loved ones.
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Hemiola_78
10 years ago
I don't think it's a question of hate.
There's a difference between hating somebody and saying "I just don't see why he's a role model, hero, revolutionary, etc".
By the same token, there's a difference between saying that his death was a consequence of his actions, and implying that he deserved to die the way he did.
I think people are irritated because it's simply too much: a book, several articles in prominent journals, endless media coverage at the time, a website, at least 3 documentaries, and more recently a feature film. Sure American society must have something more substantial to focus on.
Last thing we need is a reason for like minded young people to say: if I do the same, maybe they'll do a movie about me one day too.
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everydayboredom1980
10 years ago
Yeah, that is true. People have actually tried to imitate his Alaskan journey into the wild and died as well.
I get why some people relate to being disillusioned with consumerism and respect how he just decided to do something "against the grain", but so many of the things people say to romanticize him is just ridiculous. A "revolutionary", a "great thinker"?? What from his writings could you garner to compare him to great revolutionaries and deep philosophers? Or how he supposedly "lived more full lives than all of us".
Mccandles going out and doing such a risky thing and dying while in search of a deeper meaning in life doesn't make his life any more full than those who don't feel the need to do something so drastic, or those whose adventures are more safe, and less selfish.
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