He's Dead People, and He's Not an Angel

I was driving around my fair city the other day when I noticed something about the otherwise nondescript sedan that was in front of me.

It was a simple, black, four door Soccer Mom-ish car.  But what caught my eye was the decal on the back windshield and the personalized license plate.  The decal was a giant number "3" wearing a halo, and the license plate read something like "3 IN HEAVEN".

Look, while I don't give a crap about NASCAR (although Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby will generate interest for about 90 minutes or so), I understand it's a popular sport and don't begrudge anyone for making it their recreational activity of choice.  But what I do take issue with is this RIDICULOUS idolization of a dead race car driver.

Dale Earnhardt was not Elvis, the Pope, Mother Teresa, John Ritter or even Jesus Christ for Ritter's sake.  He didn't cure Polio or invent sliced butter or come up with the idea for the Pet Rock or attempt to rescue kids from burning buildings.  He DROVE A CAR IN A CIRCLE.  He is not a saint, an angel, a hero or anything that should be worshiped in any way. 

He was in the business of winning races and making himself as much money as possible along the way.  In the year AFTER he died, Forbes Magazine reported that he still made $20 million dollars.

I know that personalized license plates in this state are only an extra $12 per year.  Seriously though, think about how that $12 could best be spent besides letting other motorists know that you're a douchebag.  Plus that decal cost what, another $3?  That's $15 bucks. That's a meal at a low end chain restaurant with a drink or two.  Or your favorite movie on DVD.

Better yet, give that $15 to the Salvation Army, or to a school in need, or your local blood bank.  Just stop thinking that the world would be a better place if Dale was still here, driving his car around in a circle.

Comments

[leslie]

Amen.

But I also don't get the various stickers/painted tributes to other dead folk that I see more & more on rear windshields (ie. "In Loving Memory Of...")

Just for the record? When I die, PLEASE do NOT remember me via a sticker on your windshield, okay Internets?

[dvdguy]

I almost threw that in here as well, because I see those too and can't understand who thought it was a good idea. "In Memory of Walter 'Little Ray Ray' Alexander. 1981-2006."

Seriously, the back window of your car is not the place for this. It's for Calvin peeing on a Chevy logo or a Godsmack sticker or some wiseass variation of that Jesus-y fish thing. Unless Little Ray Ray died by going THROUGH that particular piece of glass, leave your memorial at home.

[Remember 9-11]

BBbbbboooooo dvdguy bbboooooo!
Indulge me for a moment if you will to share my .02 cents on this subject matter. Dale Earnhardt may not have been a legend in your mind but to racing fans everywhere he is still the great intimidator. The halos and the tributes are as any others that exist out there. They're placed for memorials and yes, in some cases they bring in a pile of money for the estate of the "legend" in which they're meant to pay tribute to.
No, you're correct, he is no Elvis Presley or John Lennon but he didn't earn a living out of making music. He lived and died as a sports figure, revered for what he did.
Personally, I think the Elvis empire should be brought down, but that is only because my father passed away on 08/16/77 only 12 hours before. I sit every year that the anniversary comes becoming severely nauseous as people drone on and on about great of a legend he was. I fail to see this however. How a person, in my opinion, that was the poster child of what the excesses of drug addiction can do is so great when he ended up dying on another type of throne is beyond me. Give me a Beatles or John Lennon pin however, and I'll slap it on somewhere to display it proudly. {{No offense meant to the legion of Elvis fans out there.}}
To me, this is the same type of thing. Hero worship, a tribute to those they loved, admired and lost. Plain and simply put, instead of the tribute being etched in some cold stone slab in some remote graveyard where no one sees it, it's out there for the world to share. I dare anyone to ask me to take down my 9-11 tribute sticker.
If you don't particularly care for it, enact your right as an american citizen as they are. Instead of lamenting about it, look the other way, change the channel on the tv, or better yet, turn it off and go get some air. Aaahhhh good old Oxygen, now that's the stuff! You should try it.

[CRD]

Can I wear an LDC remembrance arm band?

Can I set up the dvdguy memorial fund for people with non-alcoholic drinking problems?

Can I paint a mural on the side of my house with a portrait of LDC with a halo over her head and wings?

Can I fly a flag on my truck that says "Dvdguy forever!!" ?

[dvdguy]

CRD: No.

[Remember 9-11]

Ignore him CRD, he's jealous cause he wasn't the one picked for the house mural. You go! *gives him a care bear sticker and pastes it on his forehead.*

[anonymousfriend]

While I was away on vacation, I noticed that people in other parts of the country like to put a list of their children or grandchildren on the back of their car...."Proud Grandma to: Susie, Billy...". It's like a pedophile's menu board, but at least they are overly concerned with life instead of someone's passing.

I've seen a lot of those little back window stickers that show the kids name and a picture of a guy or girl playing whatever sport the kid is forced into...like a cheerleader with the name Bambi under it. I want to find one that shows a big fat guy sitting in a recliner with one hand down his pants and the other holding a remote and put "Husband" under it.

[JBH]

WTMI, Anonymous Friend!

[j.scott barnard]

"Dale Earnhardt was not Elvis, the Pope, Mother Teresa, John Ritter or even Jesus Christ for Ritter's sake."

Wow. I don't have any #3 memorabilia, but the post clearly shows you lack a basic understanding of NASCAR and its fans. Dale is to NASCAR fans what Elvis is to 50's generation rock and roll fans. And I could argue that Dale drew a bigger crowd, yet made himself more accessible to his fans. Before I accuse you of being some kind of elitist!!! I should just suggest, ask a fan when you see one with a shirt or a bumper sticker. They're not going to kill you if you simply say, "Please help me to understand the post-mortem phenomenon that is Earnhardt."

[dvdguy]

He drove a car around in a circle with scores of others around him doing the exact same thing. Elvis at least has some sort of tangible legacy.

I'm not saying there is a difference between Dale fans and Elvis fans, I'm saying there's a difference between one of the best selling artists of all time and a dude who drove a car for a living.

I would be curious to ask fans that question though. Because I do wonder what they talk about when they remember Dale. Is it things like "Man, remember when he made that left turn?"

[JBH]

Ease up on the throttle there, DVDguy. JSB has spoken truly in regards to DE, Sr's place in the hearts of NASCAR fans. Most of us have people and things we care about more than the population at large. It just so happens that tens of millions of people think that #3 was someone special. He was a hero (or major antagonist), a unquely fierce and successful competitor who lost his life on the field, still (almost) in his prime. That kind of drama adds to the mystique. Consider the cult of Lennon vs Harrison. Bobby vs Teddy (maybe not fair).

The 'driving in circles' comment is how I would have seen NASCAR a few years back. I will still never be a big fan, but my spouse's new fascination with racin' has rubbed off to the extent that I greatly respect the nerve, skill, and endurance that these folks exhibit every week.

I have no problem with folks spending a few bucks or using their own space to hold up their heroes. Just don't get us started on 'Che' memmorabilia!

[dvdguy]

Well this post is an open invitation for any and all Dale fans to explain just why I'm out of touch.

[anonymousfriend]

(sometimes, while driving down the road, after watching the morons change lanes without signaling, pulling out in front of people, and almost running people off the road, I wish that those #3 hero-worshippers would follow the example of thier leader)

I don't get it either dvdguy, so I can offer no insight on the NASCAR grieving process. I was a HUGE/HUGE/HUGE Payne Stewart fan and he died while I was pregnant with my son in a freak plane accident (Payne Stewart was a golfer, by the way). Although he was just someone who knocked a ball into a hole, I was very sadden by his death and I could not explain to you why I was affected the way that I was. Even so, I don't have a static cling pair of knickers stuck to my back windshield with RIP written below them.

I questioned a friend and just got this emailed response from him...he said "it's a redneck thing, you wouldn't understand".

So there you go.

[j.scott barnard]

"He drove a car around in a circle with scores of others around him doing the exact same thing."

You don't understand racing if you think that's just it, circles. There's a hell of a lot more to it. And DE was one of the best, if not, the best.

Your starting point on the subject won't lend any answer until you back up and first try to understand NASCAR as a whole. Then you might understand Earnhardt. It'd be like trying to understand Elvis while claiming Rock n' Roll is just people banging on drums emulating the natives.

[dvdguy]

I know it's not just driving in circles. Most tracks do have straightaways.

[Remember 9-11]

"Rock n' Roll is just people banging on drums emulating the natives."
Isn't this also what they claimed the Beatles were doing in the beginning?
Nascar is not just a sport for rednecks. It's geared towards speed enthusiasts everywhere. When the news broke about Dale Earnhardt Sr. dying, I watched alongside of my best freind as her tough as nails, New York Bronx husband cried. Redneck, is not a word I'd use to describe him.
Nascar isn't just driving round and round on a track. It's a sports field that covers anywhere between 300 and 500 miles that these drivers have to cover at speeds in excess of 180 mph, banking around hair pin turns trying to out maneuver their fellow driver. These men put their bodies and in the case of Earnhardt, thier lives on the line doing something that they love to do. It takes a great deal of physical stamina and presence of mind to keep control of a 2000 pound flying projectile going 60 mph around a tight curve, try having to do it at a rate of speed that is three times that. Couple this with the fact that it's nothing but metal and concrete around you in bumper to bumper traffic and everyone is trying to cut in front of you to be the first one off the offramp.
Earnhardt earned his nickname as the Intimidator because of his uncanny ability to jockey his way up to the front pole position simply by using his tactical mind to shear past his opponents from spots the rest of us would've failed miserably at had we attempted the same thing. His buisness was racing, his desk was his number 3 vehicle and in watching him do what he loved, he was able to invoke passion into the fans that sit on the sidelines to watch. Elvis and the Beatles had music as thier driving force to whip the fans into frenzy, Earnhardt had his vehicle. Everyone of these people had the charisma and drive to bring these responces out and each used a different genre to do so. Earnhardt's death affected a great many racing fans who watched as he crashed into a wall and lost his life as a result. It's only fitting that a memorial to him be etched on a vehicle that is driven. A tribute to what he did. In my eyes it's no different than Elvis' likeness on a black velvet painting, or John Lennon's likeness on a t-shirt. It's a way to honor a man who certain individuals viewed as a legend. Earnhardt = driving. Memorial = Placed on vehicle that's driven. Makes sense to me.

[melanie]

whooo - hoooo!
redneck-fight!

[leslie]

Hi Melanie! ::waves::

[melanie]

hi leslie!!! ::waves back enthusiastically::