Jesse Risley
Staff member
As a relatively new chaser hoping to learn as much as I can from the immeasurable sum of wisdom accumulated on this forum, I applaud and highly encourage any and all discussion on the topics of safety, ethics, and strategy--none of which should be considered mutually exclusive (e.g., adopting a safer, more conservative chase strategy is ethically considerate toward other chasers, perhaps allowing everyone a wider margin to exercise their escape plans in the event of an uncommon sequence of events). The very dismissive and resigned comments on this particular thread chastising those who want to pursue such thoughtful discussions are entirely counterproductive. Yes, you might not be able to change the reckless behavior of those who choose to put themselves in undue danger deliberately and simultaneously jeopardize the wellbeing of others through their erratic actions behind the wheel, all the time avoiding the buffer provided by becoming better informed in between chases, except perhaps by calling them out and condemning their actions directly in the public square. BUT, you can certainly teach those with a real desire to learn how best to avoid such "whackos" and keep situationally aware on all fronts--weather, traffic, and otherwise.
I have to take issue with that comment, from a strictly respectful point of disagreement. I saw no ill intent by anyone to be "dismissive, resigned" or otherwise "chastising" towards those who share opposing viewpoints, and I don't think anyone was saying it shouldn't be discussed. After all, this is a message board, and that's what it exists for. However, just as you have a strong, well-articulated stance on the matter, so do others, so I would caution confusing disagreement with suggestions that no one can or should discuss the matter, as you might have gotten the wrong idea from some posters, including myself.
If you are newer, as you stated, then a search of the forum archives will reveal that this topic gets brought up at least once or twice per season, and it is always a popular media show after a major tornado or an actual outbreak. Some of us simply feel that the concept (i.e., legal regulation and/or internal ethics enforcement vis-a-vis a professional organization), while perhaps well-intended, is mostly impractical due to the uniqueness of storm chasing as opposed to other hobbies or professions. That doesn't mean we're not willing to debate, discuss, listen or facilitate civil discourse on the topic, and thus far I thought everyone did a fairly decent job of doing so without going ad hominem on others across the aisle. This also doesn't mean that there isn't room to learn from what happened last Friday, or that everyone wouldn't benefit from having a serious internal conversation about safety and storm chasing - just know that human beings are unique and disagreement shouldn't always be taken as a personal affront.