There is a real point here. The young and Invincible part is 100%. I went to war in Iraq when I was young and fearless... there was no chance anything was going to happen to ME. I should have died by artillery landing all around me (FFE) and later by sniper fire and an explosion. I thought I was invincible and though I got out of it alive I was probably only lucky. When you're young you definitely think you're invincible. I've reached the point and I'm probably a bad example but ...I've lived 35 years past where I was supposed to. Even with that said I always evaluate every zero meter intercept IRT. My experience gets me through it but just like that artillery at some point it's going to get me and that's just part of it. I would rather live before I die. 🌪️
This is a good thread and while I agree with most of it based on just the factual state of reality of where we stand...my thoughts are simply just...it is what it is now.
Technology has removed the barrier to entry that once required real passion/respect for weather and skill to be able to be successful. Chasing, for the longest time, was always a loss. You had to truly love it and the atmosphere to be willing to endure that. This kept the roster to mainly just die hard science and weather geeks, and maybe a few nomads who like solidarity and nature over cities and cliques.
Now, its an extreme sport more than ever and as the roster only continues to grow, its going to take those greater risks to stand out. Social clubs are everything, and clout chasers seeking algorithmic approval are secretly competing with their clubmates for airtime. You dont need to actually love weather. You just need a camera, storm net, and some buzz words to generate clicks that leads to enough revenue to avoid getting a 9-5.
Plus, the massive influx of new chasers is (as always has been) from younger people and they tend to have that mindset of being invincible. Not just with chasing but life in general. Young people simply take more risks. Its not until you get older, having racked up enough close calls and life experiences that you begin to respect your mortality more.
The way I see it, you're either the type to take risks or you're not. Seeing my video of me next to a tornado isn't suddenly going to flip you from one to the other.
I do think we're seeing an increase of people who only see storm chasing for the viral content potential, with very little love/respect/appreciation for the atmosphere and science behind it all. I do wish those types would go away...but alas, its a free country and what can ya do about it?
The issue I tend to have regarding the subject of getting too close is those who "accidentally" find themselves there VS those who willingly do it based on their own calculations and comfort zones, but thats another podium for another day.