Hmmm - I think you're off-base to start a rant on Sean Penn. We'll never know how accurate his depiction of McCandless may be have, but his acting and directing abilities are superb.
Whether you agree with his politics or not - he puts his money where his mouth is and gets involved, whether it's in Louisiana, Haiti, or elsewhere.
As for his take on rangers - I agree that it's harsh. In my experience, I met many rangers who were superb. I've also met many who were arrogant, condescending, and totally convinced of their own self-importance. So what?
Not ranting Kevin, but I can't speak for Sean. I just supplied a quote relevant to members of this board related to Chris McCandless and
Into the Wild. Never mentioned his politics or his commitment to his beliefs, only his lack of common sense (or bad judgement) during Katrina. I also noted his talent as well. What I did zero in on and attack was the sheer stupidity of his comments in this interview.
Was it a thoughtless, ill-conceived, and grossly all-encompassing comment? You bet. Did it piss me off? Oh yeah. You and I, our experiences with rangers in the US must be different. In thousands of trail miles, many of them in 30 or so national parks around the country, I've yet to have a bad experience with a ranger. Maybe I'm just lucky. Maybe not. Either way, when I've seen Sean Penn out on the trail regularly for a few years, then I might have an ear for his thoughts on rangers and the job they do. Till then he's simply not qualified to offer an opinion (indictment?) on a subject like this that he clearly knows nothing about. He got ticked at one ranger's comments about McCandless, and he annihilated the entire profession in a sweeping, childish backhand. In my book, that just ain't cool.
