Mike Bettes' Controversy

[Trevor]

As many of you know, last week, Mike Bettes discussed storm chasers getting too close to tornadoes on Open Mike, mainly focusing on Andy Gabrielson's car flipping over in a storm (tried to turn around in the mud and flipped into a ditch...nothing to do with the storm or tornado). This is making lots of people, chasers in particular, calling Mike a hypocrite because of how close he got to tornadoes on Vortex2. According to Mike's Facebook page, he will be having a Viewer's Rebuttal on WCL tonight where viewers can voice their opinions on the controversey. What do all of you think about this? I will be posting updates as Mike discusses this.

Note to Administration - Feel free to move the topic, I really couldn't find a suitable place.

[Trevor]

As seen on Open Mike tonight:

Will Astle: "I think it's rather hypocritical for you to bash the casual storm chaser while taking their free video and plastering it all over TWC. You, TWC, and other news outlets have made this bed, now you have to sleep in it."

Derrick: "What Mike Bettes is not telling you in that rant is about how many times I and so many other chasers have missed 'THE video' because we broke off our chase to help someone who is hurt or in need following a tornado."

Zach Roberts: "This game of, we at so and so network believe storm chasing is out of control, but please tune in to see the most amazing tornado chase ever on Sunday at 9am is ridiculous."

Scott Longmore: "Please, you know as well as I do that each year it's been getting more and more dangerous to chase because of a few, albeit a growing number of irresponsible chasers."

[Mr. Rainman]

There are two things I will say about this:

1) Scott Longmore makes a valid point by bringing up that chasing is getting more and more dangerous because a growing amount of the chasing community is more amateur than anything else. Although I'm not sure what the main reason a lot of amateurs are doing it is, I do think that TV shows like "Storm Chasers" may have inspired some people.

2) Also, a big thing that people are forgetting: the team Mike was with was not there just to get video of tornado and put it all over the interwebs. It was Vortex2, a scientific research team. If the team wanted accurate data, I assume that had to get close to the storm to retrieve it. So many the chasers out there today are going after storms purely to see a tornado, and I think for that reason, they tend to be more reckless, and thus more likely to get themselves in trouble.

[WeatherWitness]

Zach Roberts: "This game of, we at so and so network believe storm chasing is out of control, but please tune in to see the most amazing tornado chase ever on Sunday at 9am is ridiculous."

This is a very good point!   TWC can't justify having someone say how dangerous storm chasing is and then show a "storm chasing" special the very next day!  This doesn't make any sense to me at all.

[twcclassics]

There are much bigger hypocrites in this world than Mike Bettes. I like the segment name though.

[toxictwister00]

There are two things I will say about this:

1) Scott Longmore makes a valid point by bringing up that chasing is getting more and more dangerous because a growing amount of the chasing community is more amateur than anything else. Although I'm not sure what the main reason a lot of amateurs are doing it is, I do think that TV shows like "Storm Chasers" may have inspired some people.

2) Also, a big thing that people are forgetting: the team Mike was with was not there just to get video of tornado and put it all over the interwebs. It was Vortex2, a scientific research team. If the team wanted accurate data, I assume that had to get close to the storm to retrieve it. So many the chasers out there today are going after storms purely to see a tornado, and I think for that reason, they tend to be more reckless, and thus more likely to get themselves in trouble.

I agree, I don't think Mike is being a hypocrite because of what he did in Vortex2 considering what he and his crew were doing was for research purposes and not for just entertainment.

[RSully94]

I had no idea he said this.

And then just two years later, he ends up being too close to the El Reno tornado and gets injured. He clearly has no room to talk now after that.