CRIKEY! Death by stingray (Steve Irwin killed, RIP)

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yes

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 06:25 (seventeen years ago) link

For the record, I think that Daniel, 11 is very bright and OTM.

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 06:26 (seventeen years ago) link

Louis J., 17, said: "I honestly don't understand what Pluto's done. Maybe it seems too enthusiastic, too verbose, too, oh FUCK IT it's just being itself and if you lot can't deal with it then FUCK YOU ALL. It didn't come here to be abused by no-life spacefreaks who can't stand it when some planet shows a bit of genuine eloquence. It came here to hang around the Sun and perhaps indulge in a bit of harmless banter, and the ill-feeling is entirely of their own creation."

― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 06:28 (seventeen years ago) link

(sorry :-) )

― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 06:28 (seventeen years ago) link

hahahaha, don't be.

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 06:34 (seventeen years ago) link

I was sad, too, when I heard, but I don't think the comparison with Treadwelll is as outlandish as some people think. Treadwell lived among grizzly bears (if I remember correctly from the Herzog film) for something like 18 Alaskan summers! Like Irwin, you couldn't do shit like that without having some kind of knowledge or understanding of the environment and the dangerous animals in question. Yes, it's possible Treadwell had some kind of death wish, but there are many ways to interpret Grizzly Man outside of "dude was trying to kill himself", and like Irwin he showed this incredibly sweet side that pretty much idealised non-human critters to an occasional Disneyesque level. I think both were pretty complex, driven men -- kind of guilessly childlike in their enthusiasm too -- but if Treadwell's obsession was darker, it was only a matter of degree not kind. I found both men's deaths sad, although sadness is only one part of some pretty messed-up psychological oddness going on. Who hasn't wondered whether Steve Irwin would die in split second of distraction when handling one of those Australian King Browns or whatever? If he'd had been killed by a croc, the comparison would have been spot on, and I suspect there wouldn't have been as much of a reaction to the Grizzly Man comparison on this thread. It's just the ironic way he died that feels all wrong about this.

― David A. (Davant), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 06:44 (seventeen years ago) link

Steve Erwin died! He got stung through the heart like a fuckin' bee!

― Post-Rodney (But no one called it that at the time) (R. J. Greene), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 06:52 (seventeen years ago) link

Maybe you should start a thread about it.

― S- (sgh), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 06:59 (seventeen years ago) link

Stan M, what can I say (except 'fair play')? :-)

The Yanks may be in mourning, but we Britishers sure did love the guy too. Ah well. We've still got John Lydon as our premier wildlife presenter. ;-)

― Obvious Ninja (Haberdager), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 07:09 (seventeen years ago) link

YOU HEAR ME! STUNG THROUGH THE HEART LIKE A FUCKIN' BEE!

― Post-Rodney (But no one called it that at the time) (R. J. Greene), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 07:20 (seventeen years ago) link

I heard of bees.

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 07:21 (seventeen years ago) link

xpost re: John Lydon as Nature Presenter.

We haven't really. Sum total: One series on an obscure Freeview channel. I did see one episode, fine it was, but it was more entertainment than informative. (Alice loved him, naturally. John L, I mean.)

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 07:24 (seventeen years ago) link

Germaine Greer isn't exactly over-burdened with grief, it would appear.

― Venga (Venga), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 07:37 (seventeen years ago) link

.. considerably more Australian than yow..

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 07:44 (seventeen years ago) link

Well, one of the two has been living life in Britain for years now, as an academic at an all-girls' college, newspaper columnist, and occasional 'celebrity' reality TV star. The other has been doing wonders for conservationism and attitude to the animal kingdom not only in his own country but across the English-speaking world.

Greer has been OTM before, and will be again, but she shoulda kept her trap shut on this one. Especially after the poor bloke copped it.

― Obvious Ninja (Haberdager), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 07:51 (seventeen years ago) link

But if Irwin was such a dedicated environmentalist/conservationist, why was he such a toady of Howard and Bush?

Mind you, I think that's just about the only valid criticism she makes, and yeah, she might have waited a while before venting.

― Venga (Venga), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 08:00 (seventeen years ago) link

tomorrow we will hear from robert hughes

― estela (estela), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 08:09 (seventeen years ago) link

Venga: Yes, Greer is probably correct about his political naivety, the fact that he thought he could genuinely change the environmental policy of the world leaders. But the timing of the article couldn't have been worse.

― Obvious Ninja (Haberdager), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 08:11 (seventeen years ago) link

I rather like the idea of aussie PM's throwing gala barbies. Did Jon Howard wear a humorous apron?

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 08:15 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh you can just imagine the Guardian on this one - which grumpy Australian can we get to knock of a piece in twenty minutes? Phone Greer. She should stick to gardening.

I am increasingly sad about this for some reason. He was suvh a fucking UP guy and thye're few and far between.

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 08:18 (seventeen years ago) link

I don't know if this has been posted up but according to boingb****g this is a collection of Irwin tributes and clips.
http://heggle.com/search?t=steve+irwin&c=0

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 08:31 (seventeen years ago) link

STEVE IRWIN'S DEAD! THE INTERNETS NEED TO KNOW!

― Post-Rodney (But no one called it that at the time) (R. J. Greene), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 09:08 (seventeen years ago) link

worst part of greer's piece:

You can just imagine Irwin yelling: "Just look at these beauties! Crikey! With those barbs a stingray can kill a horse!" (Yes, Steve, but a stingray doesn't want to kill a horse. It eats crustaceans, for God's sake.)

making fun of a quote YOU JUST MADE UP = desperately unfunny

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 09:13 (seventeen years ago) link

She's just glad a man died.

― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 09:15 (seventeen years ago) link

both of ya OTM

― Obvious Ninja (Haberdager), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 09:19 (seventeen years ago) link

"This is like JFK for kids, or Princess Diana - a young, popular person suddenly snatched away."

NO ONE REMEMBERS THE DEATH OF WOODROW? NOONE REMEMBERS HOW SIMON CRIED??? fucked up a nation of mid-80s pre-teens. turned us all into goths.

http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/7372/simontownsend90kg3.jpg

― sunny successor (katharine), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 09:48 (seventeen years ago) link

making fun of a quote YOU JUST MADE UP = desperately unfunny

Seriously, i think it's only right that i rip Greer's eyes out if i ever meet her because of this.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 09:54 (seventeen years ago) link

She should have her obit written by Gary Bushell as a reprisal.

― I Supersize Disaster (noodle vague), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 09:56 (seventeen years ago) link

xxpost aaah edith bliss! we laughed we cried

― gem (trisk), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 10:00 (seventeen years ago) link

GREER OTM for the first time in a decade or so.

― Domenico Buttez (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 10:26 (seventeen years ago) link

This was weird - my 5 year old has been a big fan of Steve Irwin for a couple years. He loves animals and Irwin's cartoon personality appealed to him big time. Last night my wife and I were a little freaked about breaking it to him.

This morning we sat him down to tell him the news. He was quiet for a minute, then said, "If I hold my nose I can't blow out of it. Watch!" Ah well, we all mourn in our own way...

― Edward III (edward iii), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:35 (seventeen years ago) link

5 is too young to fully get the concept of death. Especially when he's going to still see the guy on TV, he won't understand.

― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:51 (seventeen years ago) link

At what age do you fully "get" the concept of death? I'm 36 and don't think I've managed it.

― Venga (Venga), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:56 (seventeen years ago) link

Plus, when Aunty Lily died seven days after Amber and Alice last saw her, I'll say they understood the concept.

As you say, someone dies that you don't actually know is something like empathy that you learn later.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:02 (seventeen years ago) link

Here, they say "the later part of ages 6 to 11" :

http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/dept/d46/psy/dev/fall00/Death/concept.html

(just google "children" and "concept of death")

― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:06 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/dept/d46/psy/dev/fall00/Images/butterfly4.gif

― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:08 (seventeen years ago) link

At this age you never know what they're going to "get". At least he can ruminate on Steve Irwin being dead for a while before someone he actually knows dies.

― Edward III (edward iii), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:40 (seventeen years ago) link

Daddy, Why Did the Crocodile Hunter Die?: One Father's Journey Into Explaining Hard Truths by Edward III.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:41 (seventeen years ago) link

completely sweet dude. seeing as he constantly courted death can't really be too sad - just have to sit back and ponder the quicksilver beauty that was.

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:26 (seventeen years ago) link

also grizzly man was a suicide, duh.

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:27 (seventeen years ago) link

The Greer piece really is very uncharitable. I usually quite like her.

making fun of a quote YOU JUST MADE UP = desperately unfunny

Absolutely, I was thinking exactly the same thing as I read it this morning.

― chap who would dare to start Raaatpackin (chap), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:29 (seventeen years ago) link

who the hell is the grizzly man?

― sunny successor (katharine), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:30 (seventeen years ago) link

srsly?

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:31 (seventeen years ago) link

someone who has nothing in common with Steve Irwin. I don't get why people keep bringing him up.

― Sam: Screwed and Chopped (Molly Jones), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:31 (seventeen years ago) link

cause he played with dangerous animals?

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:38 (seventeen years ago) link

he was a professional. he wasn't "playing".

neither was grizzly man but he wasn't a professional zookeeper/animal conservationist. He was just a nutter who had something akin to romantic love for grizzly bears and not the common sense or training that Irwin did.

― Sam: Screwed and Chopped (Molly Jones), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:40 (seventeen years ago) link

"grizzly adams" is the only grizzly man i recall.

― sunny successor (katharine), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:42 (seventeen years ago) link

xpost - He hung around with incredibly dangerous animals and then one of them killed him. The parallel might not go much further, but it's still pretty clear.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/grizzly_man/

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:43 (seventeen years ago) link

croc hunter: not playful, v professional, right.

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:43 (seventeen years ago) link

sunny:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/again/archives/grizzlyman2.jpg

xpost duh

― Sam: Screwed and Chopped (Molly Jones), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:44 (seventeen years ago) link

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