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

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oh! i have seen that guy! for some reason i assumed you were all talking about some 70s era cousteau of the north american woods type.

― sunny successor (katharine), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:52 (seventeen years ago) link

xpost, he was the Queensland zookeeper!

― Sam: Screwed and Chopped (Molly Jones), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:52 (seventeen years ago) link

re: grizzly bear

WERNER HERZOG WOULD HAVE KILLED THE STING RAY WITH A BARB OF BANALITY AND MANKIND'S CRUELTY

― mr. brojangles (sanskrit), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:53 (seventeen years ago) link

when they teach you to be a zookeeper i bet they tell you NOT to pick up the rattle snakes and dangle them in front of your face.

(also judging from his wikipedia page he had no formal education, just learned the family business. griz man taught himself by living with grizzles for 15 years.)

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:56 (seventeen years ago) link

i just think it's insulting to compare him to grizzley man. not even the same ballpark.

― Sam: Screwed and Chopped (Molly Jones), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:58 (seventeen years ago) link

well their personalities were quite different. one was an supernaturally psyched, big hearted man-child. the other was a strange, suicidal misanthrope.

both were charismatic, daredevil, filmmaking conservationists who were killed by the dangerous animals that they got closer to than anyone else dared.

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 15:05 (seventeen years ago) link

Except that Steve Irwin was killed in a freak accident by an animal that stings many people, albeit not fatally, every single year, and Timothy Treadwell was killed by purposely going into an off-limits area well past season and being way too near to a hungry bear. It is kind of insulting, not because Treadwell was a bad man or something, but because it's insulting to people's freaking intelligence to keep saying this.

― Allyzay is cool: with Blue n White, with Eli Manning, with NY Giants (allyzay), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 15:09 (seventeen years ago) link

just cause he wasn't killed by the most dangerous animal he worked with doesn't mean he didn't risk his life regularly.

but yeah what treadwell did was more dangerous.

still wtf - obv parallel

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 15:12 (seventeen years ago) link

One was an eccentric nature freak killed by a sting ray the other was an eccentric nature freak killed by a bear. No, nothing alike in the slightest!

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 15:27 (seventeen years ago) link

steve irwin was so eccentric with his cable show and his wife and his kids and his wildlife conservation philanthropy and his appearances on the tonight show alongside joan embry and his love of prime minister john howard A TOTAL LOON IN FACT

― ath (ath), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 15:38 (seventeen years ago) link

i want the killer grizzly and the stingray to fight to the death

(his love of john howard is loony)

― timmy tannin (pompous), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 15:40 (seventeen years ago) link

>One was an eccentric nature freak killed by a sting ray the other was an eccentric nature freak killed by a bear. No, nothing alike in the slightest!

Steve was eccentric but could function in normal society and happened to luck into being able to make a living off his obsession.

Grizzly guy clearly had major psychological problems and used his obsession as means of escaping them.

― wostyntje (wostyntje), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 15:40 (seventeen years ago) link

LET'S TURN ANOTHER RIP THREAD INTO A SEMIOTICS ARGUMENT THAT DEFIES ALL FUCKING COMPREHENSION BY NORMAL PEOPLE WHO DON'T ASSOCIATE CELEBRITY DEATH WITH "A TIME TO GET INTO FITES OVER HORSESHIT"

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 15:43 (seventeen years ago) link

and then call other people loony!

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 15:43 (seventeen years ago) link

but that just happened

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 15:44 (seventeen years ago) link

people making this guy out to be some sort of maniac are fucking tools

r.i.p. crocman, you did good things for animals and therefore i salute you

― PARTYMAN (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 15:47 (seventeen years ago) link

Getting into fites over horseshit=accepting the fact that tragic deaths happen and carrying on as normal. I'm pretty sure everyone on this thread with one or two exceptions is sad that he died. You can't drop everything and be all miserable everytime somebody dies in the world.

― chap who would dare to start Raaatpackin (chap), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 15:50 (seventeen years ago) link

He almost singlehandedly gave us Animal Planet, which is awesome, and another first, I think, was that he showed the world that you could be a strong conservation activist and not spend half your time talking shit about how bad human beings are.

rest in peace.

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 15:53 (seventeen years ago) link

who even cares if people turn another RIP thread into a semiotics argument that defies all fucking comprehension by normal people who don't associate celebrity death with a "time to get into fites over horseshit" or not

― ath (ath), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 15:55 (seventeen years ago) link

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1311742006

"It's not the going in that causes the damage, it's the coming out where those deep serrations kind of pull on the flesh, and you end up with a very jagged tear which is quite a pronounced injury," said Dr Bryan Fry, deputy director of the Australian Venom Research Unit.

Is this to say that he may have lived if he hadn't have been so hardcore as to yank the barb out?

― always crashing in other people's cars (kenan), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 16:02 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www2.foxsports.com/obits/earnhardt/images/crash4.jpg

WHO WOULDA THUNK IT?

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 16:04 (seventeen years ago) link

this tuesday is definitely a monday since I've allowed myself to get in a froth over McMansions and the crocodile hunter.

― Sam: Screwed and Chopped (Molly Jones), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 16:25 (seventeen years ago) link

I see a trend here!

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 16:27 (seventeen years ago) link

...and so begins the animal revolution.

― always crashing in other people's cars (kenan), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 16:34 (seventeen years ago) link

*locks self in panic room*

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 16:46 (seventeen years ago) link

*puts on "Animal Day" by Wall of Voodoo*

― Edward III (edward iii), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 17:00 (seventeen years ago) link

*laughs at Ned*

― Edward III (edward iii), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 17:03 (seventeen years ago) link

another first, I think, was that he showed the world that you could be a strong conservation activist and not spend half your time talking shit about how bad human beings are.

I can see what you're saying, but the price is that most people have no idea you're a conservation activist.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 17:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Does it matter whether people know though? I didn't realise he ploughed a lot of his money into buying up bits of land to not let people build on them, for example. If he wasn't a show-off TV-friendly dude, he may never have made enough money to do that. And the fact remains that he did it, whether people knew or cared or not.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 17:12 (seventeen years ago) link

now he's harassing wild animals just minding their own business in heaven

Seriously, we should have locked the thread right after this post.

― Young Fresh Danny D (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 17:12 (seventeen years ago) link

Seconded.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 17:14 (seventeen years ago) link

Yes, let's not let anyone defend the dude or say anything nice about him.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 17:16 (seventeen years ago) link

thirded

xpost - he was awesome.

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 17:19 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, that was my point ailsa not that this thread turned into a clusterfuck of stupid grandstanding. Kudos to you.

― Young Fresh Danny D (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 17:19 (seventeen years ago) link

Man everyone is talking about this, it's bigger than Iraq.

― Ogmor Roundtrouser (Ogmor Roundtrouser), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 17:28 (seventeen years ago) link

So instead of a banner with an eagle crying we need one showing crocodile tears?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 17:32 (seventeen years ago) link

ha bloody ha

― always crashing in other people's cars (kenan), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 17:34 (seventeen years ago) link

Sorry, Dan, misunderstood, thought you meant you agreed that he was an animal harasser and that was as good a point to end on.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 17:37 (seventeen years ago) link

That comment feels like it was the only humorous comment that wasn't completely mean-spirited (the mental image is priceless and totally endearing). Given some of the stuff that followed and the outright nastiness that started popping up in the thread, that one seemed like a good one to end on (although we would have missed the mysteriously-hysterical "ha bloody ha" post from Suddenly-British-Kenan so maybe I spoke too soon).

I am still somewhat perplexed by his manner of death, not from the "how can someone die like that?" angle, but rather from the "HOLY SHIT A STINGRAY BARB IN THE HEART?????" angle.

― Young Fresh Danny D (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 17:56 (seventeen years ago) link

Has this thread missed the fact that he may be afforded a state funeral in Australia if his family wish it? (though I'm not convinced fron the quotes that that's what the governor means by the state honouring him, but hey...)

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20356038-29277,00.html

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 18:05 (seventeen years ago) link

They announced that on the radio this morning. I boggled. Like others, I had no idea that he was really THAT famous.

― Young Fresh Danny D (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 18:12 (seventeen years ago) link

"Pacific Ocean to be renamed Steve's Lake."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 18:15 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah. Part of me thinks "yeah, cool, he's a national hero and an excellent ambassador for the country" and part of me thinks he's like the Hasslehoff of conservationism and WTF with the state funeral malarkey?

Mind you, George Best got as good as a state funeral here - probably the most high-profile funeral outwith Diana and the Queen Mum in my lifetime, so it's not *that* unlikely, I guess, if he's that highly regarded. But is he? An Australian who isn't Esteban to explain, plz.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 18:20 (seventeen years ago) link

With the Hasslehoff comment, I'm not meaning to denigrate any work at all that he had done for Australia, wildlife conservation, etc, the guy put his money where his mouth is and made a lot of things interesting and accessible for a lot of people, raising awareness and money in the process. But, really, he was a walking parody of himself (Crocodile Hunter: The Movie, or whatever it was called? Come on!) in the process - a loveable, instantly recognisable, fool.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 18:24 (seventeen years ago) link

On NPR yesterday, every time they mentioned his death they simply called him *Steve Irwin - Conservationist*. it sounded weird. i had no idea about the ted turner land stuff either. (er, famous crazy american who has bought millions of acres of american land for the purpose of conservation for those who don't follow u.s. media tycoons.)

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 18:27 (seventeen years ago) link

The oddest bit from here:

On Tuesday, Australia's federal parliament paused to honour Mr Irwin, whom Prime Minister John Howard said had died in "quintessentially Australian circumstances".

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 18:31 (seventeen years ago) link

"quintessentially Australian circumstances".

wouldn't that be falling down and hitting your head on a rock after too much lager? hahahahahaha, but i kid.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 18:35 (seventeen years ago) link

I am still somewhat perplexed by his manner of death, not from the "how can someone die like that?" angle, but rather from the "HOLY SHIT A STINGRAY BARB IN THE HEART?????" angle.

Elliot Smith would've pulled that fucker out and then stuck it back in.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 18:36 (seventeen years ago) link

― Sam: Screwed and Chopped (Molly Jones), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 18:37 (seventeen years ago) link

Elliot Ness would have booked the stingray on tax evasion charges.

― Young Fresh Danny D (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 18:37 (seventeen years ago) link

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