Germaine Greer gets stuck into Steve Irwin.

[Matilda]

I've been quite relieved that nobody in this forum started a thread paying tribute to Steve Irwin,
because I found him to be thoroughly obnoxious. And anyone who publicly states that John Howard
is the greatest leader in the world is, quite frankly, a dill.

Germaine Greer has drawn fire from Premier Peter Beattie for her criticism of Irwin, published in
The Guardian newspaper on Tuesday (gee, is there an election coming up?).

"What Irwin never seemed to understand is that animals need space. (snip) There was no habitat, no
matter how fragile or finely balanced, that Irwin hesitated to barge into, trumpeting his wonder
and amazement to the skies. There was no animal he was not prepared to manhandle. Every creature
he brandished at the camera was in distress."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/australia/story/0,,1865124,00.html

Greer is copping heaps of flack for her article, but I'm so glad someone's told the truth. I agree
with every word she wrote, and I'm sick of the nauseating tributes to a man who was nothing more
than a self-publicising lair. Given the style of the stunts he was in the habit of pulling, his
family should be grateful that he didn't end up as crocodile meat. The stingray was more merciful
to him than he was to most of the creatures he used to whip television viewers into a frenzy of
anticipation - would he buy it this time? Well, yes, in the end he gave his fans what they were
always secretly hoping would happen.

[gemini_liberal]

1. fake grief - the worst type...

people seem to conveniently forget that before that stingray killed him (funny, stingrays don't normally do that - what the fuck was he doing to it??) he was considered an embarrassment to the nation - a representative of a stereotype most Australians want to brush off, but suddenly he dies and everyone acts like the Pope died...wait no, you didn't get scolded for being acrimonious when the Pope died...

I think the most annoying thing is the fucking media endlessly talking about it, for Christ's sake, get the hell over it. How many weeks do I have to put up with this shit?

Colin Thiele died that day too. I am surprised I knew that, because I have heard jack shit about it...

[Matilda]

2. I've been expecting Howard to announce the state funeral.

It wouldn't surprise me one bit.

[PinkUnicorn]

3. The words I wanted to say

Whilst I am no fan of Greer, the recent group-wank sessions here over Irk-win have been driving me up the wall. Several times I considered telling them to stop jerking off to a 'TV personality' and visit reality. But heaven forbid if you mention he wasn't the 'Second coming'.

"Hello US based DU'ers, Australians have more right to say what they thought of him than you, and a significant portion thought of him as a total prat - deal with it. What about Don Chipp (Democrats founder)? What about Naguib Mahfouz (Nobel prize winner) who did far more than and died recently as well? Sir David Attenborough at his worst is miles ahead of Irk-win. I'm not dancing on his grave, but I'm not fawning over it either."

Jackboot is loving every second of it though - all the sounds of talking heads wailing and saying how well they knew him is conveniently coving the murmurings of selling off MediBank, the pitiful T3 sale and any meaningful information on the Stem Cell debate.


ON edit.

Just look at the SMH...oh for f**ks sake


Steve Irwin's shocking death has stirred up hysteria comparable to the aftermath of Princess Diana's demise almost a decade ago.

Cultural studies lecturer Dr Karen Brooks said even though there was nothing in common between Irwin and Princess Diana, the reaction to their deaths had strong parallels.

"In Britain, they're calling Steve's death our Diana," the University of the Sunshine Coast academic and media commentator said.

[Violet_Crumble]

4. Crocodile tears

We're a fickle mob, yes we are. Back in 2004, we were lining up to crucify Steve Irwin for apparently endangering the life of his infant son, Bob, during that televised incident that made world news. Today, the same man is "our Steve", "Irwin the superstar", a "phenomenon", an "Aussie hero", an "Australian legend", "our man", "our lovable larrikin" - not a hint of the scornful regard in which we held him just two years ago, replaced with a no less cynical sauce that borders on complete insanity, today's papers once again so choked with teary tributes and agonised eulogies I can't even bring myself to search for the rest of the news. This is the way of things in the 21st century - death, far more newsworthy than life, sucks the frankness and honesty clean out of the media.


Now, for heaven's sake, don't commit the error of thinking I'm kicking Irwin here. I liked Steve Irwin - or, at least, I liked his public persona. I didn't know him personally, so I can't speak of him intimately (as many others appear to be comfortable doing). But everyone I know who knew him, or who met him in passing, seemed determined to impress upon me the news that he was as good a bloke as he seemed. While not moved to tears by his death (I didn't know him, you see), I can at least say I'm sorry he's gone, and that I feel for his wife and children. Who wouldn't?

But what winds me up about celebrity death these days is the manner in which the frauds in the media fair blow their loads in the "outpouring of grief" that has became standard issue since Diana's sick and prolonged exit. Footage runs in slow motion as pianos tinkle, while every columnist with the imagination of a duck jumps up for their own gooey turn at the pulpit in a free-to-air funeral service that never ends.

During these times, anyone who dares speak his or her mind, giving an honest opinion unbothered by the forced public ceremony of misery, is howled down as a creep and a heretic by the very people who are being the fakes.

Germaine Greer is someone who has never ceased to speak her mind - if she feels strongly about something, you can depend upon her to voice it, and she doesn't care how many public hankies are filled with snot as a result. Today, Greer hasn't disappointed her own reputation, adding a touch of vinegar to the volumes of syrup that we've endured since Monday. Those journalists carrying Irwin's casket have dropped their charge in pursuit of the gatecrasher, the "outpouring of grief" suddenly morphing into an explosion of sanctimonious outrage.

http://blogs.smh.com.au/thedailytruth/archives/2006/09/crocodile_tears.html

Thought I'd just add that unlike the writer, I disliked Irwin's public persona, which made me cringe...

[Matilda]

5. And I have lost any respect I had for Peter Beattie,

who offered the now almost-obligatory state funeral. For God's sake, state funerals are supposed
to be for people who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the country and/or
their fellow man. Even Don Bradman, God rest him, didn't really merit a state funeral, but to
offer one to Steve Irwin simply to score points with the punters in an election, is the pits.
Beattie should be ashamed of himself.

While I didn't wish ill to Steve Irwin I do think his demise, in the way it happened, was a foregone
conclusion. He may well have understood nature, but he didn't respect it, and nature has a way
of hitting back at people who mock her.

And why else did people watch his shows? Because of the risks he took, because he continually put
his life on the line. Like bullfighting, or Formula One, or boxing - people go partly to admire
the skills of the players, but underneath, there is always the possibility that somebody might die,
and it's a thrill. And the "grief" is proportionate to that thrill.