I have to say, that update to my last post was totally off the cuff.
And with my delayed-reaction way of responding to things, I wasn't
really that sad about Steve Irwin until I woke up this morning and
heard all the tributes on the news. And then it hit me.
It's just so sad. He was really young. Yesterday afternoon when the
news went around, everyone's reaction was that it must be some sort of
joke. It put the office into a bit of a lull for the rest of the day.
Disbelief.
It's so irritating to hear all those stupid comments from people who
say that it's his fault for putting himself in dangerous situations.
He was always in control in the most dangerous of situations. We're
yet to hear exactly how he managed to be pierced in the chest, but
sting-rays aren't ferocious creatures. They don't tend to kill anyone!
So those sorts of comments are just so ignorant of what he was about.
The thing about Steve Irwin was that he was famous overseas before he
was well-known here. I first heard about him when I was on holiday in
England. When he started to become known here, I think people were
taken aback at first. He seemed like such an over-the-top caricature
of some Outback Man and I think that annoyed people at first. Until it
became apparent that he was entirely genuine - a sweet, passionate,
caring person.
I really feel for his wife and kids, especially as they weren't there
when it happened, especially as the news broke before they were able
to be informed. It must be terrible for them right now.
Anyway, I just hope that his ability to increase awareness about
conservation isn't forgotten. He was a great ambassador for this
country.
3 comments:
I worry about our society because I think things like the war and reality TV are really desensitizing us. One of the boys who texted my daughter to tell her about Steve was actually joking about it. (Now this kid's dad is currently dying of lung cancer, and I think he's doing lots of odd things as a way of drawing attention or something.) But it really hurts me to think that people could joke about it or say he deserved it. That would be like saying when someone dies in a car accident on the way to work, they deserve it because they got in a car when they knew they could have a wreck. I think he probably drew more attention to the cause of animal preservation in the last decade or so than any other spokesperson for animals. I really admired him, and think you are so right - he was being very genuine with his TV persona. He really did believe that every snake was gorgeous. He will be sorely missed all over the world.
Sorry, I can't say I give a toss one way or the other. He took his bite-sized morsel of a baby into a crocodile pen and exploited a disgustingly exaggerated version of the Australian accent in a way that pre-knife Paul Hogan made famous... then exhausted... and also in the US! We don't speak like that anymore, and presenting the people of this country as the Southern Hemispherical equivalent of your average sub-human alligator-eating bayou-dweller is offensive in the extreme. Australia is not just a pop-culture reference but we're always trivialised as such.
You'll forgive me if that seems disrespectful, but I don't mean it as such.
Of course, it's sad for his family and all and I'm sorry for his little ones who won't get to know their Dad, and it's a terrible thing when someone who is truly passionate about their work is snuffed out too soon... but the mass media has gone all messianic on him, and I can't respect that level - or type - of coverage. Aren't there more important things?
Oh, and I knew nothing of his conservation work until you mentioned it... what did he do?
We were just discussing it at work and I think everyone was genuinely shocked because he was so young.
We were questioning if he should have a state funeral, or not. I think the fact that he did so much for Australia as a country, being one of your best ambassadors, as well as his conservation work with animals, means that he does deserve one.
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