Posted on 09/06/2006 4:01:58 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
STEVE Irwin had embarrassed millions of Australians, Germaine Greer said last night.
And those who had mourned him with their tributes at the Irwin family's Australia Zoo in what the British had labelled "a Princess Diana moment" were idiots, she said.
British-based Greer wrote in The Guardian newspaper after Irwin's death that the animal world had taken revenge on "self-deluded animal tormentor Steve Irwin".
Last night, she went even further.
She told Channel 9's A Current Affair she did not understand Australians' feelings of loss for Irwin.
She said he had exploited animals by telling the world how dangerous they were and then treating them disrespectfully.
"I find the whole Steve Irwin phenomenon (embarrassing) -- and I'm not the only person who did," Greer said.
But when pushed, she was unable to name anyone who had publicly agreed with her.
She rejected claims her sentiments were "un-Australian".
"I don't care what I'm being called," Greer said.
"I just hope I'm out of touch with what idiots are thinking."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
Good grief. The man is DEAD. Has she no class?
Gee; does she post here?
"Ummm the crew has stated for the record they hemmed in the ray causing it to defend itself, which would fall under the harassment part of the statement."
Not true based on the statements made by the film crew.
But which orifice did she pull her thumb out of first?
Have all those young men been examined for molestation and abuse?
Was she checked for sharp knives and snippers before that photo op? Did they check the recipes she had in her handbag?
The parents need checked for sanity for allowing their offpsring that close to her evilness.
The kids should be watched carefully for months to insure no need of an exorcism.
- - - -
Uhhhh no. I DON'T like her traitorous evilness one subatomic particle worth. She's almost as bad as Bw*tch Shrillery.
It's an Abe Lincoln quote. Funny as heck. Cute story too. ;)
I'm sure Germaine Greer would agree with your analysis (especially the part where you speak for Bindi Irwin, nice touch) and would also love to discuss this with you while she's making you breakfast. Hasta la vista.
Ahh I see, the animals fault. Yeah good choice. I would agree with you if Steve was like sitting at the Breakfast table drinking coffee and the Ray dove in and stabbed him but alas that is not the way it happened.
Steve took his chance by getting close to a wild animal and got killed. The critter is not intelligent it acts on instinct and apparently perceived Steve and crew as a threat and struck. The animal can not be blamed for being what it is. Steve was fun to watch and all but "he" placed himself in danger. Trying to slough it off as an mere happenstance is doing a disservice to everyone.
In fact Steve upped his chances of dying by Stingray significantly by getting close to one. Yeah it is rare for people to get killed by one but logic tells me it is even rarer for someone to die by stingray who does not get near one.
It was not the animal's fault it was Steve's fault he chose to be there.
I'm sure that would only make the damage worse! Besides, how would I read it with my eyes damaged? My houseboy is typing this for me right now.
Either she does or about 100 of her clones do.
I'll have to go meet Father Hawker, so! ;)
As I've stated, Irwin was close to a wild animal that thousands of other people get close to every year without harm or distress to them or the animal. It's like a car blew up and you said, "Well, cars do have gas in them, it's a disservice to pretend this guy didn't increase his risk by going near a car."
Have a nice life.
I see you are finally seeing the light.
This is exactly the point.
Today I have significantly reduced my chances of dying in an airplane crash because I did not get on one. Granted one could crash into the building I live in but my chances are significantly reduced still.
My chances of dying by Stingray are almost nil because I am not near one, granted an islamo terrorist could spring out of the ceiling weilding one but I am willing to bet large sums of money it won't happen.
As for the mischaracterization this is the story I read:
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,20354482-952,00.html
Marine documentary maker Ben Cropp, who was also diving on the Great Barrier Reef yesterday, said the injury was inflicted by a bull ray.
"In this case he was swimming alongside a bull ray, a big black ray and the cameraman would have been in front, filming him," Cropp revealed, after speaking with a member of Irwin's production crew.
"Steve got probably maybe a bit too close to the ray, and with the cameraman in front, the ray must have felt sort of cornered."
He said the ray went into a defensive mode and lashed out with its tail, which has a considerable spike.
You were told on another thread that you needed to read more. You didn't. How about some facts? Stingrays are not normally deadly.
Stingrays, A Wadefishermans Nightmare
One of the biggest fallacies is that stingrays attack people anytime theyre encountered. However, evidence shows that stingrays (a.k.a. stingarees or rays) are not categorized as aggressive creatures and will avoid being stepped on whenever possible.
Stingray deaths rare and agonizing
Injuries caused by stingrays are relatively common but fatalities are extremely rare, with experts saying there are only one or two known cases in recorded Australian history.
I have been told that the stingray Steve was following was not the ray that zapped him. There was another stingray that had hidden itself (quite well) on the ocean floor. Steve was following one stingray and the hidden stingray felt threatened, flipped its tail and zapped him.
Neither the police, who reviewed the tape, the coroner nor the Irwin family have made an official statement as to the circumstances surrounding the accident. ALL we know for certain is that he was stung in the heart by a stingray.
A couple of months down the road I hope Steve Irwin's wife Terri finds this old witch and does the Crickey Shuffle on her face. Now that would be revenge!
Ahh I see, yet many on here are claiming it was avoidable, you among them I believe. Interesting.
BTW I based my comments on the info given in the article I referenced which states Mr. Cropp had a first hand account of the incident from a a film crew member who was on the scene.
One wonders if the maybe some CYA is in effect of those involved.
I don't know what you're reading. Apparently, neither do you.
"As for the mischaracterization this is the story I read:"
You did mischaracterize the story because nowhere in the account does it say that Irwin or the film crew purposely harassed the ray. What the animal was "thinking" is pure conjecture on anyone's part. Maybe you believe the ray thought it was being harassed, but there is zero evidence for that supposition.
I walked out of my house 2 days ago and a wasp 12 feet away flew off the eave, went straight for me, and stung me on the shoulder. To make it even more strange, it was a mud-dauber wasp which are known to rarely sting or become angry. I've never seen that happen before. I did nothing to anger the wasp or harrass it, yet it did something highly unpredictable by attacking me. These things do occasionally happen and it is no one's fault.
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