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Just Askin’…
Maybe it’s too soon to bring this up, but wasn’t Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, just a little over the edge?
Isn’t it safe to say he took a few too many risks, putting his life in danger more often than necessary? Don’t get me wrong, he did have many admirable qualities: he was energetic, dedicated, and sincere. I even sent an e-mail to his family with my condolences, and had tears in my eyes when Bindi, his daughter, spoke during his funeral.
But should we really be shocked that he died so young, or should we be amazed he survived as long as he did?
(By the way, the snake Irwin is fondling inches from his face in this picture is a Fierce Snake–only the most venemous snake in the world.)
–Allen
on October 31st, 2006 at 6:35 am
I always joked that this guy had a “death wish”! I mean, some of the things were absolutely crazy and outrageous. Unlike the guys from “Wild Kingdom” who would observe from a safe distance with zoom lenses, Crock Hunter went right out there and “hugged” these animals.While he supposedly did a lot for animals and the environment, he took some crazy risks…and the stunt he did with his little baby was shocking. While he was certain he knew what he was doing, one never knows with a wild animal, as he found out with the stingray.
on October 31st, 2006 at 6:40 am
Off topic - If anyone is wondering about GifS being down, it appears we may have been hacked into by some troll. Steps are being taken to correct the problem and we WILL be back soon as the problem is repaired. If any atheist/agnostic here gets a message from Dallas Christian College, or any xian trolls or drive-bys…BEWARE. (DCC were out most recent visitors under the pretense of asking questions for a Philosophy class. The site began having problems soon after.)
on October 31st, 2006 at 7:55 am
GifS is the third blog among the few ones I regularly check that has gone down in a week. It’s definitely some fundie hacker. Good, it means they’re scared of them and shows how little they are (the fundies).
Regarding Irwin, i wrote something on my blog some time ago, when i tragically died.
I think we should be shocked, he died in a very unusual accident, there are far more probabilities to die in a car accident. But the point for me was another, did he deserved to be treated as a national hereo? was his work really doing any good for the conservationist cause?
Here’s my post:http://assurdestorienormali.blogspot.com/2006/09/is-pope-catholic-and-was-steve-irwin.html
on October 31st, 2006 at 5:14 pm
Getting back to “Just Askin,” when I was a student at a forest technology program (50 years ago), the already legendary Director of the School told a story. He was leading a group of students on a field trip and they were going past a large Adirondack eratic (huge bolder left on the earth’s surface following glaciation). On top of the bolder stood a faculty brat (faculty lived on campus) yelling, “Look at me Mr. Dubuar, I’m on the rock; look at me Mr. Dubuar, I’m on the rock.” Whenever I watched Steve Irwin, I thought of this anecdote. Yes, he had many admirable characteristics, yes, he did much good, but yes he did seem to have a death wish brought about by an ego that wanted everyone to see that he was on the rock.
Jim
on October 31st, 2006 at 6:48 pm
The ANTItheist has gone down too. :(
on October 31st, 2006 at 7:22 pm
From everything I know - admittedly not much - Irwin did an enormous amount of good for conservation. His style was not to everyone’s taste, but lots of people on the biology and science blogs sincerely mourned the man who brought them into the field. Also, he put his money where his heart was.