Irwin's death strikes a chord

[Sequoia]

"Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin is being remembered for a personality that was larger than life, much like the giant posters outside of his Australia Zoo, where a steady stream of fans have left hand-written notes, flowers and stuffed animals since hearing news of his death.

Irwin's willingness to swim with sharks, grab deadly and often cranky snakes by the tail and wrestle with crocodiles -- armed only with a goofy grin, khaki shorts and a pair of well-worn work boots -- won him an international following.

Media expert Robert Thompson said he was a little surprised by the media's focus on Irwin -- especially given the glut of long-anticipated celebrity news, such as Katie Couric's debut anchoring the "CBS Evening News," Rosie O'Donnell's arrival on "The View" and the first photographs of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' daughter, Suri. (Watch how fans reacted to Irwin's death -- 1:34) (What....you mean we should care about these clowns?!)

"I think of the many great television personalities, and they die and we hear an obituary. And for about 12 hours there are reports and acknowledgements, and you see clips of their shows and all the rest," said Thompson, the director of Syracuse University's Center for the Study of Popular Television. "This broke on Monday, and it's already Wednesday and there's no sign of it stopping."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/06/irwin.outpouring/index.html

[thepurpose]

1. Media expert Robert Thompson? This guy needs to get a clue if he is an

expert in anything its being out of touch. Katie sucks and I love Rosie but neither of the two fucking died.

[NJ_Lib]

4. All I could do is...

sadly shake my head... For that jackass to compare the tragic death of Irwin, one of the last good people on earth and a father of two babies, to Katie's first day on the job is just fucking insane...

Thanks Your Expertness, for that observation... :wtf: :spank:

[Warpy]

2. Love him or hate him

you have to admit his genius was in approaching animals people both feared and hated and educating the public about their important roles in complex ecosystems.

That's why the story won't die. He wasn't just fluff. He was a real zoologist delivering hard science along with the fangs and teeth.

[populistdriven]

5. He was a Scientist? Mr. Irwin had no scientific degree.

[true_notes]

7. Do ya need a degree to be a scientist?

I'm a meteorologist in the U.S. Navy without a degree, however I do the same damn thing Dr.Doolittle in the NWS does.

Oh, what about the late, great Dr. Hunter S. Thompson who struggled to complete a couple of college courses before saying fuck it.

A degree isn't the cure all, my friend.

[johnnie]

8. I am an electrical engineer

And I have no degree either.

[populistdriven]

9. I am a Doctor and I don't have a degree either.

The Bush WH loves to appoint non-scientists to scientific policy postions. I guess a degree just gets in the way of political or entertainment expediency. Maybe that is why Irwin loved Howard and Bush.

[LisaM]

3. He tried to portray himself as more than human

and of course, he was as vulnerable as anyone else. I don't particularly care for the kind of extreme behavior he epitomized - which of course is glorified in shows like Fear Factor and Survivor, at least IMO - but he was certainly was someone who seemed as if it wasn't going to happen to him. The part about the kids was interesting. They need to understand that taking risks like Irwin did can have mortal consequences. It's not a video game.

[sweetheart]

6. The death of the saints

He was fearless, and by sharing that courage with us all, we all relaxed and learned to embrace life
with his enthusiasm, a very saintly thing indeed, as there will always be witch burners out there..

And maybe what is sadder, that the true saints are dying young deaths, whilst the grotty pretenders are
sticking around behind false teeth grins and facelifted practiced dissociation. We lose robin cook
mo mowlam, Gordon parks, Pat Tillman, and our genuine fearless leaders, yet smirk and sneer stay
here on earth with their friend the devil to punish us for insulting the saints.

Maybe god has a sense of humour for a hell world after all.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

10. I noticed a "Crocodile Hunter" movie poster hung up in my college...

hallway today.
Not a dorm, mind you, the hallway to classrooms and professor's offices.
Undoubtedly placed there by a professor.