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| Saturday, September 09, 2006 |
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Further Steve Irwin Thoughts
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 Aside from answering angry cell phone calls I've spent my evening hours being blown away by the death of Steve Irwin and looking for TV coverage. His funeral is probably planned to happen soon, if it hasn't already, and on Sunday Animal Planet is going to run a six-hour marathon of his shows that I plan to tape. I found my previous entry didn't sum up everything I had to say on the Crocodile Hunter, so here are a few more thoughts.
I go back to what a co-worker in Cartersville said when I first discovered the Crocodile Hunter phenomenon: "All you can say is, 'He is a man.'" That sounds mundane, but there's a profound truth there. He was a link to a level of ballsiness and ruggedness that most of the DNA chain lost somewhere around the time of gunpowder. When the first humans faced an environment rife with Tyranosaurus Rexes, Pterodactyls and Brontosauruses, a man had to have both the fearlesness to attack that animal head-on physically, as well as the savvy to understand it's behaviors so as to make up for his relative small size, lack of strength and lack of claws and fangs. Eventually we invented cars, machine guns and fences so that guys like me, who are scared of rollercoasters, could survive, too.
And as a guy who is spooked by dogs larger than dachsunds, watching Steve Irwin was watching someone who possessed qualities I only dreamed of having. In the apartments I used to live in I would often get out of my car at night to see a neighbor's Boxer bulldog staring at me. The dog was friendly and Boxers are considered mild, but I think I froze everytime I saw it. I fantasized having Irwin-like nuts so I could grab it in a headlock if neccessary.
One other rambling point: I've been really stunned at the animal fanatics who have poked their heads up on various chat boards to say Steve Irwin was just a reckless idiot who harassed the animals he claimed to love and imply he had it coming. It bears pointing out...think back on Marlin Perkins' Wild Kingdom in the `70's. He and Jim Fowler were usually on a Jeep with a team of five helpers nearby, everyone armed with dart guns, being careful to pop an ostrich full of tranquilizers before coming within 20 feet, then clearing away quickly the first time the thing batted an eye. I guess that's the "humane" approach. Note Steve Irwin was often totally alone (in the beginning he was his own cameraman) and had no tranquilizer gun, no knife, no club, just a guy in his safari shorts going after animals considerably more dangerous than an ostrich. Do you think if you're trying to corral a 20 foot crocodile with your bare hands it's going to be a gentle undertaking?
So long live the memory of Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin, and set your VCR's for noon on Animal Planet.
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Posted by Art | 2:19 PM EST |
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I agree Steve Irwin was one hell of a gutsy man! I personally also really admired the guy. I do not have cable or satellite TV, so I did not get to watch him much, but I really enjoyed what I did see. His passing is a lose for his family, nature, and human kind. (I believe in that order) But at least he died doing what he loved, and did not suffer long if at all!