when something touches your heart, don't pull it out

[midday_volery]

I agree with Germain Greer, Steve Erwin has had it coming for a long time. Decades of harassing wildlife with impunity was finally put to an end by a cool headed (and hot tailed) Sting Ray

Comments

[midday_volery]

Yeah, I have been a bit reactionary to the deafening ululation for the life of Steve Erwin. I will interogate my response. I don't think I was thinking about punishment, perhaps just an inevitability; I remember Steve himself commenting that his dance with mortality is what his fans wanted from him.

[woodydespair]

I also agree with Greer, and am still in a state of disbelief as to the actual grief his death has evoked and the controversy Greer has sparked. I mean, really, there is nothing controversial about what she said: he exploited animals while portraying himself as an animal advocate. It's ridiculous, and sickening. (Plus, he said John Howard was the best Prime Minister ever, so that also contributes to the problem I have with him.)

Have you seen the film Grizzly Man? In a way Irwin is quite similar to Treadwell - thinking he has a deep connection with the animals while mistreating and exploiting them.

It's a sad indictment of Australia (and a lot of the rest of the world) that something as trivial as this gets so much attention and generates so much genuine sadness while the real tragedies go ignored everyday.

[midday_volery]

I have seen Grizzly Man! Yeah, there is an fine line between Treadwell and Erwin, with Treadwell falling into Kooksville and Erwin selling out an Austral-americano circus.

I thought Werner Herzog did a fine job with Treadwell. When I watched it I also couldn't help having the making of Fitzcarraldo (Burden of Dreams?) in the back of my mind where Werner's dark side emerged for me in a big way; when things went awry he really started despising nature, calling it something like 'cruel savage and heartless'. I guess (after Fitzcarraldo at least) Werner was content to let the savagery of nature and its beasts alone. I imagine we all have our own little versions of Fitzcarraldo, Crocodile Hunter or cuddly Grizzly lurking within - ?

[sallowsiserary]

potent title. is it from something?

[midday_volery]

Doctors speculated that if the Crocodile Man hadn't yanked the sting out (with the barbs tearing his heart to shreds) he probably would have survived. The title is also a play on the irony of the Crocodile Man loving animals and not letting them be.