posted
Well what do you think of him? Americans seem to generally think he's cool, (though I didn't even know his real name before I came to Oz) The brittish girls that I've talked are evidently madly in love with him, and the aussies I've talked to, almost without exception, hold the opinion that he is a stupid stuck-up jerk. I also have it on good authority from locals of the town of Beerwah right next to the Australia Zoo(Ok so technically they were punk kids) that he did lots of drugs in highschool(says punk kid according to his mom) and that he is in fact a Poof i.e. gay(I think the punk kids were attempting to use this one as an insult rather than sharing info.)
I myself am of the opinion that's he's bug-nuts-crazy and probably not so competent as he gets made out to be. I saw the guy in person and then a live backstage video of him making a failed impromptu attempt to get a croc to move out of a pool. I also saw videos of him getting bit by snakes and the like, though in fairness he claims never to have gotten poisoned by a highly venomous snake, though that doesn't neccessarily count for much as statistically something like only 1 in 12 snakebites actually inject venom. Might have to respect what he's doing for animals and all but he sure is earning a heck of a lot of money doing it. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm highly agnostic on "THE CROCDILE HUNTER". Lucky, yes. Insane, yes. Caring, maybe. Rich, definitely. Former druggy, very very very likely. Anything else, hard to say. *steps off soapbox*
Posts: 1103 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I could not care one way or another. I never watch the guy, not because of some great dislike, but more out of indifference.
I do think his holding his baby in one arm while feeding a crocodile with the other was sheer stupidity.
Posts: 279 | Registered: May 2004
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I find him very interesting. I don't doubt that he's part showman and part advocate, but that's okay. He inherited the zoo from his father, no? And it was sort of a backwater place then, not educational really either. Or so it appears.
He does at least try to educate.
There's a long history of hucksterism in animal-related programming though. I mean, Marlin Perkins of Mutual of Omaha fame never left his desk but talked like a major authority. No, he'd send "Jim" out to fall from helicopters or get chased by rhinos, while he'd chuckle mildly to himself.
I don't know what would be the proper set of bona fides for a T.V. naturalist. My favorite has been Richard Attenborough. But frankly the people who know the most (researchers) often make terrible narrators and couldn't cobble together an interesting story if you gave them a lifetime to do it.
I know that most of the animal scenes are staged or at least heavily edited. That's true on ALL the shows. If you go out among animals, mainly you get to see their ass-ends as they run away from you. Unless they've been hand-fed and thus unnaturally tamed.
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
I just like his mullet-inspired 'do. He should just grow it out about another foot with more fluff on top.
Posts: 104 | Registered: Jun 2004
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I developed a little stay-at-home-mom-crush on them when my son was watching Zooboomafoo everyday. *blush*
Posts: 1545 | Registered: May 2002
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posted
I don't care for him, but wouldn't it be marvelous to love your job as much as he appears to love his?
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
Eh, he's okay. If he's really that "on" all the time it would be exhausting to be around him for any length of time, but he seems like a decent human being, and I get the impression that he really does care about animals quite a bit.
It would be pretty difficult for me to care much less than I do about what drugs he did in high school. Maybe my high school was the exception, but I was pretty much the only person I knew in high school that wasn't smoking pot, tripping acid, or drinking massive amounts of alcohol every time the opportunity arose. Most of my friends who did a lot of drugs in high school have gone on to live fairly happy, productive lives actually.
quote:Might have to respect what he's doing for animals and all but he sure is earning a heck of a lot of money doing it.
What's wrong with that? I'd like to make more money than I do, and I think it's pretty cool that this guy has been able to make so much money at something that he so obviously loves. More power to him.
Why do many Aussies think that he's stupid, stuck up, or a jerk? I know that people can often be quite different from how they present themselves on TV, so I'm not arguing that he couldn't be an ass--I'm just curious what the Aussies know that doesn't get presented to us here in the US.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
Alls I know is that when the Prime Minister of Australia got on the radio a few years ago, and announced his plans to supply troops to the UN mission in Timor, I couldn't tell the difference between him and Steve Irwin talking about a poisonous snake.
"Now, we ain't got nothing to worry about. We will all be safe as long as we go nice and slow---Crikey, look at that strike. I wasn't expecting that."
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posted
To clarify the original post, he is not gay. He, in fact, is married to a woman from Oregon and has a child.
Posts: 232 | Registered: Jun 2004
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"To clarify the original post, he is not gay. He, in fact, is married to a woman from Oregon and has a child."
Oh I know he has a wife and kid, so what, that's just a cover up, and who asked you anyway just kidding I really really doubt he's gay.
I just got yet another Australian opinion that he is a stupid idiot- "wanker" to be precise, we won't go into what that means... "He's got the IQ of a tapeworm" "The poor lad's a congenital nutcase"
Posts: 1103 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Bob, is that really such a good thing taking into account that he's bug-nuts crazy?
From NOEMON's post:
"Maybe my high school was the exception, but I was pretty much the only person I knew in high school that wasn't smoking pot, tripping acid, or drinking massive amounts of alcohol every time the opportunity arose."
Just to clarify, speaking in the terms of the kids I was talking to that evening, I doubt that Pot and alcohol even classify as drugs, some of these kids probably not only do them when the opportunity arises, but ensure that it does. LSD, maybe, but we're more likely talking about "real" drugs here, meth and coke.
" Most of my friends who did a lot of drugs in high school have gone on to live fairly happy, productive lives actually."
Did they get jobs on television shows broadcasted all over the world? Don't get me wrong I don't bear grudges against former druggies based on that alone, but make no mistake some of those drugs can potentially screw with your brain quite permanently.
quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Might have to respect what he's doing for animals and all but he sure is earning a heck of a lot of money doing it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What's wrong with that?"
I don't recall saying that there is anything. I was, however, expressing my skeptisism not only as to his intentions but also of whether he is really yielding the dramatic positive results that he believes. Truth to tell though, skeptisism is the limit of my doubt there, if I had to guess I'd probably say it was unfounded on both counts- but I don't have to guess.
"I'd like to make more money than I do, and I think it's pretty cool that this guy has been able to make so much money at something that he so obviously loves. More power to him. Why do many Aussies think that he's stupid, stuck up, or a jerk? I know that people can often be quite different from how they present themselves on TV, so I'm not arguing that he couldn't be an ass--I'm just curious what the Aussies know that doesn't get presented to us here in the US."
I am not many Aussies, so I am not sure I can tell you why they think he's stupid, but I should add that as I recall, all of those said Aussies happen to actually live in not only the same country but the same State(queensland) as Mr Irwin and the australia zoo. If you want my personal opinion on why many aussies think he's stupid I'd say that they are (A) better informed and (B) generally just plain smarter than your average American. As to why they think he's stuck-up or a jerk I don't think they really do so much, more they just talk that way out of a general feeling of being pissed off that someone who is not so different from themselves, except in that he is a stupid idiot, could be on tv with lots of fame and lots of money without doing any real work for it just because he got there through dumb luck. To paraphrase, this last aussie said something about the first producer who hired him being equatable to somebody putting dangerous bacteria in to the water supply or some such. I myself, after seeing him in person, was if anything a bit more convinced of his good intentions, though certainly not less convinced of his stupidity or idiocy.
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posted
Oh, and Dan, I agree with your comparison. I think the perfect punishment would be to force each to take the other's job for six months and thus let them make irreperable fools(or worse) of themsleves, as I don't know that either's ego would let him would resign in time, before canning them. In think Steve would definitely have the better side of that deal and who knows something good might actually get done by the government of this country for a change- whatever happened, at least it'd be radical! good plan?
Posts: 1103 | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote: Why do many Aussies think that he's stupid, stuck up, or a jerk? I know that people can often be quite different from how they present themselves on TV, so I'm not arguing that he couldn't be an ass--I'm just curious what the Aussies know that doesn't get presented to us here in the US.
I think a lot of it is the cultural cringe. We tend to get sick and tired of the Crocodile Dundee view of Australia. We get irritated by 'throw another shrimp on the barbie' references and requests to say 'G'day' everytime we go overseas. Steve Irwin isn't doing much to improve Australia's reputation as a cosmopolitan, innovative and exciting country. But I guess he's helping out with the sale of khaki clothes...
From my own view, I don't mind him but I certainly don't watch the show. Or go to the zoo. I don't really understand why he is so popular.
quote: "Now, we ain't got nothing to worry about. We will all be safe as long as we go nice and slow---Crikey, look at that strike. I wasn't expecting that."
That's fantastic, Dan! In my opinion, John Howard isn't doing much for the reputation of Australia either. But we have an election coming up soon, so maybe that will change.
posted
Bob, it was David Attenborough who did the nature shows. His brother Richard was the film director who made Gandhi.
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posted
I love the Crocodile Hunter, because the episode I watched showed his wife handling all the snakes. She was professional and wonderful, and an inspiration to my daughter. I think Steve Irwin is entertaining as well as doing his best to help people see the beauty of the creatures he handles. He's a risk-taker and a showman, yes. In those ways he reminds me of my dad. I'm glad there are reasonably healthy ways for such people to make a living. Never does Steve Irwin speak negatively of an animal he handles - it's always respectful and admiring. Even when making a big deal out of the dangers, he still admires the animals, and that's catching. I'd so much rather have kids fascinated by snakes and saying "Isn't she a beauty!" rather than fearfully hacking every harmless garter snake with a hoe, like some irrationally fearful adults I know.
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just kidding I really really doubt he's gay.
