leading feminist slams Steve Irwin, the crocodile man is she sexualy frustrated?
Germaine Greer
September 6, 2006
THE world mourns. The world-famous wildlife warrior Steve Irwin has died a hero, doing the thing he loved, filming a sequence for a new TV series.
Irwin was the real Crocodile Dundee, a great Australian, an ambassador for wildlife, a global phenomenon, a superhuman generator of merchandise, books, interactive video games and action figures.
The only creatures he could not dominate were parrots. A parrot once did its best to rip his nose off his face. Parrots are a lot smarter than crocodiles.
What seems to have happened on Batt Reef is that Irwin and a cameraman went off in a little dinghy to see what they could find. What they found were stingrays. You can just imagine Irwin yelling: "Just look at these beauties. Crikey! With those barbs a stingray can kill a horse." (Yes, Steve, but a stingray doesn’t want to kill a horse. It eats crustaceans, for God’s sake.)
All Australian children know about stingrays. We are now being told that only three people have ever been killed by Australian stingrays. One of them must have been the chap who bought it 60 years ago in Brighton Baths where my school used to go on swimming days.
As a Melbourne boy, Irwin should have had a healthy respect for stingrays, which are actually commoner, and bigger, in southern waters than they are near Port Douglas.
The only time Irwin ever seemed less than lovable to his fans (as distinct from zoologists) was when he went into the Australia Zoo crocodile enclosure with his month-old son in one hand and a dead chicken in the other. For a second you didn’t know which one he meant to feed to the crocodile. If the crocodile had been less depressed it might have made the decision for him.
The adoring world was momentarily appalled. They called it child abuse. But that’s entertainment at Australia Zoo.
Irwin’s response to the sudden outburst of criticism was bizarre. He believed that he had the crocodile under control. But he could have fallen over, suggested an interviewer. He admitted that was possible, but only if a meteor had hit the Earth and caused an earthquake of 6.6 on the Richter scale. That sort of self-delusion is what it takes to be a "real Aussie larrikin".
What Irwin never seemed to understand was that animals need space. The one lesson any conservationist must labour to drive home is that habitat loss is the principal cause of species loss. There was no habitat, no matter how fragile or finely balanced, that Irwin hesitated to barge into, trumpeting his wonder and amazement to the skies. There was not an animal he was not prepared to manhandle. Every creature he brandished at the camera was in distress. Every snake badgered by Irwin was at a huge disadvantage, with only a single possible reaction to its terrifying situation, which was to strike.
In 2004 Irwin was accused of illegally encroaching on the space of penguins, seals and humpback whales in Antarctica, where he was filming a documentary called Ice Breaker. An investigation by the Australian Department of the Environment resulted in no action being taken, which is not surprising seeing that John Howard, the Prime Minister, made sure that Irwin was one of the guests invited to a "gala barbecue" for George Bush a few months before.
Howard is now Irwin’s chief mourner, which is only fair, seeing that Irwin announced that Howard is the greatest leader the world has ever seen.
The animal world has finally taken its revenge on Irwin, but probably not before a whole generation of kids in shorts seven sizes too small has learned to shout in the ears of animals with hearing 10 times more acute than theirs, determined to become millionaire animal-loving zoo-owners in their turn.
This is an edited extract of an opinion piece by Germaine Greer in The Guardian.
If you know anything about Germain Greer you will know that he femanism is caused by her hate of her father, and for all men. steve Irwin was all man so obviously she hated him. The queensland police viewed the footage and he wasnt herassing the ray. Greer is a sick hatefull woman, no wonder femanism is so perverted and hated
Im a recent interview Greer was talking about how she has been celebrant for a number of years. Men get horney , women get cranky
Steve Irwin died doing what he loved.
Maybe Germaine Greer will accidentally fall on an ink pen and die from it.
December 21st, 2009 at 4:49 pm
If it is true that a leading feminist in on his case, what is the issue she’s complaining about……just goes to show you can’t please everyone.
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December 21st, 2009 at 5:02 pm
No Ms. Greer is not sexually frustrated. She has her brain in her cranium, not between her legs as Irwin did.
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December 21st, 2009 at 5:13 pm
You know she’s partly right, however the man was just killed for God’s sake, show some respect. But what do you expect from an ageing feminist who’s got nothing to do but putting her nose into things that don’t concern her. But she got her name in the paper once more.
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December 21st, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Steve Irwin died doing what he loved.
Maybe Germaine Greer will accidentally fall on an ink pen and die from it.
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December 21st, 2009 at 5:56 pm
This is refered to as a pessimist. They find the lousiest way to exist and proceed knowing that it can not be any worse that way. It has nothing to do with being male or female, sexually frustrated or a slut. It is simply the way this particular person chose to opinionate themselves. Though it seems to be in poor taste she still said it, that was her choice.
Hails,
Silence
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December 21st, 2009 at 6:02 pm
[sarcasm=on]
She’s right… I mean… who cares about a guy who spent his life teaching children and adults about wild life, who showed real passion on his work, who brought real entertainment to TV viewers, and a real interesting show that could been watched by the whole family?
… Let’s focus on Paris Hilton! She’s a real celebrity!
[sarcasm=off]
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December 21st, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Feminists look for any opportunity to bash men. Simple as that. Why do men keep paying attention to them? The attention you give them only feeds their egos.
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December 21st, 2009 at 7:18 pm
LOL Dude that was funny, harsh, but funny…
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December 21st, 2009 at 7:49 pm
I wasn’t a fan of his, but I have to admire all he did for conservation and animals, i.e, awareness and the money he raised for the causes.
Anyone who slams a dead guy who was that generous is either very sexually frustrated or just a ****h. Take your pick.
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December 21st, 2009 at 8:09 pm
so… how is this displaying sexual frustration? She obviously doesn’t like the guy. So what? Lots of people don’t. But that’s cause they don’t understand him…and that’s their loss. So Germaine Greer can write as many articles about him as she wants but that won’t change who he was and the legend he still is.
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December 21st, 2009 at 8:25 pm
it is so nice to see people wait until someone is gone so they cannot defend themselves
i am not/was not a fan of him however what he has done/did to awaken the masses to conservation and animal care by whatever means he used(good or bad) will be hard to follow
the man gave his time and money to all sorts of animal rights groups worldwide
i just hope someone can fill his shoes
now we will have to listen to all the nay sayers until someone else popular dies so they can rag on/about someone new
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December 21st, 2009 at 8:37 pm
I think the article is fair comment, whatever her motives for writing it.
Germaine Greer played a major part in the sexual revolution of the 1960’s. She is now menopausal and has a lot of regrets about her life, which she honestly admits to. But she also speaks with some authority on the topic of wildlife conservation.
Mr Irwin did a lot of positive things, but he did not really progress the fundamental solution, which is prevention of habitat destruction. Habitat destruction, sad to say, continues on its escalating, unrelenting path.
His death was tragic. But before he is canonized as a saint remember, he was primarily an entertainer.
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December 21st, 2009 at 9:27 pm
I have to agree here actually. I never liked the way way he barged up to the animals jumping around and shouting. I love animals and have worked in several rehab places and thats the last thing that you want to do. Especially if you dont want to get hurt.
However, I do approve of his message. He was trying share his passion for animals to the world. Get the word out on conservation. I applaud him for that. Of course to get anyones attention he thought he had to take risks that lead to this his ultimate demise.
Pehaps however that will work in the animals advantage. Making him a conservation martyr. At least we can hope it does.
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December 21st, 2009 at 10:14 pm
I cannot believe what this woman is bitching about. Steve Irwin brought to the screen, big and small, more animal info then I have ever seen before. Sure the snakes were in distress. Just like when I was as a boy coming across a rattle snake. I was in distress too. She is missing the big picture. Every body has their favorites. Based on what Ms Greer said I guess we should have Jack Hanna arrested for animal abuse, the lady from the San Diego zoo in the states and what about Jack Perkins from Wild Kingdom, maybe we should find him and put him in with Jack. Try that one Ms. Greer. Ms. Greer, the man has passed and you are dumping on him. Did you ever confront him on these issues while he was alive. A classic case of backstabbing, even worse when he is not around to defend himself. Tacky Ms. Greer, real tacky.
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December 21st, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Germaine Greer is just another loud femi-nazi, part of a gang of loud mean people including David Horowitz and his buddy "Dubyah" Bush. Greer has said some cool things against war, but she ruins her coolness by attacking Steve Irwin. Anyone who didn’t love Steve never paid even a modicum of attention to him. He is truly and sorely missed. RIP, Steve. You’re back with your mother now, as you always wanted.
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December 21st, 2009 at 11:16 pm
I hate alligators and crocodiles, and frankly, I wish them both totally extinct (otherwise just use them for luggage and shoes). I was not a big fan of the "Crocodile Hunter," but for heaven’s sake, he has just died. Couldn’t Ms. Greer have held off such remarks for a respectable amount of time? What a total lack of good taste! (And doesn’t it come through loud and clear that she thinks you’re just plain bad if you meet the American president!)
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December 22nd, 2009 at 12:05 am
If you know anything about the history of Germain Greer, sexual frustration is not one of her problems…according to her she has tried everything possible…and many things absolutely impossible…with every living species on the earth and every gender or approximation thereof.
I think her comments are lucid and cannot improve upon them.
If a large segment of the population…mostly those couch potatoes and the feeble- minded, tho not necessarily mutually exclusive…had not furnished the audience for Irwin, he could not have bullied so many animals. Very little of educational value was produced by this man, I believe, unless you consider that wise viewers learned how not to bully, frighten, and intimidate other species.
Irwin’s end should surprise no one…I am surprised that he did not get eaten by a crock or killed by a poison snake, a fate he would have doubtlessly preferred to the one visited upon him.
Those here who tout his contribution to conservation of animals in their natural habitat, seem to overlook his absolute cruelty to these same animals. Perhaps he wised them conserved so he could continue to bully them and produce for television.
Irwin has had vocal and published detractors since he began his tortuous journey through so many species of wild life, increasingly so as he became more vicious and unpredictable.
I do not welcome his death, any more than I welcomed his atrocities…a harsh word, but nothing justified his going into the animals’ territory and abusing/exploiting them for what was obviously his own grandeur and economic profit. People do the right things for the wrong reasons, sometimes….this might apply and have applied in rare cases with him.
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December 22nd, 2009 at 12:20 am
I can’t add anything to the really good answers. Think Slewpy D has the best response.
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December 22nd, 2009 at 12:40 am
She has a right to her opinion. I don’t think it has anything to do with whether she’s a "leading feminist" or not.
Boy – people on here seem to hate feminists!
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December 22nd, 2009 at 1:01 am
Germaine may be a little harsh in this opinion piece but to make that tired old assumption that feminists just need to get laid or are sexually repressed is beneath you. I thought that father hating stuff was a way more interesting way of making your point. Germaine Greer is far from sexually repressed but she may have issues with her dad which makes her overly critical of men.
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December 22nd, 2009 at 1:41 am
Its over and done…the man has passed and served hes debts by now…so why cant we let it go and give our condolences to his wife for losing a husband and to the kids for losing there father!
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December 22nd, 2009 at 1:58 am
Germaine Greer was a demented old has-been 10 yrs ago..
She will say anything she can to get another 15 minutes of camera time…
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December 22nd, 2009 at 2:29 am
I just wanted to say that T Time’s answer is the funniest shit I’ve heard today! To hell with that hag Germaine Gargoyle-face Greer.
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