Clues for the Clueless

[furtech]

Some of us are truly sad at Steve Irwin's passing. We're connected by the grief we feel at the untimely death of a person we genuinely liked-- who had passion and enthusiasm for things we care about. We share our feelings to get us through this sadness.

Some of you gripe about this outpouring. Some of you are cynical about all the media attention. One person commented in the journal of one of those grieving that it was hypocritical to make such a fuss over just a guy, when we would never do the same for an "everyday Joe".
[Those of you who feel sad at Steve's passing, skip this cut; the ones griping over the outpouring of grief should read this and get a clue. Sorry Frysco-- can't filter a public post (so just skip it)]



There is no hypocrisy here. "Everyday Joe"'s don't share their lives with us. We don't see them work hard and passionately to further good causes, with good humor and an intimacy that makes you feel like you are part of their family.

It's unfortunate when an everyday Joe dies in an accident; it's tragic when a close friend or family member dies of the same.

Steve Irwin let us into his life-- showed us things not normally seen in a typical nature show. And he was a nice guy-- the kind of person who most of us now mourning him would LOVE to have gone hiking with because he's friendly, funny and shares his knowledge freely. While we may never have met him in real life, he touched us in ways that even some family and friends aren't able to.

Voicing how much you hate the public outpouring over Steve Irwin's death is unlikely to get much support or make you look good in the eyes of those sad at his passing. Saying those things on a post mourning his death is rude and clueless. Think what you want, but have consideration for those of us truly sad at the passing of someone we felt a kinship to.

EDIT: If there is any confusion-- yes, you can post contrary opinions and negative posts about Irwin here. This post is targeted at the nay-sayers, so speak your minds if you feel so inclined.

Comments

[frysco.livejournal.com]

I can live with it. :>

(FWIW, I ended up watching the interview Larry King did with Irwin a few years ago on Monday night)

I'm not that unsympathetic.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

But you're cranky about it! And I try to be considerate.

[frysco.livejournal.com]

It was my journal - I'm allowed to be cranky in there! =)

I think a lot of it was brought on by a very unproductive, lonely weekend.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

True enough-- and I totally respect that.

I can believe that-- it's pretty much what I figured (you're a good guy). But good friends point out when we're being knobs. Feel free to do the same when I'm being a jerk!

[okojosan.livejournal.com]

I have already unfriended one person who complained. *shrug* Sure, it's their LJ and they have a right to complain, and I have a right not to want to read it.

Ever since I heard the news, I've woken up several times a night with 'Steve Irwin's dead!" ringing through my mind. I'm amazed at how much this has affected me. Yes, I admired him greatly and considered him one of my heros. But I'm having the same reaction I did when I heard my friend Karen died in a horrible car accident last year. "My gods... this person who I thought would always be around, is no longer there."

I still get tears thinking about it. I think about poor Terri, and maybe she's dealing with this way better than I am, I don't know. They had only 16 years together which was hardly long enough. Their marriage was something I'd love to have but probably never will. They literally fell in love at first sight, and he was obviously devoted to her and his kids, and his parents.

As for never having met him in real life- my mother actually DID meet him in real life. He and his family were on a flight from Sydney to Melbourne that my mother was on. She said he told the other passengers stories about the animals he worked with, and was as funny and personable and entertaining to them as he was on camera. She is also shocked at his untimely death, though she never watched any of his shows (to my knowledge.

[cooner.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry! I'm very sad at the news (even though I didn't actually watch Crocodile Hunter all that much, I absorbed enough of his persona through the media), but I went ahead and read your post anyway!

It's very sad. And of course, the death of any 'everyday Joe' is a tragedy to someone (assuming they weren't a complete recluse or misanthrope); but when it's someone who's touched your life somehow, directly or indirectly, the news has a bigger impact on you. That impact is amplified exponentially when it's a celebrity who has touched many lives.

I agree one-thousand percent

[typographer.livejournal.com]

And may I add, that most of us DO TOO do the same for Everyday Joes…

…when they are Everyday Joes that we happen to know.

[nicodemusrat.livejournal.com]

Well said.

I'll admit, I was never a big Steve Irwin fan. He was a bit too loud and over-the-top for my tastes in nature shows. But I still have to admit that I admired who he was and what he did. He had a genuine passion for nature and wanted to share that with the world. I wish that more people were that involved.

So I do mourn his passing and I don't mind seeing other people (generally fans) say some words for him. It's appropriate, IMHO.

[burmecian-storm.livejournal.com]

Very well said, my friend ::nods:: This all came as quite a big shock to me... I couldn't believe it at first, really. May he rest in peace. -_-

[shoka.livejournal.com]

You make it sound like people who are tired of the outpouring aren't sad. I'm tired of the outpouring on my LJ friend's list, tv *shrug* I rarely watch it anyway. People grieve differently and while I'm seriously not interested in having my lj friend's list full of devestated reactions, that's how other folks are expressing their grief. Their lj's, their rights, which is why I haven't griped on any of the posts.

I'm commenting on this one because it feels like you're applying your clueless label to me, because I'm one of the people tired of reading the level grief expressed, because I'm reading LJ to get away from my own, private grieving.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

You're not at all the kind of person I'm referring to. You are nice, considerate and have a clue. As far as I've seen, you haven't posted negative remarks about this on anyone's journal post.

I'm still all for posting what one wants to on one's -own- journal-- say what you want, what you feel-- but to post "I'm tired of all this" or "Go, Stingray!" as a comment on someone's post about how sad his death made them is rude, IMO.

I completely agree with you: people express grief in many ways. Some go to ground, others need to talk about it and a million variations from there. LJ is one way that most of us have a connection to each other.

[shoka.livejournal.com]

I haven't posted anything, have just been _thinking_ 'I'm tired of all right now.' I'm far more of a go-to-ground person but respect other folks' rights to grieve their way, even if their way bothers me. It's not my place to tell'em they're wrong or that it bugs me or anything.

we're sad here too....

[karisu-sama.livejournal.com]

Yes, he was "out there" and highly visible and sometimes outrageous to some people.

BUT.

Sometimes that's what one has to DO to call attention to problems, to try to make a difference; in this case, a difference by speaking up for those (the animals) who cannot speak up (in human language) for themselves and their needs and their right to share their own mother planet with the hairless apes who want to treat them only as self-mobile objects to do with as they please.

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

jeez, I'm glad you have the guts to post this sort of stuff.

Like okojosan, I almost unlisted one person I read (not Frysco) who just outright took the opportunity to say they disliked the guy, and wanted everyone to know they felt absolutely nothing by his passing. And other people on that thread said they actually laughed. >:|

it's about clues, absolutely.

people, it's called ********** m o u r n i n g . **********


and tragics circumstances makes it hurt all the more.