I think a lot of people would've have found Steve Irwin's over-the-top 'fair dinkum' Aussie mannerisms pretty painful, but no one can deny that he was a passionate, genuine guy who was simply trying to share his love with for country with others!

As for saying "My other concern regarding Irwin's presentations is that the conservation of Australian wildlife is not show business", Mr. Cohen, in our consumer-driven society, is there something wrong with using the tools available (ie. film and advertising) for a good cause - conservation?

Finally, if their are people out there who watch Irwin wrestling a crocodile and think "If he can do it i can do better" then they must pay the consequences for their foolishness. Should we, or Steve Irwin, be responsible for their stupidity in ignoring danger signs (or common sense!)

Irwin's death is a very sad day for the Australian public. Instead of being critical, i think we should all learn from the passion and enthusiasm Irwin showed, and ensure that our unique wildlife isn't lost along with him.

I hear that the Prime Minister is offering to name a Wildlife Sanctuary after the Larrikin. Sounds like a good idea to me. In fact I'd rename the reef where he died in Steve's honour also. Steve threw most of his income back into enviromental projects and tracts of bushland. I think he'd have liked to see more money spent on saving animals than a State Funeral. He was rather humble in life and not what you'd call a high roller despite all his millions. Why would he have wanted it any differently in death. I think an excessively over the top street march would merely be a chance for the masses to celebrate a homegrown hero.

One thing is absolutely certain. Nobody is ever going to fill those boots. He just can't be immitated.

I think it is disrespectful to criticise Steve Irwin so soon after his death. Can't people wait for their commentary? Some of us are friends and family of Steve, and I can't think of anyone liking flippant statements made after a tragedy like this.

I particularly think that Germain Greer has shown herself to be a bitter and twisted old cow to make such disrespectful dribble within hours of his death.

Just wait a week or so and then discuss this.

i think we should respect the guy's family and halt any criticism. Most of us wouldn't do what he did, but he was highly skilled in this sort of thing, and had a freak and fatal accident. Anyone stupid enough to attempt to wrestle with a crocodile after seeing Steve Irwin doing it, deserves what they get and its not his fault. He may have been a little bit over the top, but his passion for what he did and his acheivements far outweigh many of his harshist criticts, especially that Germaine Bloody Greer.

I fail to see why the likes of Germaine Hag were aired in the 1st place?
I mean who gives a jot what old vinegar tits has to say..
A woman who has powdered milk in her udders shes that old, why would anyone care what she had to say?
Channel 7 will do anything for rating , opportunistic creeps, and all the polls (1900... numbers)to go along with the hype around what she said...money grabbing disgusting blah,blah blah.

Yes she was a nasty bit of work but hey !where is theyre editorial savvy and sensitivity?.I hate the lack of ethics and morals shown by commercial channels.

if the world worked according to Spewmaine Greers logic, shouldnt she have been beaten to death by a middle class couple by now? preferably with a rolling pin??

saintfletcher, there is no need to wait to discuss Steve Irwin's death or life. If you don't want to read such discussions, you know what to do.

Irwin was a public figure, and his death is an occasion to discuss his life. There has been much hagiography about Irwin and much less honest analysis. Maybe that's because amidst the near-beatification and mass hysteria of the public grieving, it's been seen as something near sacrilege and treason to venture some criticism of Irwin. Why? He was a public figure. Any discussion, short of baseless slander or vituperation, is in order. Injunctions that invoke 'respect for the family' do not apply. We who comment, whether in praise or criticism, mostly did not know Irwin nor are we present at a private family funeral where strict comventions of compassion and respect apply.

We have had John Howard weighing in with the usual glib, populist platitiudes, and he's done it again following the death of Peter Brock - is Howard now Australia's official Chief Mourner? We have had the now customary media circus, thirsting for pictures of the grieving family, or the holy grail itself, the Irwin death-vid. We have had manufactured media outrage at the article published by Germaine Greer, which dared to question Irwin's work, and which lead to a straw poll conducted by a TV channel of reaction to Greer's article among the Irwin mourners outside his animal theme park. What a surprise - they all disagreed with Greer.

And the charge has been lead by Queen Naomi Robson, dressed respectfully and empathetically in Irwin uniform, with a lizard on her shoulder, solemnly lecturing viewers to counsel their kiddies to 'take Steve's death seriously'. Thanks, Naomi.

We have had near-hysterical mass-grieving expressed in many blogs including this one. If the idea of sainthood was still really in vogue, I'm sure that the Vatican would have a team working on 'St Steve of Oz' around the clock.

Altogether a bizarre episode in the cultural history of Australia and one that calls into question our national maturity and sophistication.

One does NOT have to intimately know another to have a feeling of love and respect for them PK.

I agree with your assertions regarding the media...they are opportunistic and these phone polls would have been a lot more palateable if there was an 1800. to ring instead of the usual revenue raising 19 number...and yes of course only "Steve Lovers are going to ring these lines and rightly so.

Would you have all the 'cynics' such as yourself out there not expressing any love or respect for the man...How hard is it to please you?
We get the love and respect we deserve and that is ALL that is happening here...

Do you have lack of respect isssues in your own life PK is that what is this is all about?
Learn to be a bigger man...if you cant say anything nice(or [positive) say nothing.

As for a Saint hood for Steve what a great idea and I support it 100%

OZ-GIRL - learn not to make disparaging character assessments on blogs like this, simply on the basis of a few posts made by fellow bloggers that you disagree with, and both you and the topics being debated will better for it.

Dont see any disparaging remarks PK..a couple of questions maybe, which you did not answer..you however HAVE been disparaging about Steve and I take exception to that...

Thank goodness cynicism is treated by most people exactly as it deserves to be....with little or no due consideration....be nice PK.

Oz-girl - I must say nice things - I must say nice things - I must say nice things - Nothing negative - nothing negative -- nothing negative.

Thanks for putting me straight. I'll see you in the church of St Steve.

PK now thats better...im glad I could help with ur unfortunate attitude towards a great man...

The even darker side to you is on another thread about Steve and his moniker is 'Proud to be Indonesian' and he even agrees with you ..heaven help us...now you are being supported by the likes of that creep..we judge people by the company they keep PK.
This low life is truly disparaging and creepy...I think they all are
creepy that is)..read all his posts and then tell me his is not way out of line.

If he keeps up his TROLL like behaviuor Im going to try to have him banned...he can go and infect an asian forum somewhere....

Oz-girl: there is help for an affliction like yours, you know. There is no need to go about on the psychic pain that you are obviously suffering.

PK are you on drugs?

Why, do you want to share some of yours, oz-girl? No thanks, I prefer fresh air myself, and yours don't seem to be beneficial anyway. Perhaps consult your GP.

yes and yes to barry cohen re steve irwin.
i found him to be so grating i could not watch him, in fact one of my mental health contacts thought he was suffering from bi polar disorder
some friends recently returned from overseas used to "cringe" when he came on TV in USA and UK. matron.

Pk...Id be happy to share some of my mind altering drugs with you if I thought it could in any way make up for your lack of compassion for poor Steve .

A personality transplant would not go astray..but wait! theres more.. the seeds of what may constitute a sense of humour..

Theres hope for you yet.

Oz-girl, perhaps I would have been happy to keep trading insults with you, but I'm bored with that. Picking up on your 'show more respect for Steve' theme, I went back and re-read my September 8 post above to see what you thought was disrespectful. Blowed if I could find anything. The post was a comment on the reaction to Steve's death. A lot of it is near-hysterical, including yours, I might say. There was nothing disrespectful from me in this thread.

I do have views on Steve's TV shows that I expressed on other threads. I still hold them. As I have carefully explained, you don't change your views about public figures if they die. You don't have to withold your opinion on them on opinion sites either.

Have you noticed the difference in the reactions to the deaths of Irwin and Brock - very different. Ask yourself what that tells you.

You obviously loved Steve, and I can respect that. What I don't respect is you rushing around each of the several threads about him on OLO getting very stroppy with anyone who doesn't share your view. Why should you care? You are not his official mourner. Give it a rest. You're looking a bit foolish. You don't like what you see as disrespect, then stop reacting to it, because it just produces more.

PK...live and let live I say..if I want to make a fool of myself who are u to stop me...?

And by the way...u seem to have an unhealthy interest following me around threads now?

Peter Brocks death did not resonate with public because he lived his life largely for Peter Brock...his funds supported Peter Brock...noone else.
I dont know, I believe we should give credit where credits due..whats wrong with that?

And yes..I will stand up to pple who knock Steve or anyone who is dead and cant say anything in their own defence...I make NO apolagy for that...
If I knew you PK and heard someone knock u...Id stand up for u in ur absence..thats just the way I am..and Im not ashamed.

You are wrong about that, OZ-GIRL. Peter Brock ran a successful charitable organisation:

http://peterbrockfoundation.com.au/

Brock also worked for almost his entire life to promote the cause of road safety.

Brock's death resonated with the public alright - the media coverage has been just as big as for Irwin. The difference is that there have been no articles that I have seen, questioning the contribution made by Brock. That's because it was unquestionably positive. Brock was an entirely admirable person.

Steve was more or less admirable but also had his faults as many have said.

Watch out for my funeral notice - you can deliver my eulogy.

Pk ..'running a successful charitible organisation' is not the same as putting your own dollars and cents ,all of them ,into something that helps other pple or animals conservation..
To head up a charity is NOT the same thing at all, one only has to turn up at events etc..

Its just plain silly to say these men, comparatively speaking are anything alike in the way they have dedicated themselves to their life work and the different degrees of time ,energy,passion, love and wealth devoted to the things they strived for..Peter race car driving and Steve to the saving of the worlds animals and conservation for the world..

Not the same thing at all.

Yeah Peter was a nice bloke but I really didnt notice him to be honest.

Peter Brock was a race car driver for heavens sake...