7 September 2006

Canberrans are a heartless bunch

| Master_Bates
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I could not believe it. The poll on Mix106’s web site (www.mix106.com) suggests that 93% of Canberrans believe that Steve Irwin’s last moments should be shown on commercial television.

Shame, Canberra, Shame!

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It’s not just Canberrans. There’s a poll on the BBC website; last time I looked, of around 47,000 people around the world, 62% want to watch it, 27% don’t, the rest are undecided.
-It’s the ones who’re undecided that worry me; I’d compel the morons to watch 20 hours of gory snuff movies just to help them get a brain.

I wanna see it. I beleive the public has a right to see it.
If you choose to live your life in the public spotlight then it’s only fair that the public gets to see you die in the spotlight.
(mind you, i want to see it just to giggle.)

What about the fuckw*ts at Mix106 evn asking the question in the first place – talk about trying to boost their ratings and website hits …

The results are probably indicative of the type of people who listen to the station rather than Canberrans as a whole

Despite the producer’s determination that the footage’ll never be shown, I’d find it extraordinary if they handed the camera tapes over to the authorities without making at least a safety copy first.
And in time, safety copies can move in extraordinary ways…

I give it 2 weeks it’ll be all over YouTube.

I suspect that because such footage exists, it will see the light of day at some point – if not on the TV then on something like YouTube.

There are interesting issues here about death and sensationalism and the media and peoples privacy.

Take for instance that old favorite of the media – the peoples right to know. Do I have a right to see that footage – possibly – in the same way I had a right to wonder at the unfunnyness of cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammad, I don’t think you can cherry pick on that – if the cartoons get up the so should Steve and the Sting Ray. Would I watch? Depends what else is on that night.

I also think that the ‘mournstabation” thing is interesting. I’m still one of the only people who didn’t watch the Princess Dianna funeral. I can’t fathom the mass outpouring of grief from a community whose connection is as tenuous as fleeting media and marketing contact – it seems confected. I do feel for his children though – they’re too young to grasp the commercialisation of their fathers death and no matter how it happens – no little kid deserves to lose his dad.

VY,

I thought it was 12
1 to change it
1 to chair the two sub-commitees
5 for sub-committee (a) to the discuss the violation of the socket.
5 for sub-commitee (b) to discuss if they should the one who changed it back into their social group for doing her own thing instead of waiting for the sub-committees to form a conclusion.

Bah – it’s hardly representative of “Canberrans” as a whole. It’s only the subset of people who both listen to/visit the website of MIX106, and also actually bother to vote in a poll there.
Personally, I’ve got no desire at all to watch it.

Q. How many feminists does it take to change a light bulb?

A. 6 – 1 to change it and 5 to form a committee to discuss the violation of the socket.

You guys crack me up! Of course, such a web poll offers a valuable insight into the minds of our fellow Canberrans…

barking toad4:02 pm 07 Sep 06

I’d like to see a video of a bull ray mating with the Germ’s fetid flaps and then do the spikey thing to her.

Doubt if there’d be much outpouring of grief at her demise though.

jamius maximus3:38 pm 07 Sep 06

That has to be wrong. Could this have been hacked or fixed by external sources?

There is no way they would show that anyway. Perhaps they could still use the footage leading up to it, if there was enough, but to show him dying on TV? No way.

the family has shown some class by rejecting a state funeral.

Death is often fascinating.
We’re all going to experience it but in today’s society where everything is highly sanitised and people are shunted off to hospital to die, not many actually witness many deaths. Gone are the days where Gran would die in her bed with family attending to her and then be laid out in the front sitting room for 5 days so all the relies/neighbours could come round and pay their last respects. Death is treated as somewhat taboo now which increases it’s interest (voyeuristic or otherwise).
It can sometimes be reassuring to see someone die in a violent manner such as Steve as one can see that it’s not actually all that bad.
(this is only one of many possible reasons people would like to see the vid)

If only he’d been wearing his Ray Bans………

I think the low ratings for Irwin’s TV tributes demonstrate that while the public is enthralled by the manner of his death we’re not as gripped in mourning as the PR flacks would like us to be.

It’s a shame, it’s not his wife and kids fault that the media machine has seen fit to cash in on his memory but they’ll be living with the backlash.

It’s a freaking webpoll, if anybody believes it has any level of accuracy, you’re out of your tree…

“…should be shown on commercial television”.
I wonder how many would want it shown on ABC or SBS?

While Steve might have wanted the film to keep on rolling and it probably will get out somewhere I know I will be trying damn hard to not watch it

I agree with Thumper – there is no point in needing to watch someone die for curiosity

I’ll be taking Dr Rudy’s advice and turning the TV off if it comes up

Yeah, what happened to the good ole days when you could switch on the box and see some kid starving in Ethiopia?

I blame Bob Geldof!

i demand to see the video as compensation for the lack of other varied and more interesting news items to read at the moment.

I think people are just curious – but the second it is shown people will be outraged because it’s obviously not a video to be taken lightly

Absent Diane2:59 pm 07 Sep 06

you need to eat a box first.

I agree AD; I read Greer’s column this morning, and she certainly makes a number of valid points. The media really made a beat up of her column though – how unusual of the media to do that!

I can’t believe I’m actually agreeing with something Greer has said! Does this mean I’ll turn into a lesbian now?

Today’s aptly named Crikey enewsletter has a good term for it all – mournstabation – the act of deriving pleasure or satisfaction from providing or consuming media coverage of a death, usu. celebrity.

Absent Diane2:49 pm 07 Sep 06

hhmm I may well be a little sick of hearing about this. evrything dies. He played with fire and got burnt. Sad for family but they are rich so they will live. I couldn’t give a rats though. I also tend to think greer brought up some relevant points. i don’t really care to see the video either.

It’d be interesting to see the expression on his face when he suddenly realised that animals are unpredictable and can really hurt you when they feel threatened.

Can Germaine Greer do the commentary?

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