Is Steve Irwin fair dinkum game now that he’s been dead over a month? Controversial liberal talkshow host Bill Maher and the creators of South Park think so. Maher donned a tasteless Halloween costume featuring a red wig and sleevless khaki shirt with a stingray’s tail sticking out of his chest complete with fake blood. It’s a clever idea for a costume but it seems like a cruel stunt for a famous person to pull so soon after Irwin’s death.
Meanwhile South Park has parodied Irwin’s accidental death by showing the daredevil crocodile hunter as a Halloween party guest with a stingray’s barb sticking out of his chest. Irwin’s widow Terri is said to be devastated by the episode and hopes her young children never see it:
Terri, 42, is said to be worried that Irwin’s children BINDI, eight, and BOB, two, will see the show, which portrays the late star with a stingray sticking out of his chest less than two months after he died. Last night (27OCT06), Australian TV channel SBS said it is planning to air the episode in Australia next year (07) or in 2008. It has already been shown in the US. A friend of Irwin’s widow says, “Terri is devastated Steve is being mocked in such a cruel way. Her worry is that Bindi and Bob will see it and break down. “Steve had as big a sense of humour as anyone, but this goes too far too soon.” British TV naturalist MARK AMEY, 44, who worked alongside Irwin, backed the sentiments, saying, “My message to people is don’t watch the show. It’s distasteful s**t. Let’s hope none of Steve’s fans who keep poisonous animals happen to find the addresses of those behind the show and leave them a nice surprise.”
[via Fark]
Irwin is shown in South Park as a guy at Satan’s Halloween party who is mistaken for someone wearing a costume. In this clip, which I’m pretty sure is the one that’s referred to in the story, Irwin is chastized by Satan for daring to mock the accident so soon after it happened. He then says he’s the real Steve Irwin and Satan kicks him out for not having a costume. That’s obnoxious, but that’s how South Park is and they’re basically admitting that it’s tasteless.
Irwin was parodied in South Park while he was alive (link leads to video on YouTube) in an episode that aired in the second season.
I would expect that kind of behavior from the South Park dudes. They’re known for tasteless comedy. However, I hope someone roasts Bill Maher’s ass for that disgusting costume.
Tacky, poor Irwins.
Bill Mahr is just a low life scum.
i really feel sorry for the irwin family. The south park creators always “spoof” for a lack of a better word current events so i am not surprised. As for the bill mahr guy that was just not necessary
This is just bad taste. This is why I don’t watch South-Park anymore.
Maher is a loser. He says/does stupid things then tries to claim he’s being edgy and hip. He’s a has been, and this will only help push his career into the grave a little quicker, so at least SOME good will come of this.
Bill is a stupid jerk!
Maher actually may actually be grinding an ax a bit — it is common knowledge that Irwin, while not inherently a “bad person”, didn’t practice much real respect for the animals—-just for his audience. He was constantly poking at them and pulling them out of their nests, homes, and was disruptive as hell. To be hailed as anything more than an ignorant (albeit entertaining) tv figure and as an actual animal or nature conservationist is ridiculous. Maher is an animal rights activist, so maybe he WAS making a political statement—-I mean, he DID star in and start “Politically Incorrect”. I’m not saying either is right or wrong or that I think his idea is great, but Irwin isn’t a hero by any stretch. He fucking swam right up to a stingray and got way too close, as usual. A healthy respect would have prevented that, but he wasn’t the brightest, was he? Forgiveable, but not heroic, sorry. Maher at least is intelligent as hell. And funny as shit.
“didn’t practice much real respect for the animals—-just for his audience.”
I personally don’t feel that annoying animals for a couple of minutes implies disrespect. While it did not directly benefit the animal it did educate his audience and make it so that the animals weren’t so big and scary. It actually indirectly benefitted the animals. Because Irwin was so passionate about what he did with animals it made others more aware of his conservation work, and of the environment.
“as an actual animal or nature conservationist is ridiculous.”
It’s not really. He funded several conservation projects, rehabilitation centers, and rescue projects. How much more would the guy have to do to be called a consevationist?
“Maher is an animal rights activist, so maybe he WAS making a political statement—-”
I doubt it, he’s very much about being shocking, and he succeeded. I don’t think being a member of PETA and sort of vaguely complaining that animals are friends not food constitutes an activist. Has he actually done anything hands on? Like volunteered, or does he just stand around and complain?
“A healthy respect would have prevented that, but he wasn’t the brightest, was he? ”
I think that he did have a healthy respect. He was trained to handle every animal he handled. He died in a freak accident. Every one makes mistakes, he just has a much deadlier job than most, and therefore he had a much smaller margin for error. Unfortunately. And, I concur, he was not the brightest guy. He didn’t have that paralyzing fear gene that every one else has.
I thought Steve Irwin was endearing, and I find the costume and the episode to be incredibly not funny.
Those jokes have been made by idiot thirteen-year-olds all over the world, so not only is the humor malicious, it’s not terribly clever either. Bad form to all involved. Dude just died, his family will see that crap, it’s terrible.
I am not supporting the costume, I just disagree with you that starting a zoo, which are full of miserable animals, is “conservationism”, etc. He disrupted nature, period. The guy just fucked with crocodiles, period. He wasn’t skilled, etc. Just daring. And dumb. I don’t dislike him, but I don’t pretend he’s something he isn’t. At some point he obviously was going to get hurt, and what I DO think is awful is listening to his robotic daughter go on, carrying on his legacy of some disturbing, warped “respect” for animals, when animals just kindly would like to be left the hell alone.
Maher raises awareness and puts it in the spotlight. That’s the #1 thing people can do, honestly.
Sorry dudes, the costume was just funny as hell!
So clever guy! Ten thumbs up!
Ertarox, can I say that you are finally the FIRST person who is saying what I’ve been thinking (and saying) all along? I think Irwin took a lot of chances and it came back to bite him in the butt. I feel horrible for his family, but HE is the one who took the chances and he didn’t have to. I feel the most horrible for his kids. They didn’t have any say on what daddy decided to dod for a living. His wife knew who she was marrying when she married him.
However, i don’t like Maher either, really. I do feel like this costume is in poor taste and too soon (but in this wide eyes open giggle-y “I can’t believe he did that” kind of way).
Meh, he opened the croc-park for crocodiles that would’ve been killed because they had been in what was now considered to be human habitat. He did take risk, but that the job. He’d been doing that stuff since he was like 8 though, at least with the crocodiles.
And I agree that animals would rather be left alone, I see your point, but since just telling people to leave them alone hasn’t worked, maybe it’s not going to. Steve Irwin sort of gave some people a reason to care about animals, because in a bizarre way they cared about him. He wasn’t a super-hero. He was just an over-enthusiastic aussie, with a love for animals, and a high pain threshhold. And I think in addition to raising awareness and putting the issues in the Spotlight, Irwin actually did some thing about it. Something concrete. He didn’t just say other ought to. He did more than open the zoo’s all I’m saying. I’m not trying to argue anything, I swear, but he also donated money to conservation, did campaigns for endangered animals, and bought property just to leave the habitat undisturbed for the animals. As far as I know, all Maher does is complain. But I might be wrong, it’s happened before and I’m sure it’ll happen many times again.
Action, it didn’t bite him in the butt, it stung him in the heart. =/
Steve Irwin was a god amongst mear mortals. It will NEVER be okay to mock such a great and sexy person.