Canberrans are a heartless bunch

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.

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

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.

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?