Take a stand

[Refreshinglygood]

Three cheers to the mods for closing the Irwin thread, just wanted to get this in though I sent this email to all my mates.
Did this yesterday, wanted to get in before all the halfwits did.



Boycott the jokes
"You know they are going to come.

Boycott the trashy Steve Irwin Jokes.

He was one of the last true aussies, he deserves better than a bunch of cheap trashy jokes about how he died.

Take a stand, if one comes in, put it straight in the trash"

[roxy12]

damn right, he stood for something, was a top bloke, family man and conservatonist.

Goto be pretty pathetic to start jokes about a man like that.

RESPECT

[cooper_sgs]

wat annoys me most is that he seems like a genuine bloke. who didnt set out not to make a huge sum of money (even tho luckily for his kids/wife he did) he set out to conserve and raise awareness of australias native flaura and fauna. He had only the interests of others in mind and it is deplorable that un-australian acting members of farkin (like who started the steve irwin thread) cheapen his life with trashy jokes. He is a true aussie icon

[Oddjob]

wat annoys me most is that he seems like a genuine bloke. who didnt set out not to make a huge sum of money (even tho luckily for his kids/wife he did) he set out to conserve and raise awareness of australias native flaura and fauna. He had only the interests of others in mind and it is deplorable that un-australian acting members of farkin (like who started the steve irwin thread) cheapen his life with trashy jokes. He is a true aussie icon

Please don't start with the whole un-Australian thing. Making jokes about the recently deceased is just plain old disrespectful.

[Drizz]

Agree. The funeral hasn't even be scheduled yet FFS.

Please have some respect for the man and those who are mourning his passing. (Even if you disagreed with his position while he was alive.)

[NCR600]

I have no problem with the jokes. I even posted one myself, which I pulled off an international forum. If nothing else, you have to admire the speed with which it was posted, as it was dated at around 1pm, which is an hour before I'd even heard about it.

People react to bad situations differently. Some people see humour in anything. Personally I believe having a joke made about you in death is a mark of your standing in the conciousness of the world if not a mark of respect.

Making light of a bad situation is quintessentially Australian and English behaviour.

If people I don't know want to make jokes about me when I'm dead, good. At least my passing will be noted by more than my family and friends, and I'll take it as a sign that people knew of me, if not exactly respected me!

[fleshbone]

exactly guys,never make fun of no dead person just as they have passed.look how long it took for people to accept hitler jokes(years and years) and he was a monster in many peoples eyes.it's just not on.

don't mean to be a stick in the mud,but i recon this should of ben in the off-topic forum




live the "crikey"

[Hilsty]

I was emailed one of these said jokes at work today - It went straight in the trash, didn't even open it.

[PyletSnviper]

just remember... he died doing what he loved... he woulda perferred to go out sorrouded by the animals he devoted his live to saveing rather than in a hospital from some disease

and the best we can do for him is just remember him for what he was... a bloody great aussie!

and the day of his funeral all of you remember to take some time out of your day to remember him.. cause i know i will

[Randy Rhoads]

Yeah, he was a true aussie.

Its a shame people sink so low to joke about his death.

RIP: Stevo

[Faded]

(even tho luckily for his kids/wife he did)


He acually didn't have that much money as his friend sayd on tv "never had a credit card, never carried a dollar, he would even ask me for $10 to buy [his kids] a toy"

All the millions he made went into the Australia Zoo and buying huge amounts of land to conserve.

Yet people are saying he got what he was gettin always distressing animals, i heard that on tv ealier. If by some chance that person reads this, think about it dumbass, you sit there and judge him and he has done more for our country, more for our people AND MORE FOR THE ANIMALS than you will do in your intire life, he truely was a great bloke.

[thecat]

Oh come on people!!! Laughing at tragedy is the we we cope with things.


If you don't want to read the jokes don't read them but censorship sucks.

Steve Erwin was a great ambassador for wild life and the conservation movement and he will be sorely missed. I think the world is better off for him having lived here but it will be a worse place if we can't have a joke.

If somebody somewhere can't find a bit of humour in my passing I'd be sorely pissed.

[No_Style]

Personally I think I'm more in NCR's boat.

Black humour however is something that I realise does bother others.

I also feel that making jokes about someones death is not suitable unless you were mates with them before their death and you're in the company of others who understand the non-slanderous intent of such a dig. If anything the note of such remarks is more often than not a vieled form of praise or respect for the deceased that one finds hard to express in another fashion. Such jokes are often made to remember character or personality traits that were held/viewed in light hearted manner with the person before their death. No disrespect is aimed at the deceased by true mates/family, despite the words used or the fashion in which it may have been said.

Unfortunately the above scenario isn't exactly true when applied to the people making these sorts of jokes about his death. If close friends, even family want to joke then that is totally understood by me. It's very offensive when someone not 'in-the-loop' so to speak makes such remarks or jokes however at a sensitive time.

Furthermore the above joke isn't very tasteful, its simply a wise crack play on words, it is not something that highlights the good/respected traits of the deceased; which is what I consider to be true black humour in such a situation.
That said, jokes can be made by outsiders with no malicious intent at all, however they may not be interpreted as such by those who were close(r) to the deceased. Respecting these people through a period of grieving is I think the least people can do.

Fair enough these jokes will come out in time, but time heals, and at least then such jokes won't be hurting (as much) those who might have been more deeply affected by his death.

Personally I'm not concerned as I didn't know the bloke, from what I have read he seems a to be someone who put his money where his mouth was, and I respect people for that.

[leitch]

exactly guys,never make fun of no dead person just as they have passed.look how long it took for people to accept hitler jokes(years and years)
im sorry, but that is the single worst analogy i have EVER heard. people took ages to accept jokes about hitler because he EXTERMINATED 6 MILLION PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE. try as you might, you will NEVER make as big a deal out of someone like steve irwin as someone like Mao/Hitler/Stalin.

now i agree, the man was a national icon and an all-round fantastic guy, and it is an absolute tragedy that he has died so young and left his family behind, but that has got to be the single stupidest thing i have read on here for a long time..

i'd also have to agree with NCR600...its not that big a deal. laughing things off is part of the national character and stereotype that steve contributed to significantly himself

[angrygecko]

Steve's death has truly struck a chord with all australians. He is the man that summarised who we are - people with heart...

I watched a recap of his interview on Andrew Denton's show on ABC, it showed a side deeper than that of which is portrayed, an intelligent and compassionate man who actually gives a damn about something rare and beautiful...

My deepest condolences to his wife and two kids, I hope in years to come they can celebrate the life their dad lived with as much vigour and passion as he did his own...

If people want to take a poke at someone, have a go at Germain Greer - oh so very out of place with what she said... :mad:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Irwin-death-animal-world-revenge-Greer/2006/09/05/1157222109840.html

[Refreshinglygood]

Personally I believe having a joke made about you in death is a mark of your standing in the conciousness of the world if not a mark of respect.


Sometimes we rationalize things to make it seem OK. It i not ok to "make fun of" someone when they are in or have been in a tough spot. Irwins family are indeed in a tough spot.

Imagine his kids reading these jokes in a few years time, imagine their hurt, and then realize that if you think it is ok, then you have been a part of facilitating this hurt.

Don't make stuff up to make it ok.

[Refreshinglygood]

Oh come on people!!! Laughing at tragedy is the we we cope with things.


If you don't want to read the jokes don't read them but censorship sucks.

Steve Erwin was a great ambassador for wild life and the conservation movement and he will be sorely missed. I think the world is better off for him having lived here but it will be a worse place if we can't have a joke.

If somebody somewhere can't find a bit of humour in my passing I'd be sorely pissed.


Choice isn't censorship.

As far as the the way we cope with thngs comment, thanks for setting me straight, clearly i was mistaken about how I feel about it.

Don't speak for me champ, have your opinion, but don't speak for me.

[Refreshinglygood]

I also feel that making jokes about someones death is not suitable unless you were mates with them before their death and you're in the company of others who understand the non-slanderous intent of such a dig. If anything the note of such remarks is more often than not a vieled form of praise or respect for the deceased that one finds hard to express in another fashion. Such jokes are often made to remember character or personality traits that were held/viewed in light hearted manner with the person before their death. No disrespect is aimed at the deceased by true mates/family, despite the words used or the fashion in which it may have been said.

Unfortunately the above scenario isn't exactly true when applied to the people making these sorts of jokes about his death. If close friends, even family want to joke then that is totally understood by me. It's very offensive when someone not 'in-the-loop' so to speak makes such remarks or jokes however at a sensitive time.



Got my vote with that one mate.

Totally agree,

[NCR600]

Sometimes we rationalize things to make it seem OK. It i not ok to "make fun of" someone when they are in or have been in a tough spot. Irwins family are indeed in a tough spot.

Imagine his kids reading these jokes in a few years time, imagine their hurt, and then realize that if you think it is ok, then you have been a part of facilitating this hurt.

Don't make stuff up to make it ok.

I was stating MY OPINION

An opinion is neither factual or non factual. It's not something you can "make up".
I thought the phrase "Personally I believe" would have made that fairly clear.

Should we perhaps erase all satirical material containing reference to Steve Irwin after his tragic death in case his family get upset at it? Let's delete all the Footy Show sketches, Viz Magazine comics, and hell, why not Russel Coight too. None of those were particularly respectful to him in life, so now he's dead, they must be REALLY, REALLY disrespectful, and NEED to be deleted, NOW!

People have different coping mechanisms, and senses of humour, and different ideas of what it is to respect someone.

Why is Southpark depicting Steve Irwin sticking his thumb into various parts of animal's anatomy not disrespectful, and worthy of much giggling & mirth, while a simple play on words (not even rude or smutty words) is tantamount to treason simply because the subject is deceased?

[Refreshinglygood]

I was stating MY OPINION

An opinion is neither factual or non factual. It's not something you can "make up".
I thought the phrase "Personally I believe" would have made that fairly clear.

Should we perhaps erase all satirical material containing reference to Steve Irwin after his tragic death in case his family get upset at it? Let's delete all the Footy Show sketches, Viz Magazine comics, and hell, why not Russel Coight too. None of those were particularly respectful to him in life, so now he's dead, they must be REALLY, REALLY disrespectful, and NEED to be deleted, NOW!

People have different coping mechanisms, and senses of humour, and different ideas of what it is to respect someone.

Why is Southpark depicting Steve Irwin sticking his thumb into various parts of animal's anatomy not disrespectful, and worthy of much giggling & mirth, while a simple play on words (not even rude or smutty words) is tantamount to treason simply because the subject is deceased?


Didnt say you couldn't have an opinion, the thing about an opinion is that if you don't have the ability to have it be challanged, then you should think twice about putting it out there.


You are welcome to your opinion, don't be surprised if someone doesn't agree though, this is actually a good thing.

I do think you are way off, but I guess i had better keep that to myself though as I am not allowd to challange.


treason??????????????


Anyway, the point behind my original post was that there are bound to be some tasteless jokes coming out, Do the guy and his family a favour>>> Ignore em, (or don't it's up to you)

[thecat]

Choice isn't censorship.

closing down a thread because of a few joke may be though.



As far as the the way we cope with thngs comment, thanks for setting me straight, clearly i was mistaken about how I feel about it.

Don't speak for me champ, have your opinion, but don't speak for me.

Don't patronise me and call me champ, I've never won anything. Since when did I state we = me and you. I wasn't speaking for you, I was speaking for the people who will have a giggle at a few silly jokes to help releave the shock and get on with life.

[johnny]

closing down a thread because of a few joke may be though.I think that may be a bit rich.

I think there is a difference between censorship and good taste and so on. It's a fine line, I know, but we are also attempting to cater for the majority and create and maintain an image for ourselves and the Aust. MTB scene. There are specific codes of conduct, social norms and accepted behaviour in any community and society, to call these types of directions censorship goes overboard I think.

Maybe if the thread was completely removed you could call it censorship. I know I'm not articulating myself very well here, I guess I think censorship is a denial of information, this was a restriction of what is seen by many as offensive material, so I'm not sure if it fits TBH.



The reason why I closed the thread: The bloke making the jokes wasn't a mate of Irwins, I assume. I think if you are some one who isn't affected by another's death and you make jokes about it, you're not "dealing with the death in your own way" because you've got no real grief to deal with. You are simply making a joke at some one else's misfortune. I think that, at this early point in time, is a little bit too insensitive and tacky.

I have pretty much no affection for the bloke, but I still have consideration for other people's feelings on the issue and in the effort to get along with everyone. I think that this is a standard of behaviour that can benefit the majority so I choose to promote that conduct.

[thecat]

I think that may be a bit rich.

I think there is a difference between censorship and good taste and so on.
It's a fine line,

It is a fine line. Closing the thread because it had become a irrelevant to the topic and a waist I bandwidth I agree with. Closing it because you didn't agree with what was being posted Skims that fine line.



I know, but we are also attempting to cater for the majority and create and maintain an image for ourselves and the Aust. MTB scene. There are specific codes of conduct, social norms and accepted behaviour in any community and society, to call these types of directions censorship goes overboard I think.


Agreed. I'll retract the censorship comment.






I think if you are some one who isn't affected by another's death and you make jokes about it, you're not "dealing with the death in your own way" because you've got no real grief to deal with. You are simply making a joke at some one else's misfortune. I think that, at this early point in time, is a little bit too insensitive and tacky.


Are you saying you never laughed at the Challlenger jokes as a kid?

It's a big bad world out there and if you take it too seriously you'll drown in a pool of drepression. From the image he protrayed to the public Steve Irwin was a larikin he knew how to find the humour in a situation.

[johnny]

Are you saying you never laughed at the Challlenger jokes as a kid?

It's a big bad world out there and if you take it too seriously you'll drown in a pool of drepression. From the image he protrayed to the public Steve Irwin was a larikin he knew how to find the humour in a situation.You missed this bit:I think that, at this early point in time, is a little bit too insensitive and tacky.;)

[Bodin]

Are you saying you never laughed at the Challlenger jokes as a kid?

...and to add to the wise words that Johnny has already offered, we aren't kids (you, me & johnny) and should probably do our best to act like sensitive adults about a sensitive issue in a public forum.

[TonyG]

Do you all remember the South Park episode where it was deemed that enough time had passed that Aids was now publicly funny. Good times, good times.
They need to release a hand book on when we can start to make jokes about tragedies for insensitive bastards like me. I dont want to offend people, it just come naturally..
When they had the Beaconsfield Mine disaster, I remember hearing the joke about Mr M Jackson leaving disappointed when he found out they the wrong type of Miners where trapped down the mine. Now that could have turned nasty had they not made it out, but I was still a funny joke.
I think on a public forum however, we have to cater for the more sensitive members rather than the less sensitive (like myself).

[Gravjunkie]

"Crikey".....I cant believe there's so much serious reaction to the jokes coming out about the untimely death of Steve Irwin. It was open slather when he was alive, now that he's dead, it's SOOOOOO inappropriate.

They're not funny anyway. So all you righteous do gooders get over it!
He was a great guy, he will be sadly missed.......now lets get back to what this forum is about...:mad:

[johnny]

"Crikey".....I cant believe there's so much serious reaction to the jokes coming out about the untimely death of Steve Irwin. It was open slather when he was alive, now that he's dead, it's SOOOOOO inappropriate.Well isn't that WHY it's innapropriate??!! a) he's dead and can't join in the laugh/defend himself, and more importantly, b) People are still mourning his loss for God's sake! Surely that's not too hard to understand?!

Personally, I'm not offended, but I know others are. So in the pursuit of good taste, I suggest it's you who should get over it. ;)

[Lahardesign]

Very sad about mr Irwins bad luck.
I was diving for paua in 2 ft visibility last summer, went down and suddenly realised my nose was 18inch from a huge stingray and my hand about to touch it. I took off like an Iranian 200mph torpedo, swear I cleared the surface with my breach. Could easily have stuck me in the ticker if it had seen me first.

Steve had a great sense of humour. About the funniest thing I ever saw was that movie he made. Hammed up his usual antics x10! What was it called? with the poachers etc.

[forcefed]

Totally agreeing with the trashing idea....

The Man was a great ambasitor for Australia and he deserves more respect than cheap nasty demeaning jokes and puns.