cl12pv2s - "He was an actor with a passion" - General consensus would agree that he was passionate but I don't believe he was acting. His display of enthusiasm was more than most of us would display but from accounts I have had it was definitely genuine. In saying that he knew how to use his enthusiasm to work a crowd.
Heliduck - I will change my original text to read, "He was a performer with a passion." That would be closer to what I meant....I did not mean that he was faking his passion, simply as you said...he knew how to deliver his passion to the masses. i.e. perform! Hell, my father is a bloody good birdwatcher - can spot a sparrow at 20 miles! - but get him on the tele, and we'd all be asleap!
HelmetFire - Similar to you as to Heliduck, concerning the word, 'showman'. It doesn't mean he was faking it just for tele. It means he was good at shows!
Flying Lawyer - This Greer person sounds like a nasty piece of work. However, I daresay that some of the animals that met Irwin were in distress because, let's face it, his shorts
were too small! No seriously, some of the animals were in 'defensive' mode due to feeling threatened. I would have to agree.
Where my opinion differs from the 'Greer's' of this world, is that I don't believe that these animals were necessariliy, and long term detrimented. I would not say it was torment. You see, too many people (like Greer) try to liken animals to humans, giving them human responses and emotions. And this is where they are wrong and their arguement (in the name of animals) breaks down.
No, a crocodile doens't snap out of distress, it snaps due to prehistoric reflexes. It doens't then sulk for days on the verge of 'post-traumatic-stess' disorder! It probably doesn't even remember the incident! In short - distress is not an issue. A similar case is made for many animals.
In a rant in the Guardian (UK) she declares that "The animal world has finally taken its revenge on Irwin."
The bottom line, is
'The animal world couldn't organise and seek revenge' on anyone, becuase they are animals! They don't know WTF 'revenge' is!
So being defensive, is not necessarily being in distress, when you're an animal.
Before dog-lovers get all up in arms, I concede that some animals show varying degrees of emotions. OK!
Before anyone grossly misinterprets this post, I am writing in the man's defense here!
cl12pv2s