Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin dies from stingray: Fox News jumps on fear angle
Just about everyone was shocked at the sudden death of Australian Steve Irwin, the “Crocodile Hunter” who made it his life’s work to get people to appreciate, and not fear wildlife and nature.
Of course, Fox News, in its zealous fight to find the fear angle of every conceivable story, spoke of Irwin’s death and gave a teaser for an upcoming segment on sting rays:
“Is this another reason for you to be afraid of going to the beach?” said the blonde talking head during “Fox News Live,” not answering the question until well after going to the “Battlelines” segment, where two more talking heads came on and argued whether the U.S. economy was fantastic, or super-fantastic, and whether Democrats are weak on terrorism, or completely impotent at the hands of “Islamofascists.”
But to answer the question: “Is this another reason for you to be afraid of going to the beach?” any sensible people is aware that, unless you suffer from an incomprehensible allergy to sand and seawater, there is no reason whatsoever to be afraid of going to the beach.
“It was extraordinarily bad luck,” Shaun Collin, a University of Queensland marine neuroscientist, told the Washington Post. “It’s not easy to get spined by a stingray, and to be killed by one is very rare.”
And keep in mind, sharks have much more to fear from humans than humans have from sharks.
“We’re killing over 100 million sharks a year,” said George Burgess, director of the Shark Research Center at the University of Florida. “No one wants to get bit, and our thoughts go out to victims of shark attacks — but when you consider that [there have been] only four deaths a year, it’s not a very large number.”
Just some things to keep in mind. Sort of like how you have the same chance of being killed by lightning as by dying in a terrorist attack. Fox News and other media outlets may think fear sells, but in reality, you have much more to fear from a bad diet and lack of exercise than terrorists or stingrays.
Steve Irwin’s life was dedicated to getting people to respect and not fear wildlife. Don’t let the media ruin that message by making you think you should be afraid.
–WKW