Reality-Show Snake-Handling Pastor Dies From Snake Bite

[Hunter]

I remember him [Steve Irwin] talking about his animals like they were equal to people...

Well then, if he said that... he was an idiot. Kind of like that guy who went off and lived with the grizzly bears. Al his friends found of him when they went searching for him was a great big bear turd. Its one thing to observe and study animals; its another thing to go into their world and mess with 'em all the time. Gets you killed sooner or later.

[kensei]

Well then, if he said that... he was an idiot. Kind of like that guy who went off and lived with the grizzly bears. Al his friends found of him when they went searching for him was a great big bear turd. Its one thing to observe and study animals; its another thing to go into their world and mess with 'em all the time. Gets you killed sooner or later.

Well, Irwin was a professional who operated a zoo and worked with a trained staff, while Timothy Treadwell with the grizzles was anything but. Treadwell thought there was something spiritual going on with him and the bears, while Irwin just really, really loved animals and specialized in capturing crocodiles that would otherwise probably have been killed. It was dangerous work and he accepted the risk. Where he probably should have had his head examined, though, was when he was putting on one of his croc shows at the zoo and was holding his baby son in the croc pen. He got in a lot of trouble for that one.

[Hunter]

Yeah, I remember that. I'm sure Steve meant well and you couldn't help enjoying his show and his enthusiasm. But he eventually went beyond what he had been as a professional. He was harassing animals in the wild for the sake of excitement in the show. It made him careless and it got him killed. He left behind a wonderful family who needed him in their lives.

[Ginger]

...including his favorite croc at his zoo even though he admitted that he knew the croc wanted nothing more than to eat him. You don't suppose he might have included the croc in his will and...?

I would dearly love, after I'm dead, to have my body pitched into the hyena enclosure at the zoo, and eaten by hyenas. I just think that would be cool. The zoo could probably make a pile selling pay-per-view coverage, too. The hyena keepers might be less than thrilled with me giving ideas to their charges, though...

[kensei]

I would dearly love, after I'm dead, to have my body pitched into the hyena enclosure at the zoo, and eaten by hyenas. I just think that would be cool. The zoo could probably make a pile selling pay-per-view coverage, too. The hyena keepers might be less than thrilled with me giving ideas to their charges, though...

I was only half joking. I really do wonder if Steve Irwin willed his body to his favorite croc. It would so be in keeping with his personality. He could easily have wanted to include the animal in his will, and after all it only ever wanted one thing from him. I could see his wife saying to the staff, "Just take care of it, and tell me when it's over." I know that sounds outrageous, but Steve was kind of a goofy guy.

[kensei]

Some thoughts on Treadwell also- There is an excellent book called "The Grizzly Maze: Timothy Treadwell's Fatal Obsession with Alaskan Bears" by Nick Jans that tells the whole story of what happened there. A lot of derision has been heaped upon him for how he became obsessed with protecting bears that weren't really in any danger and how his actions ultimately cost the lives of two bears that were shot by the first responders, as well as his own life and most tragically the life of his girlfriend. I can't really defend him- Treadwell was a special kind of crazy. But the amazing thing is that he lived among those bears for YEARS before he ran afoul of the one that ended his life. He must have learned something about them that kept him safe for so long. He liked to give them cute pet names. As the book describes, the one that killed him was one that he had dubbed "Mr. Vicious." Coming from him, that says a lot.

[Errata]

Southern hillbillies are not the only ones to use snakes in religious practices. African, Afro-Cuban, and Indian religions (even Hinduism and it's offshoots) use venomous snakes. And people die from those snakes, especially the cobra kissers in India. People sort of shrug those practices off, but are so freaking baffled by the snake handlers of the Appalachias. And it's straight up ethnocentrism. We think white American Christians should know better, but that in other cultures it's a product of ignorance and superstition that we think inherent in non white cultures. Us = enlightened, them = barbarians.

But when it all boils down to it, the simple truth is that no matter what race you are, what nation you are from, how much money you make, how technologically advanced you are... if god tells you to play with a deadly snake, you play with a deadly snake. And the "barbarian" cultures do have one up on us. None of them play with deadly snakes as a dare, or a hobby, or out of boredom. Which any kid from the South knows that we do kind of all the time. And dying from a snakebite incurred after a "Betcha 5 bucks you wont..." game is a whole lot dumber than handling snakes for god. Just putting that out there.

[Robert]

I was in the pharmacy today looking for some shower gel and I saw "snake venom face scrub." Oh my god what in tarnation is that???

[Errata]

I was in the pharmacy today looking for some shower gel and I saw "snake venom face scrub." Oh my god what in tarnation is that???

reduces wrinkles using a mild paralytic found in snake venom. So they say.

[caz]

Southern hillbillies are not the only ones to use snakes in religious practices. African, Afro-Cuban, and Indian religions (even Hinduism and it's offshoots) use venomous snakes. And people die from those snakes, especially the cobra kissers in India. People sort of shrug those practices off, but are so freaking baffled by the snake handlers of the Appalachias. And it's straight up ethnocentrism. We think white American Christians should know better...

Well I certainly don't. Seems par for the course. Who were you including in your 'we'?

Love,

Caz
X

[Robert]

"reduces wrinkles using a mild paralytic found in snake venom. So they say."

Well, I hope they don't expect to be kissed after putting that stuff on.

[Errata]

Well I certainly don't. Seems par for the course. Who were you including in your 'we'?

Love,

Caz
X

It's a social we, not an individual we.