How brave is this little girl?

[BIG H]

Mawkish sanctimonious sentimentality.

We did the same s hit when that useless cow Diana died.

Yeh feeling sad for an 8 year old kid who has lost her Dad is "Mawkish sanctimonious sentimentality"

[X]

Big H - I am not having a go at the poor girl. Feeling sorry for her losing her father at 8 years old is quite right and is a natural human reaction.

Parading her in front of millions of people, to publically lay bare her grief, and encourage an outpouring of group hysteria is mawkish sanctimonious sentimentality.

Not to put too fine a point on it, there are many other orphans in the world who have lost their parents and we should feel just as sorry for them, despite the fact that their fathers may not have been 'famous TV personalities' That alone does not make her grief worse or better, nor more or less deserving of sympathy.

That will be a view not shared by everyone. It is, however, my feelings about it.

My (personal) feeling is that grief and loss are private emotions, felt internally by people in different ways and to different degrees. I object to PC society telling me how I should feel about things and what degree is acceptable.

I am sure that ol' Steve Irwin was a good bloke and did good TV shows. I think it's a shame that I won't be able to watch any more new ones, but I didn't know the guy nor his family and don't understand why we should feel especially sad about one more death which was an accident. Lots of orphans are created by deaths which are not accidents and it would be better if the world got a bit more upset about them?

I understand some people will be gutted as they will have connected with Irwin in some way. But I doubt whether it is really the case for the thousands of bandwagon-jumpers seem to have clambered aboard this one.

I will be gutted when Muhammad Ali dies, for example. But not Richard Hammond particulary. Each to his own?

[BIG H]

Totally agree that many people die everyday and no one person's life is more important than any others (except for Paedos ) - so on that score we agree

It's just that the thread is about the kid and it's horrible to see her up there as it would be with any kid whoever their dad was.

[Von Milash]

we tend to feel closer to those we like and admire. Steve fell into that category. He was a good guy. So did Diana, so did JFK Jr. They were likable public figures.

[X]

Yeah, I agree (but I will take issue with Diana who never struck me as anything more than a dim, blond trophy wife with delusions of grandeur and incipient paranoia)

Just as people can get a view of someone without having met them .... that works both ways.

[Drago]

I was gutted to hear about steve & having my 3 yr old daughter cry about it did not help - Big H think that you should chill on it - better discuss later bit too soon yet - agree on diana thing & know what u r saying man