After the death of legendary crocodile hunter Steve Irwin, Ed board questions whether extreme sports and tactics are worth the risk of injury to the person performing them.
With TV show “The Crocodile Hunter” coming to an end following Irwin’s death, what other shows will pop up to take its place?
Steve Irwin had been performing his stunts for years, defying death in his run-ins with alligators, sharks and other dangerous animals. He was accused of crossing the line a few times, including the time he fed a crocodile with one hand while holding his baby in the other.
Now millions of fans around the globe are mourning his death. He performed hundreds of dangerous stunts before, so why this stingray? Why this stunt? Why this time?
According to Shaun Collin, a marine biologist, it was just extremely bad luck on Irwin’s part.
Irwin left behind his wife Terri, his son and his daughter. They did not deserve to lose the most important man in their lives for the sake of good ratings and station popularity.
TV’s new show “Stunt Junkies” takes a different spin on extreme sports, with daredevils taking their practice to new extremes, like skateboarders performing jumps off of the Grand Canyon. Other shows such as “Fear Factor,” “Jackass,” “Viva La Bam” and “Wild and Crazy Kids” also show how “fun” it is to do crazy stunts.
Supposedly these stunts create a sense of euphoria caused by an extreme adrenaline rush. The adrenal glands, located on top of the kidneys, secrete adrenaline straight into the blood stream, raising blood pressure and heart rate, decreasing pain and increasing speed and strength.
We all see the warnings at the beginning of these shows: “Do not attempt to perform these stunts at home. The actors in this show are trained.” How much training have they received? Is there a certification to perform these stunts? If there isn’t, then why isn’t everyone allowed to perform these stunts at home?
People should not be getting their enjoyment out of watching others potentially hurting themselves.
The biggest culprit of the “adrenaline junkies” is the show “Jackass,” in which men purposefully hurt themselves to get a laugh. But what happens when one of their stunts go too far and one of them dies? Since they were trained is it no one’s fault? Not likely.
People need to weigh the value of watching people hurt themselves versus the value of a human life.
