I don't think there's anything funny about rich people dying in 13,000 feet of water. Though I do think poor people dying that way is less funny.
It does raise my blood pressure somewhat that millions are spent looking for them by the government whose safety regulations they scorned. AND that someone even asked what was going to be done about recovering the bodies.
Though I tend to think of how seldom-- until this story never-- I see mentioned the public cost of rescue crusades on behalf of a few people who have chosen dangerous fun times. And while I think that the comparison of letting immigrants and refugees drown with this rescue attempt absolutely parallel in terms of (in)activity, I tend to compare the monetary costs of such rescues with the costs of making sure everyone has enough to eat.
As this was a topic of conversation last night a person in the corner was telling the story of his 20 y.o. niece found dead in NY of a suspected fentynal OD! Imagine if her tragic death got the attention of the voyeuristic multi millionaires ill fated voyage? So while I take no pleasure or see any humor in the failed voyage I wish more attention was directed at stories like the one from the man in the corner. Most of us can easily relate to the trauma that family is now dealing with.
and in just a couple of weeks a new friend we made here in SC will endure the 1 year anniversary OD death of his 23 y.o. son - he met his fate in his family's home.....so these stories are all around us...see today's front page of the Boston Globe that details the rise of OD deaths in MA attributable to the fentynal craze:((
Thank you, Susan. I've been horrified by the "gallows humor" that began on Monday. It was evocative of similar "humor" after the Challenger explosion.
You make a point we all should all think about more in comparing the loss of five rich people vs the hundreds fleeing their homelands for their lives, who were lost at sea. And they likely endured far slower, worse deaths.
Although if I knew him personally it might be different, I find myself getting less upset at people like Kevin Sorbo. I used to think that something should be done about someone like him. Now, more times than not, I tell myself something has been done. He has to go through life as Kevin Sorbo. Sometimes that’s justice enough. An old friend from the past, after quietly listening to something stupid or mean that I or someone else said would respond; “Be that way. That’s the way you are”. Talk about being given pause.
I missed any attempts at humor, but peripherally paid attention to the rescue efforts. Long shot rescues do attact attention. Mix that in with the Titanic and some personal stories, and the news business is happy to have a big audience. Sad, but true when a business is all about garnering attention/viewers.
However, the big picture view of the rescue cost and efforts for the five wealthy people compared to the efforts to help hundreds of drowning migrant people is pretty disgusting. The people who perished in the Mediterranean need to be more than a number and label. They were individuals and we almost never hear their stories.
Your granddaughter is smart, every death matters. Every single one.
Two former employees voiced safety concerns and Stockton Rush admitted to breaking rules
Putting lives at risk for a big payday seems callous
Maybe arrogant is a better word
Saying that you don’t want a bunch of 50 year old white guys and instead you want a diverse crew that would be inspirational is all well and good but when I look at pictures of the crew , they were all young and white
How diverse is that???
It seems that they weren’t actually looking for a diverse and inspirational crew but rather one that would appeal to a certain demographic
As soon as I heard that they lost contact I was pretty sure that their fate was sealed
It’s easier to mount a rescue mission into space than at the bottom of the Atlantic
I will admit to laughing at the memes. Yeah, they were human, but I'm having a hard time feeling all that sorry for this group of fools that were parted from their money. My sympathy bandwidth is with the migrants that risk their lives for more valid reasons. The irony is not lost on me that Stockton Rush's widow great great grandparents perished on the Titanic.
I could think of a lot of better ways to spend $250K, especially in today's world, and I think that drove the malevolence. In my online circle of friends, dark humor is to be expected. Memes were being shared.
That is a very valid point. And whether it’s at sea or crossing a border on foot, every human life is important.
My heart breaks for those struggling to get to a better life as I know my ancestors did many years ago. And yet we do so little to change things in the places people are trying to escape from. Many are simply sent back or allowed to drown.
The comparisons are staggering when we see that these rich people risked their lives simply because they wanted a thrill.
And the cost of trying to find them. Then we turn our eyes to the thousands who are lost, and the only note is — maybe — a brief story in a faraway newspaper.
While I may not want to spend a lot of time mourning the stupid decisions of the very rich, I’m disgusted by what I see appearing on Facebook, much of it from people I otherwise respect. The young man who was terrified to go but went anyway to please his father is always in my head. The ghoulish “humor” is revolting.
I agree. Be kind, be kind. “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” John Donne.
I laughed, felt guilty, then laughed more. Only felt sorry for the 19 year old who apparently was pressured into going by his Titanic obsessed father. But have little sympathy for people who assume that they know better than the safety experts they hired and then fired when they didn't like the warnings. Classic FAFO.
Thanks for saying this out loud as we have been thinking and feeling the same things. Stories (in the news) about an individual are massively popular if there is something to single them out, whether it is great wealth, foolhardy extreme experiences, criminal behavior against the community or, on the plus side, rescuing an animal or standing up against tanks in T. Square. If lots of ordinary people experience something it’s not news at all or only news if the numbers are larger than ever.
I don't think there's anything funny about rich people dying in 13,000 feet of water. Though I do think poor people dying that way is less funny.
It does raise my blood pressure somewhat that millions are spent looking for them by the government whose safety regulations they scorned. AND that someone even asked what was going to be done about recovering the bodies.
That's what they're estimating the rescue will cost. Millions.
Where you are is where I am.
Though I tend to think of how seldom-- until this story never-- I see mentioned the public cost of rescue crusades on behalf of a few people who have chosen dangerous fun times. And while I think that the comparison of letting immigrants and refugees drown with this rescue attempt absolutely parallel in terms of (in)activity, I tend to compare the monetary costs of such rescues with the costs of making sure everyone has enough to eat.
Oh absolutely. And the cost of those tickets?...that could go a long way toward doing something good.
As this was a topic of conversation last night a person in the corner was telling the story of his 20 y.o. niece found dead in NY of a suspected fentynal OD! Imagine if her tragic death got the attention of the voyeuristic multi millionaires ill fated voyage? So while I take no pleasure or see any humor in the failed voyage I wish more attention was directed at stories like the one from the man in the corner. Most of us can easily relate to the trauma that family is now dealing with.
Oh! I'm so sorry to hear of this loss. And that is my point: Why can't we give equal attention to deaths of people outside the 1%?
and in just a couple of weeks a new friend we made here in SC will endure the 1 year anniversary OD death of his 23 y.o. son - he met his fate in his family's home.....so these stories are all around us...see today's front page of the Boston Globe that details the rise of OD deaths in MA attributable to the fentynal craze:((
I don't think I know how to make this article free, but just in case I did the right thing: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/06/22/metro/overdose-deaths-mass-reached-an-all-time-high-2022/
Thank you for posting - it is a must read story.....
Thank you, Susan. I've been horrified by the "gallows humor" that began on Monday. It was evocative of similar "humor" after the Challenger explosion.
You make a point we all should all think about more in comparing the loss of five rich people vs the hundreds fleeing their homelands for their lives, who were lost at sea. And they likely endured far slower, worse deaths.
Honestly , from a comedians point of view , I can understand the humor
That’s what comedians do
I can find humor in the darkest of tragedies
It’s probably a coping mechanism
Even in my own personal tragedies
Comedians have been doing that for years
And I’m at peace with who I am so I don’t worry too much about someone not getting my take on something
Although , I haven’t actually made any jokes about this
I could leave this in the hands of professionals, but even then...
Although if I knew him personally it might be different, I find myself getting less upset at people like Kevin Sorbo. I used to think that something should be done about someone like him. Now, more times than not, I tell myself something has been done. He has to go through life as Kevin Sorbo. Sometimes that’s justice enough. An old friend from the past, after quietly listening to something stupid or mean that I or someone else said would respond; “Be that way. That’s the way you are”. Talk about being given pause.
Yeah, the world has a way of kicking the Kevin Sorbos in the short and curlies. I'm fine with that.
I missed any attempts at humor, but peripherally paid attention to the rescue efforts. Long shot rescues do attact attention. Mix that in with the Titanic and some personal stories, and the news business is happy to have a big audience. Sad, but true when a business is all about garnering attention/viewers.
However, the big picture view of the rescue cost and efforts for the five wealthy people compared to the efforts to help hundreds of drowning migrant people is pretty disgusting. The people who perished in the Mediterranean need to be more than a number and label. They were individuals and we almost never hear their stories.
Your granddaughter is smart, every death matters. Every single one.
That expedition was an accident waiting to happen
Two former employees voiced safety concerns and Stockton Rush admitted to breaking rules
Putting lives at risk for a big payday seems callous
Maybe arrogant is a better word
Saying that you don’t want a bunch of 50 year old white guys and instead you want a diverse crew that would be inspirational is all well and good but when I look at pictures of the crew , they were all young and white
How diverse is that???
It seems that they weren’t actually looking for a diverse and inspirational crew but rather one that would appeal to a certain demographic
As soon as I heard that they lost contact I was pretty sure that their fate was sealed
It’s easier to mount a rescue mission into space than at the bottom of the Atlantic
I will admit to laughing at the memes. Yeah, they were human, but I'm having a hard time feeling all that sorry for this group of fools that were parted from their money. My sympathy bandwidth is with the migrants that risk their lives for more valid reasons. The irony is not lost on me that Stockton Rush's widow great great grandparents perished on the Titanic.
I think I was surprised at the malevolence. I’m not trying to sound all church lady here — I promise. But damn.
I could think of a lot of better ways to spend $250K, especially in today's world, and I think that drove the malevolence. In my online circle of friends, dark humor is to be expected. Memes were being shared.
That is a very valid point. And whether it’s at sea or crossing a border on foot, every human life is important.
My heart breaks for those struggling to get to a better life as I know my ancestors did many years ago. And yet we do so little to change things in the places people are trying to escape from. Many are simply sent back or allowed to drown.
The comparisons are staggering when we see that these rich people risked their lives simply because they wanted a thrill.
And the cost of trying to find them. Then we turn our eyes to the thousands who are lost, and the only note is — maybe — a brief story in a faraway newspaper.
Yes!
It says a lot, leaving people out of the public horrification (is that a word?) discussion like that.
While I may not want to spend a lot of time mourning the stupid decisions of the very rich, I’m disgusted by what I see appearing on Facebook, much of it from people I otherwise respect. The young man who was terrified to go but went anyway to please his father is always in my head. The ghoulish “humor” is revolting.
I agree. Be kind, be kind. “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” John Donne.
I laughed, felt guilty, then laughed more. Only felt sorry for the 19 year old who apparently was pressured into going by his Titanic obsessed father. But have little sympathy for people who assume that they know better than the safety experts they hired and then fired when they didn't like the warnings. Classic FAFO.
I agree with Debra and Mike. That 19-year old? Dammit.
Thanks for saying this out loud as we have been thinking and feeling the same things. Stories (in the news) about an individual are massively popular if there is something to single them out, whether it is great wealth, foolhardy extreme experiences, criminal behavior against the community or, on the plus side, rescuing an animal or standing up against tanks in T. Square. If lots of ordinary people experience something it’s not news at all or only news if the numbers are larger than ever.
I shall try to quell my jealousy at your current location. I hope you enjoy the views, the trees and the peace.