While fucked up, it's disinguinuous suggest that the news is blowing up only due to the fact that they're billionaires. While large boat disasters are fairly uncommon, how often do you hear of a submarine disaster. Especially one where the inhabitants are missing but potentially on a timer - trapped in a submarine with no way to open from the inside, many peoples ultimate fear. The story writes itself, pile on what seems to be a neglectful company and you've got a story people are going to be invested in. I don't think the coverage or the search and rescue would be any different if it were a scientific submarine with scientists.
this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2023
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The Thai cave boys are another good example. They were rural third-worlders, but it still became a sensation. It just has to be bloody and dramatic to attract attention. A story like "people on boat drown again" is too mundane, it becomes a statistic instead of a tragedy.
What's really irksome is that these rich guys that pay people to put them weird but often already-explored places get called "explorers".
Rich people think spending money is what makes them special.
My favorite lately is the rise of the 'world traveler' who treats travel as a moral imperative that elevates them above those who can't or don't have the means to spend 5-6 figures per year on international vacations.
International travel certainly does broaden a person's perspective. It's great if your can do it, but anyone acting superior because they can travel is just an asshole.
I have to wonder if these people are really getting the straight dope anyway, or going to all the tourist spots and being shown what they want to see. They're definitely not hanging out in a refugee camp if they're spending that much.
These days, it's much cheaper to just have international friends online.
I enjoy traveling but it does bring a bit of guilt that I have the ability to do it when so many people never will. Hoping there's some advancing in vr/ar to provide better cultural sharing and better immigration reception to provide the physical interactions.
This is effectively saying, "This article is correct but for the wrong reasons". People aren't angry about why hundreds of migrants dying isn't newsworthy. They're angry that it's not newsworthy.
I'm frankly surprised that not enough people find it disgusting that the EU passively killing hundreds of refugees is less interesting because the EU does so regularly.
People like novelty. That's not too surprising. Additionally, a growing share of people in the EU don't want migrants to come. Empathy is declining.
And that's exactly what were speaking against.
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It would absolutely be different if it were scientists. The memes about billionaires and the sub are all over the place. Bezos should go on a sub and explore the titanic too and all that shit.
The problem is lack of coverage for the migrants, who are seen as "less valuable people"
I would argue that they are more valuable then people who have it made but ya
In 2022 there were nearly 50,000 automobile fatalities in the US. There isn't a big story about all of them because, frankly, they're common.
But 5 people died in a submarine. That's news because it's different.
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It's not just the news-worthiness. It's the way how 6+ different countries mobilized to rescue them. That was a result of precisely being rich fucks.
Yeah, having a shittily built submarine for a billionaire to visit the most famous shipwreck in the world while then joining those who died there 100 years ago, is a pretty unique story that we'll now always remember whenever we talk about the titanic.
There’s a real irony in naming your submarine after a shipwreck, neglecting all safety devices like the shipwreck, and talking about how the hull was indestructible.
I mean, the billionaire class believes they can do nothing wrong, so...
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The ticking timer is news gold, it creates a real sense of tension…
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Yeah.
The awful truth is that migrants drowning on the sea crossing to Europe or to the UK is mundane. It happens regularly, so it's not news. A sub drowning near the Titanic is newsworthy.
News = man bites dog. Dog bites man = not news.
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tl;dr:
Greek authorities have so far recovered the bodies of at least 81 people, and more than 100 passengers have been rescued, including Pakistanis, Egyptians, Syrians, Afghans and Palestinians. Survivors and the United Nations have said hundreds were aboard the boat and many are still missing and feared dead. If a death toll in the hundreds was confirmed, it would be among the worst shipwrecks recorded in the Mediterranean. Greek authorities have further been criticized for not acting to rescue the migrants, even though a coast guard vessel escorted the trawler for hours. International maritime law dictates that authorities are obligated to conduct immediate rescue operations - with or without an explicit plea for help. Artist Oliver Jeffers shared his feelings with a cartoon on Tuesday, which marked World Refugee Day.
I am a bot in training. Suggestions?
Ya well tragic shit happens all the time. We’re desensitized to it. This submarine is interesting and the circumstances are kind of like a movie. Of course media will cover it more. It’s what people are interested in.
Yeah, the titanic situation involved submarines, suspense, radar, underwater drones, etc.
The suspense was key, too. A race against the clock of oxygen running out. What happens if the drone finds them, but can't free them? Stuff like that made it a very unique story.
So of course people are more interested in that one.
More to your point, the reason we are so interested is in the uniqueness of the situation. For the North Americans this the Titanic is culturally significant. For Europe, the migrant issue is local news. The problem is that our news is blended.
Yeah, but what was their net worth? ^/s^
Well I mean the coverage on the submarines isn't really because of their net worth (not denying that it isn't a contributing factor), but submarines sinking isn't really that common, as another user have said in their comment. Remember MH370? A majority of the passengers weren't wealthy, but it still got a lot of media coverage.
The Kursk disaster also garnered world wide attention
But even the contribution of their net worth to the coverage is only in the sense that people think it's funny that something bad is happening to an arrogant billionaire. I don't think the intent of OP was to say that people should feel schadenfreude over the migrant situation.
Won't someone think of the poor billionaires?
I'm really loving your username! Was reading that book to the kids yesterday and they too are enjoying it.
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They found a debris field near the titanic recently. It was a catastrophic failure. RIP to those on board.
If you mean the OceanGate submarine, it seemingly spectacularly imploded after its carbon fiber structure gave in to various microfractures. If that really is what happened, the water pressure killed the crew faster than their brains would've processed anything.
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Irelevant comparison. Must have missed the part where the chilean miners and the cave kids were billionaires too. That's why people cared about those stories. It's not getting coverage cause of the people on it. It's getting coverage because of how idiotic the whole situation was.
I think because they were potentially still alive, it sparks interest around the world.
And the memes are people making fun of a foolish decision by rich people.
As unfortunate as it is, migrant boats wrecking is common enough that it's not really "newsworthy" in terms of what grabs people's attention. Especially on a global scale. Similar to how a murder in somewhere like Maine would make the news, but in NYC it's just another day.
Unfortunately where I live we hear weekly in the news of these immigrants boats.
Can't do much as a small community, except sending help as soon as we know another one sunk.
There are always migrant ships from North Africa traversing North across the Mediterranean that have issues or sink vs a unique one-off sub disaster
Finally some larger outlets are covering it!
Well, perhaps other billionaires will see how these folks have been treated, and decide that they'd rather be remembered for doing something great for society, rather than pursuing individual/deadly hobbies.
You don't become a billionaire without being cool with exploiting people. Modern society rewards antisocial behavior.
Don't hold your breath, lol. Billionaires aren't tripping over each other trying to save everyone else.
So tired to have that sub story popping up in all my feed...
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