My apologies for not adding a Sound Off! for a while, but I have had more important cakes to bake.
The recent submersible tragedy has pointed out not so much the dangers of deep-sea exploration as it has the hypocrisy of the popular media. Millions closely followed the search for the Titan and hoped for the best. Meanwhile, hundreds of refugees perished when the boats they were jammed on capsized. So why have the media ignored the deaths of hundreds and focused on the deaths of five?
As a society we adore the ultra-rich, we all but worship them. We delight in the latest gossip about celebrity relationships. We fantasize about our own champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Never mind that many of the ultra-rich got that way by unethical means – keeping wages low, moving manufacturing overseas where labor laws are weak if not nonexistent, renting convicts from for-profit prisons and paying them pittances, and getting U.S. Congress to slash their taxes and even provide their corporations with subsidies. The less Mr. Moneybags pays, the more of a burden is imposed on the working class. And, of course, the first programs to get the axe are the ones that scarcely make a dent on the national budget.
The goal of the submersible Titan’s final dive was to explore the wreck of the Titanic, or so it was said. However, when the majority of those on board were civilian billionaires, it sounds more like an adventure for pure fun and bragging rights than a research dive. The rich use their vast wealth to purchase multiple homes, fancy private jets, huge yachts, costly jewelry, designer clothing and gourmet dinners, as well as ridiculous adventures. Let the peasants they disdain freeze and starve, just as long as their bank accounts can continue to grow far past the obscenely bloated level. However, hubris has a habit of catching up with people from time to time.
Yes, it is sad that those five people perished. Yes, it is a relief that their deaths were quick and almost certainly painless, though there is evidence that the passengers knew something was wrong. However, the media definitely need to rethink their priorities.
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