Is it weird?
A dangerously overcrowded boat sinks drowning 500 refugees and the world shrugs.
A Billionaire thrill seekers submarine, which by all accounts was dangerously under regulated, goes missing and the world suddenly pays attention?
Fuck the billionaires and their ego dives to the Titanic, grieve the desperation that pushes 500 people onto a tiny boat for a slightly better standard of living.
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I thought the exact same thing.
Breathless updates every hour about the missing super wealthy blowing 400k for shits and giggles looking at an underwater graveyard, when hundreds die in a boat capsize…
Ditto the media being terribly concerned about the Ruapehu ski fields crapping out – their only concern is where will all the Aucklanders be able to ski? The humanity.
Queenstown, that where the Jafa’s will go, like me, Hahaha
A “Tale of Two Cities” world alright. Billionaires take brief mega cost space flights, and billions of people are in dire straights as Climate Disaster tipping points ramp up.
It was a richo’s vanity project when James Cameron first searched for the Titanic remnants. A substandard submersible (it is not a true submarine) for other money bags to check out the watery grave site will likely add five more souls to it by reports so far. No fun for them, and no fun for Pakistanis and women and kids sent below decks to drown on the refugee boat. Drowning in a confined space has to be the pits.
Maybe leave the exploring for the actual explorers and scientists…rather than tryhards like those whose bones litter Mt Everest and other “extreme tourism” sites.
From whom are the refugees fleeing?
So sadly true Martyn.
Striking comparison, furthermore I’ll wager the estates of these billionaires won’t foot any of the bill for the astronomical cost of search, rescue/recovery.
As long as our money isn’t being used, the waste of this money is a good thing. The US ‘Coastguard’ is an arm of the terrorist US military, which has been involved in the American empire’s wars of aggression from Vietnam to Iraq. The more money they waste on the useless submarine full of useless trash the better.
It’s all money the US will have to come up with somewhere else for their aggressive purposes- which include such things the coup that overthrew the last legitimately elected PM of Pakistan, Imran Khan, and caused Pakistani refugees to flee
It is truly unbelievable that someone could think this way .Rich or poor any one trapped like this for the last 4 days of their being deserves respect and compassion.
exactly tevor
The left are a bunch of heartless cunts
Oh fuck off with your faux empathy, you pompous twat!
You seem to be missing the point Trevor…
A) No
B) They obviously weren’t trapped. They went down in the not-fit-for-purpose vessel, and it popped like a watch with a 30 metre water resistance rating taken to 90 metres down. Whoops
Now they have died do you feel better MK.
Many have died because of Nact policies Bob, do you feel better because of that Bob?
They died days ago obviously Bob. Haven’t you been paying attention?
So you’ve been happy for a while then.
Cannot identify with anyone who wishes ill on others.
Inhuman.
They willfully ignored safety recommendations and warnings. Refused to comply with certification procedures designed to reduce risk.
Similar to the arrogant stupidity of the antivaxxers sucking their last breaths through a vent in ICU.
Sorry Richard I did not know the back story about them ignoring the warnings. I still feel,sorry for them but there is a degree of stupidity in going .It seems there are 9 other companies with fully certification
Absolutely Trevor but those commenting here are full of hate.
Look in the mirror Bob, you will see real hate, read your posts Bob, you’ll see real hate.
I don’t hate anyone never have never will it’s a dreadful emotion.
Agree 100% Martyn.
Excessive wealth trumps everything including human life.
I used to watch Thunderbirds because it was exciting and you always wanted to see them rescue whoever was in trouble, I don’t recall ever worrying about whether they were rescuing billionaires or migrants and it wasn’t relevant to the on screen action.
I think most of the viewing public see this as a real life episode of Thunderbirds which it kind of is.
must admit dan I did wonder, where’s Stingray when you need it? in fiction of course
It’s mammon, self worship or God in this world- the rich choose the first, the proud the second, and the meek the third
Oh hell, in my dotage I admit I hadn’t made the connection but to those that have, you are absolutely right. Dulled by incessant reports of pitiless tragedy we’re seemingly powerless to stop, what a sad reflection it is on the parlous state of our humanity, when such an obvious analogy doesn’t immediately spring to mind, and isn’t shouted from the rooftops.
Money does not buy you eternal life or humility.
I agree entirely.
I understand where Martyn is coming from and agree with his point. However both scenarios are equally tragic and undeserved.
As far as the Titanic is concerned, it is the last resting place of many people, Captain Smith included. As such with that point in mind, I’d like to see the wreck left as it is without sightseers and and voyeurs. Respect those who suffered and died as a result of the tragic incident and let it be.
Oh ffs, The lives of the rich and famous has always made better news stories than those who are less fortunate. Won’t be long before there’s a movie made!
In true fashion the internet has been delivering some hilarious horrible “too soon” memes on exactly this topic.
There is hope for humanity.
I am shocked by my emotional response.
Schadenfreude! seems so natural somehow.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=schadenfreude+meaning
And so you should be Shona.
Taking satisfaction from someone else’s misery is horrible.
Now they’re confirmed dead are you happy?
Not nice they’ve died, but mishaps during graveyard tourism of the Titanic by the super rich gain little sympathy.
Martyn, after so many years in the media.
You better than anyone should know that news is about getting eyeballs to the page & the screen.
Why do you think that so many news outlets regurgitate crap about the nonentity known as Prince Harry.
How many refugee drownings, killings deaths have happened over the last few years. Gazillions.
Verses how many Titanic dives to great depths has gone wrong. One!
The fact that a Billionaire was aboard is just extra seasoning for a newsworthy story.
We only pay attention when it concerns us, or when it’s something unusual. The world didn’t care when we were told that 80,000 kiwis could/would die from covid. But boy did we listen! As for refugees, boats sink almost every other day now. For a world news station, it’s boring sadly.
I couldn’t find my sock this morning for 15 freaking minutes and ended up stubbing my toe on the sofa looking for the freaking thing and everyone I told about it thinks it’s freaking hilarious.
Geez Martyn you make a very astute analogy there brother.
Ain’t life a bit crazy and wayward.
I salute my Orca comerades!
Yes, the comparison can be made, but conflating and trite. What is striking about the little Tron decent to the Titanic is the cavalier libertarian attitude to basic safety protocols at the very least, like some form of vehicle identification, even trampers have a PLB or most basic boats an Iperb… It’s a good thing the CEO went down with this disaster, the only two amongst them who where truly ignorant of the most basic seafaring safety protocols were the billionaire father and son. Goodness knows why the other two ‘adventurers’ apart from the CEO would ever venture on such a scanmy operation, and ill built vessel. Hubris. Billionaire hubris.
Don’t forget that submarine called Ukraine
Diplomacy over war
“ These tens of thousands of dead and injured come on top of 200,000 Ukrainians, who were estimated to have been killed in the NATO-provoked war in the first year of the war in a country with a pre-war population of under 40 million. Even using conservative casualty estimates, with a population of just over 20 million men, Ukraine is quickly approaching a situation where a huge portion of its working age men are either dead or injured”
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/06/22/bvvz-j22.html
You have identified a major problem with what passes for news in this country, it is all about entertainment & selling advertising while not upsetting the status quo, I felt the same after seeing the last couple of days’ extensive coverage of the Titanic submarine when as you say there are many more events worldwide & within NZ causing harm to many more people yet they get ignored.
What about the subramine Ukraine
Diplomacy over war
“These tens of thousands of dead and injured come on top of 200,000 Ukrainians, who were estimated to have been killed in the NATO-provoked war in the first year of the war in a country with a pre-war population of under 40 million. Even using conservative casualty estimates, with a population of just over 20 million men, Ukraine is quickly approaching a situation where a huge portion of its working age men are either dead or injured. This horrific bloodbath has clearly made manpower a significant problem for the Ukrainian army”
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/06/22/bvvz-j22.html
TV1 couldn’t even lead the main evening news on Thursday with the state of emergency as flooding repeats itself in Tairawheti Gisborne. TV3 did. Pathetic media coverage from TV1. Maybe those who live elsewhere in NZ are more interested in the Sub. If that’s the case we are a sad country.
They should have called Elon Musk.
Many possessed by hatred revealed here.
Hatred is your middle name you hypocritical twat!
Feel no hatred for anyone.
Martyn, the reality may be weird, but your sentiments make so much sense. I hope they awaken a growing sense of the human condition.
The TDB is a tremendous place to see the real character of people
” As the mainstream media obsesses about how much oxygen the billionaires have left, readers of the Guardian, the BBC, and others will no doubt be wondering about how the men are coping in such a small space, what they’re going through, and whether they will actually be saved. But for the most part, white people in Europe or the US don’t give a second thought about what it must be like to drown on a cramped ship in the Mediterranean. ”
https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2023/06/21/no-one-cares-about-poor-black-and-brown-refugees-dying-in-the-ocean-so-why-should-we-care-about-billio