I have mixed feelings on this. I discussed this with my wife and kids and it seems to have struck a chord in a way other tragedies don’t.
I think much of the public reaction is based on the outsized role CEOs and billionaires play in our society. Think of the idolatry of Forbes and Fortune covers, the influence on governments, Bill Gates playing immunologist... and then with Theranos and OceanGate they revel themselves to be fools.
These guys were basically doing adventure tourism LARPing as explorers. There doesn’t seem to be any scholarly or other value in taking those risks. It’s like climbing Mount Everest at this point. A risky endeavour that doesn’t impress anyone.
Thank you for your thoughtful response and original post.
I think Obama’s response rings false. It’s fake piety and moral preening. There’s far too much of it in our society.
There is ambiguity in these events. Probably more of the history of exploration involved rich, underprepared fools than we think, like Scott in the Antarctic.
I don’t feel too much empathy for these masters of the universe at this point. They have such control of our lives without responsibility. We aren’t part of the same society or community. It’s like being a French or Russian peasant seeing the aristocrats rolling to their executions. Why should you care? They didn’t care when you were going hungry.
I have mixed feelings on this. I discussed this with my wife and kids and it seems to have struck a chord in a way other tragedies don’t.
I think much of the public reaction is based on the outsized role CEOs and billionaires play in our society. Think of the idolatry of Forbes and Fortune covers, the influence on governments, Bill Gates playing immunologist... and then with Theranos and OceanGate they revel themselves to be fools.
These guys were basically doing adventure tourism LARPing as explorers. There doesn’t seem to be any scholarly or other value in taking those risks. It’s like climbing Mount Everest at this point. A risky endeavour that doesn’t impress anyone.
Post updated with your remarks and my reaction. Thanks for participating.
Thank you for your thoughtful response and original post.
I think Obama’s response rings false. It’s fake piety and moral preening. There’s far too much of it in our society.
There is ambiguity in these events. Probably more of the history of exploration involved rich, underprepared fools than we think, like Scott in the Antarctic.
I don’t feel too much empathy for these masters of the universe at this point. They have such control of our lives without responsibility. We aren’t part of the same society or community. It’s like being a French or Russian peasant seeing the aristocrats rolling to their executions. Why should you care? They didn’t care when you were going hungry.