Titanic Sub

brianlux

curmudgeoness said:

Gern Blansten said:

It does seem odd to focus on five people that willingly put themselves in danger when 82 are dead on the greek migrant ship.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2023/06/21/greek-boat-capsize-fallout-focus-greece-government/70342879007/

I've seen criticism of the coast guard for "taking too long" but honestly how could that possibly be considered their responsibility?

The migrant boat tragedy likely is far worse than that. They've accounted for just over 100 survivors but an estimated 750 people were on the boat. It's very possible that over 600 people died.

I'm not going to mock or make light of the people on the submersible. Bad decisions were made, but they're human beings with friends and family who I'm sure are worried sick about what happened to them. I take issue with the news coverage; yesterday at one point, there were eleven articles on the WaPo website about the submersible -- one a commentary on the disproportionate coverage of the sub vs. the migrant ship. That sends a certain message, and it reflects poorly on the media and their audience.  When it comes to the migrants' boat, I am reminded of a line from The Wire: "They're dead where it doesn't count." I subscribe to and generally respect WaPo, but I'm getting push notifications and reminders of live updates about the sub and crickets about the migrant ship, and that doesn't sit right with me.

Merkin Baller said:

Yeah, it's the media, but it's also us as a society consuming said media... the media does what they do because it sells. 

If more people pushed back against trash bag media, they might have to improve, but people love consuming shit, so we get shit. 

Agreed, both.

Thanks to TV and now social media, society has become super addicted to sensationalism.  And I mean all (or very likely all) of us.  I have to admit I was a little sucked into the Titan sub story.  How can you not be?  It's everywhere.  But resistance to the vicarious thrill of it all is not futile.  We can train ourselves to take it in a little and then remember what the better priorities are. 

brianlux

gimmesometruth27 said:

in other dumb billionaire news, zuck and musk are talking about having a fight. fuck those guys.

Man, you said it.  Fuck 'em!

mickeyrat

https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1671650528382599171?t=mjbOWfF__2u83GV_nvBEAQ&s=19

brianlux

mickeyrat said:

https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1671650528382599171?t=mjbOWfF__2u83GV_nvBEAQ&s=19

Sad.

tempo_n_groove

Gern Blansten said:

tempo_n_groove said:

curmudgeoness said:

Merkin Baller said:

Yeah, it's the media, but it's also us as a society consuming said media... the media does what they do because it sells. 

If more people pushed back against trash bag media, they might have to improve, but people love consuming shit, so we get shit. 

I'm happy to push back! How do I do it? Seriously -- MSNBC is freaking *playing sad trumpet music* over photos of the five presumed dead as they go to commercial break. Hundreds dead off the coast of Greece, and today Zelenskyy announced that an attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is imminent, and it absolutely enrages me to see this.

It's sad that these men died. But it's in no way comparable to these other situations. F---! Even Nicolle Wallace is opening with this! WTF?

I would not bother watching MSNBC...

You should. Nicole Wallace is Bush's former WH Comm Director. She's sharp.

Its as painful as watching NEWSMAX, I can't.

Ledbetterman10

This is an actual quote from the CEO Stockton Rush from last year.....

"You know, at some point, safety just is pure waste. I mean if you just want to be safe, don't get out of bed, don't get in your car, don't do anything. At some point, you're going to take some risk, and it really is a risk/reward question. I think I can do this just as safely by breaking the rules."

benjs

Ledbetterman10 said:

This is an actual quote from the CEO Stockton Rush from last year.....

"You know, at some point, safety just is pure waste. I mean if you just want to be safe, don't get out of bed, don't get in your car, don't do anything. At some point, you're going to take some risk, and it really is a risk/reward question. I think I can do this just as safely by breaking the rules."

He's right that 'at some point' safety is just pure waste. He just unfortunately wasn't even close to that point. Sounds like the CEO was warned, he ignored the warning, and he continued "breaking the rules". 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLYy09tdrpE&ab_channel=CNN

mace1229

I’ve been out of state visiting family the last few days, I’ve seen limited news. This is the first I’m hearing about a boat.
I haven’t seen any negative posts about the sun on social media, although I’m sure they are out there. But I do see a lot of sad, heart felt posts.
I do feel bad for them and their families. But I couldn’t help but feel we’re expected to be more upset over 5 billionaires than the dozens of people who die in car crashes every day. Who were just on their way to work. These people knew the risk and accepted it. It sucks, but I feel no more sorry for them than when I pass an accident on the freeway.
Then I hear of this boat that I had no idea about. For the last 2 days I have only seen coverage of the sub.  It really isn’t that newsworthy. 

It’s not that I don’t care, but it’s that’s I don’t care more about them than everyone else who has an untimely tragic death. The news and social media needs to stop trying to make me.

brianlux

mace1229 said:

I’ve been out of state visiting family the last few days, I’ve seen limited news. This is the first I’m hearing about a boat.
I haven’t seen any negative posts about the sun on social media, although I’m sure they are out there. But I do see a lot of sad, heart felt posts.
I do feel bad for them and their families. But I couldn’t help but feel we’re expected to be more upset over 5 billionaires than the dozens of people who die in car crashes every day. Who were just on their way to work. These people knew the risk and accepted it. It sucks, but I feel no more sorry for them than when I pass an accident on the freeway.
Then I hear of this boat that I had no idea about. For the last 2 days I have only seen coverage of the sub.  It really isn’t that newsworthy. 

It’s not that I don’t care, but it’s that’s I don’t care more about them than everyone else who has an untimely tragic death. The news and social media needs to stop trying to make me.

It's a classic example of news mean sensationalism frenzy.  Big news outlets LIVE for this kind of thing.  Mass shootings: cha-ching!  Miners trapped: Cha-ching! (see Kirk Douglas movie, "Ace in the Hole" aka "The Big Carnival"), deep sea sub implodes: cha-ching!

This disaster frenzy brought to you by ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, CBC, MSNBC, WSP, WaPo, Guardian, NPR, NYT, USA Today, TMZ, CNET,  and of course, everyone's favorite- FOX NEWS!

Gern Blansten

I'm not sure if some of it relates to the migrant boat being in Greek waters and the Titanic stuff being international?

Sad for sure in both situations but it does seem like people were fairly certain that the sub was already cooked on Sunday. So there was a lot of scrambling and funds put toward looking for it when their own people figured it had imploded.

Luckily no rescuers died in the process.

OnWis97

mace1229 said:

I’ve been out of state visiting family the last few days, I’ve seen limited news. This is the first I’m hearing about a boat.
I haven’t seen any negative posts about the sun on social media, although I’m sure they are out there. But I do see a lot of sad, heart felt posts.
I do feel bad for them and their families. But I couldn’t help but feel we’re expected to be more upset over 5 billionaires than the dozens of people who die in car crashes every day. Who were just on their way to work. These people knew the risk and accepted it. It sucks, but I feel no more sorry for them than when I pass an accident on the freeway.
Then I hear of this boat that I had no idea about. For the last 2 days I have only seen coverage of the sub.  It really isn’t that newsworthy. 

It’s not that I don’t care, but it’s that’s I don’t care more about them than everyone else who has an untimely tragic death. The news and social media needs to stop trying to make me.

I understand this but sometimes the uniqueness of a story matters, too. I think we've come to accept (or at least be densitized to) 35,000 to 40,000 deaths on US roads per year. And while I'm with you 100% that the loss of these people is no more tragic than the loss of any five people dilled in traffic collisions, I do understand why this is a more unique story (while also venting the frustration that traffic deaths are sometimes viewed as no big deal).

That all said, the sub carrying millionaires vs. the boat carrying hundreds of people with no money does lend itself to your point. It's part "we need you to hear about these important rich people!" and part "bad things happen to poor people all the time, anyway."

All that said, this is a tragedy and a unique one at that. But the coverage definitely outweighs the numbers. (I think I went from countering you to mostly agreeing with you while typing this...)

OnWis97

Gern Blansten said:

I'm not sure if some of it relates to the migrant boat being in Greek waters and the Titanic stuff being international?

Sad for sure in both situations but it does seem like people were fairly certain that the sub was already cooked on Sunday. So there was a lot of scrambling and funds put toward looking for it when their own people figured it had imploded.

Luckily no rescuers died in the process.

I'd be interested in how the news coverage balances in Mediterranean countries.

Gern Blansten

https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1672279514540306432

He loved getting imploded

Poncier

I hate that phrase "died doing what he loved".
It's moronic.

HughFreakingDillon

Gern Blansten said:

https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1672279514540306432

He loved getting imploded

I am literally LOL right now. 

HughFreakingDillon

Poncier said:

I hate that phrase "died doing what he loved".
It's moronic.

me too. romanticizing darwinian behaviour. 

F Me In The Brain

Well, if I died sportfucking I'd be OK with that being shared about me.
A daredevil activity that could have easily been avoided?
Less so.

gimmesometruth27

HughFreakingDillon said:

Gern Blansten said:

https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1672279514540306432

He loved getting imploded

I am literally LOL right now. 

yeah that was a good one, lol

how do we know he loved being in the sub? what if someone farted and he was like "aw man this really, really sucks" and then that was the last thing he said. he could have actually hated the decision to get in that submersible.

mace1229

gimmesometruth27 said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

Gern Blansten said:

https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1672279514540306432

He loved getting imploded

I am literally LOL right now. 

yeah that was a good one, lol

how do we know he loved being in the sub? what if someone farted and he was like "aw man this really, really sucks" and then that was the last thing he said. he could have actually hated the decision to get in that submersible.

He loved exploring. He’s been a space traveler and set world records. I think it’d safe to say he loved exploring, and the sub would fit into that.
But I agree, I hate the expression “he does spin what he loved” and that imploded comment made me laugh too.

F Me In The Brain

mace1229 said:

gimmesometruth27 said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

Gern Blansten said:

https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1672279514540306432

He loved getting imploded

I am literally LOL right now. 

yeah that was a good one, lol

how do we know he loved being in the sub? what if someone farted and he was like "aw man this really, really sucks" and then that was the last thing he said. he could have actually hated the decision to get in that submersible.

He loved exploring. He’s been a space traveler and set world records. I think it’d safe to say he loved exploring, and the sub would fit into that.
But I agree, I hate the expression “he does spin what he loved” and that imploded comment made me laugh too.

I spin what I love.