this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2023
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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.
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.
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.
These days, it's much cheaper to just have international friends online.