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As the investigation into the Titan submersible incident continues, some people are questioning if the response was appropriate. Those voices note that just days before the private sub had gone missing, a far bigger maritime disaster occurred in the waters off Greece, in which at least 80 migrants died and hundreds more remain missing. Why did one tragedy receive a much larger response from the media and the public? Straight Arrow News contributor Adrienne Lawrence says the OceanGate sub tragedy shows the wealthy play by different rules.
Last week, it seemed like all eyes were fixed on the saga of the lost Titan submersible, the five-man submarine that was built by OceanGate and went to tour the Titanic at the bottom of the North Atlantic. Now, although we ultimately did learn that the Titan did not vanish, but likely imploded a few hours after its launch, well, we definitely learned a hell of a lot about humanity, or lack thereof, over the four days that the vessel commanded headlines.
With all due respect to the five lives that were lost, the significant tragedy here is our varying valuation of human life. Five lives were in the Titan. When word got out on Sunday that the submersible had lost contact, well the world rallied to locate the sub. I’m talking the U.S. Coast Guard deployed several forces, France sent a special nautical envoy, the British offered to help; King Charles III was insisting to be updated in a moment’s notice immediately. The unified commitment to locate the five passengers was unprecedented — that is, if you’re not a billionaire or a millionaire.
OceanGate’s CEO, three businessmen and one of those men’s 19-year-old son, well, they had heaven and earth move in hopes of securing their safety because they’re wealthy; they’re in the 1%. They are people who have money who opted to test fate for fun. All the while impoverished refugees who are forced to flee from their homes and cross the high seas are testing government’s patience.
