Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty
Yesterday news broke that all five passengers aboard the Titan submersible had died in a ‘catastrophic implosion’ after a fatal drop in cabin pressure as the ship descended 13,000ft below sea level. Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman Dawood, Paul-Henri Nargeolet and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush have been the subject of significant media coverage and public interest over the past week as international rescue efforts were galvanized in hopes of finding them alive. We cannot imagine the pain their loved ones are feeling right now and we sincerely feel for all parties involved. However…
The incident has raised a number of legitimate questions about the way this story has been covered, the massive efforts to provide assistance and the glaring lack of effort exerted in other cases. For example, according to NBCNews, a boat full of hundreds of migrants leaving Libya and heading for Italy sank last week and chances are this is the very first time you’ve heard of it.
One group of people were wealthy, privileged and took risks for sport, the other group were melanistic asylum seekers looking for a better life. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand the optics and perhaps the intent behind the disparate treatment of these tragedies.
In Libya, there have been protests, arrests and angry public questions about law enforcement’s apathy in finding those who have suffered a watery death. Josie Naughton, CEO of UK refugee support organization Choose Love, spoke directly about this polarized reaction.
“Although we are so hopeful that people on board will be brought to safety, it kind of makes you wonder what the difference is in terms of media coverage, but also in terms of how, you know, governments and infrastructure government responds,” added Naughton. “Why is it so different? »
Clearly, the search for the Titan submersible was a race against the alleged 96 hours of oxygen the passengers had before breathing was no longer an option. We’re sure some would say it’s an apples-to-oranges comparison, but we know full well that these tragedies don’t always get the attention they rightly deserve.