I have to say I’m not sure what they were hoping for, the discourse hasn’t felt overly mean by internet standards, but maybe that’s just my bubble. I’m sorry they died, but now that we know all the details it’s a bit like the guy that decided to hike up a lava field last year.
Also,
People’s fascination with the wealthy is fuelled by both curiosity and envy. And when rich people find themselves in trouble, it makes the rest of us feel better, Pamela Rutledge, director of the California-based Media Psychology Research Center, wrote in a piece about social media and the submersible for Psychology Today.
I feel like “outrage” should be in there somewhere. It makes me mad that people can be that dumb with a quarter of a million dollars while I’m just glad to have a safe roof over my head, and other people (like the mentioned boat migrants) aren’t even that lucky.
Alright, back off my soap box.
Agreed. I don’t envy them at all, in fact I think there’s evidence both anecdotal and scientific that being ultra-rich fucks you up quite seriously, and/or you need to be seriously fucked up to get that way. I actually pity them, to some degree. My pity is, however, eclipsed by my anger at a world that allows them to exist, in a cycle they perpetuate.
Frankly, I suspect pamela rutledge’s out-of-touch words suggest she is beholden to some of their interests. I see much less envy than I see anger at the ultra-rich.