this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2023
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[–] [email protected] 49 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Sixty people die when Russia bombs a Ukrainian school and it passes by without much reaction. A sub with 4 people who know the risk of what they’re doing and a billionaire thrill seeker goes missing and it’s news to follow hourly.

[–] nivenkos 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because a bombing in a war isn't unexpected no matter how tragic it is.

Whereas it's rare that a group of multi-millionaires tries to visit the Titanic in a MacGyver-esque hobby submarine.

[–] MercuryUprising 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It also tells a wider story about these "disruption-oriented" start ups where the ceos and investors are convinced that the secret to better marine/aerospace technology is less regulation.

[–] nivenkos 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It had completed trips before to be fair, it's probably just some error in the sealing.

It's sad though, while I'm no fan of multi-millionaires, at least some of them here were investing in technology and space flight.

[–] MercuryUprising 3 points 1 year ago

All I know is I would never go into a canister that is bolted shut with no way of getting out from inside. I don't give a shit how many "missions" it completed before.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I get where you are coming from, but there was a lot of coverage of that event back in May.

Also, billionaires should not exist.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I'm only following to make sure he's really dead. The world could use less billionaires

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The world isn't going to get his money. Things aren't suddenly become fair in the world because a billionaire died.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

Clearly. One less dragon hoarding untold wealth though

[–] MiddleWeigh 7 points 1 year ago

Do you want my billionaire? I thought it would be a novelty, to show off to my friends, like a houseplant, but it turns out, its kind of just a piece of shit.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

While true, his billions aren’t going to be distributed to the poor, a dead billionaires money goes to a dead billionaires family who probably deserves the money even less but feel owed the money even more than he did.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

there could be a hefty inheritance tax. you never know

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Hey, don’t say that! It’s totally wrong! It should be, “The world could use fewer billionaires”.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Every 60 seconds in Africa, a minute passes.

[–] MercuryUprising 0 points 1 year ago

Every day on earth, it completes one rotation

[–] deacon 6 points 1 year ago

I understand the sentiment but I think the attention is because of the novelty of it being a submarine and it being connected to the Titanic.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

It's because it's related to the Titanic, and for whatever reason that shipwreck has a grip on western psyches. Dunno why but it just is what it is

[–] Solumbran 25 points 1 year ago (4 children)

If only these people didn't have so much money to waste, they'd be safe. Karma?

[–] ch00f 3 points 1 year ago

As a silver lining, there is no longer any money in further studying the Titanic. The company that does tours for billionaires is also the only company continuing to research the marine life growing on the Titanic’s wreck.

[–] ramblechat 2 points 1 year ago

$250K to do this; I get that yes, the money could be spent elsewhere, but we don't know how much (may be $0, may be $xxM) these people donate. Plus, air travel and generally any travel was initially pioneered by the wealthy. These billionaires doing this and space tourism are paving the way for future generations.

[–] hikarulsi 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well, it is like space exploration. There are scientists, engineers and those who dream to be them. It is just part of humanity that we love going on adventures, that's the same for rich and poor. Only that some are more risk tolerated and some less

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (3 children)

This man is not a scientist, engineer, or anyone with any social value whatsoever.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

He might fund people who are though (...though I wish we didn't have a system that would need that...)

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Well anyone 'could' fund anything, but this guy has made his fortune on private jets, him dying is almost certainly a good thing for the world. Imagine how much damage.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

That's true but he's among 4 other people who do have social value.

[–] ch00f -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The company that provides these tours uses the money to also perform scientific research on the Titanic.

[–] RedMarsRepublic 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What 'scientific research' is there that needs to be done on the Titanic in 2023? That's an obvious smokeshow.

[–] ch00f 5 points 1 year ago

In a 2022 interview with CBC News, OceanGate CEO and Founder Stockton Rush said the goal of the repeated subaquatic expeditions is to offer researchers an opportunity to analyze changes surrounding the sunken ship, including the development of coral reefs, decay of the ship’s metal and changes to the ocean’s current.

[–] Kyoyeou 1 points 1 year ago

Maybe the snail finally caught them :/

(Just discovered the story from my colleges so I'm 2 days late)

[–] Morningcoffee 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

What the fuck is going on with some of these comments. You can dislike the wealthy but still feel empathy for human beings (maybe) dying an horrific death.

[–] MercuryUprising 10 points 1 year ago

I think the sentiment comes from the fact that it's next to impossible to become a billionaire without actively fucking over a bunch of people along the way. You don't just "earn" a billion, you carve it out of other people's livelihoods. With the growing wealth disparity and the ostentatious displays of asset hoarding and opulence blasting the rich seem inundated with throwing in our faces, it doesn't surprise me that some people have absolutely zero sympathy for what could arguably be described as the face of the greatest threat to society.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

Oh dear.

Anyway....

[–] MiddleWeigh 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

As much of an experience that would be, nope. I love the ocean. Being next to it. Being in a tiny robot in the deep dark? Hell no. I hope these people saw some cool shit before they died.

[–] MrsDoyle 6 points 1 year ago

Not for me either. The diagram of the five people in that tiny space gives me the heebie-jeebies, and I'm not claustrophobic.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

I imagine the same thing happened here as with some airliner crashes where the pressure failsafe didn't work and they all passed out and suffocated. They probably didn't even know there was an issue before going unconscious.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I sure hope the sub is okay.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

RIP, but they knew the risks (and paid for it).

[–] handhookcardoor 0 points 1 year ago

A billionaire’s lost? Well, then they’re going to put their best men on it.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

So it's not all bad news

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

A billionaire doing his part on stopping the existence of billionaires would be great. I fear the inheritence, though. Maybe something good will come out of it.

I can only say: I would have not wished that person harm. I would have wished them to return safely. But it does not make me sad to hear that they did not.

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