Myths Dispelled, Reality Laid Bare

The Titan submersible tragedy has left me pondering many things.

So much about it has had me mesmerized. I like to think that officially, I’ve never believed that rich people were smarter than me.

Yet as revelations about the Titan have come in, I’ve started to realize something: It isn’t exactly that I’ve been too naive about the world’s wealthiest people. Rather, certain things have become crystal clear to me.

One thing this situation reminded me of was a comment that Michelle Obama made while on her book tour in 2018.

So many of us have been duped into believing that because someone is ultra-wealthy, or in an incredibly important position, they’re wiser than the rest of us. Yet from where I sit, everything about this disaster proves that the following assumptions are false:

• Given the opportunity to be innovative, wealthy people will seek access to–and use–the best technology.
• Whenever possible, wealthy people heed the word of experts who are wiser than them.
• Wealthy people value their safety. When embarking on–or organizing– endeavours that involve a degree of risk, they do their due diligence.

Ultimately, I see this tragedy as a reminder: We are all prone to mistakes, naïve thinking, and hubris. And problems are bound to arise when people engage in the latter two attitudes. There’s no telling who their actions will affect.

Meanwhile

Like so many other humans after a horrific event, I crave closure.

The questions in my mind keep collapsing on themselves. One thing I’ve wondered is what’s next? How many more dubious things are influential people preparing to unleash, without considering the repercussions? (Hello, social media!) How many such things have already been released, but the general public isn’t aware of them?

And at the root of my curiosity, there’s this:

If the Titan was an unregulated vehicle, how did Stockton Rush gain permission to offer it to tourists for excursions?

I mean, I can imagine how. (Immediately, I think it’s a matter of privilege. But maybe the details lie in one of the articles that I’d skimmed???)

I honestly don’t know the hoops Rush had to jump through. But no one could stop him.

And that detail leads me to another question: WHY?

Also, how much research had the passengers done on his vehicle? And how much information about it was available that wasn’t prepared by a PR firm? It feels as though so much information about the Titan’s true nature was revealed this week—since it went missing. But what about beforehand?

Ultimately, one thought keeps ringing in my mind.

NONE OF THIS SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED.

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Photo by Kevin Turcios