In the past week, we’ve been invested in the disappearance of the OceanGate submergible Titan, and the tragic outcome. However, just as the immense curiosity this case sparked, including all sorts of theories and scientific hypotheses, social media was also full of memes, jokes, and mockery. So why can an event in which human lives were at risk (and as we now know passed) spark these reactions?
Communal Anger
The obvious answer, and one that you’d find in every Reddit or Quora thread that discusses the matter, is that they were rich… more than rich, millionaires. There’s a communal anger and in a way is justifiable. Since the pandemic, the enormous privilege differences have been more noticeable, with climate change it’s been more obvious that while most of us are doing our bits to change something, multimillionaire companies and individuals are the ones that are polluting the most with things like unnecessary private flights and many more examples.
Yes, there’s a dehumanization of the situation; the jokes were never targeted at the individuals; their particular lives and circumstances of the five passengers were never the center of the jokes, but the situation. Most people found it surreal that someone would pay that immense amount of money (many of us can’t even imagine having that amount to spare) to take a single trip on a very uncomfortable voyage. Moreover, the fact that someone would pay that much for such a risky ‘adventure’ or ‘experience.’
In the past years, we’ve become so used to tragedies of all sorts that we’ve also been desensitized in a way. It’s well, known that humor is a great route to deal with frustration, pain, and anxiety, and, unlike what many would think, in this case, the memes and jokes weren’t a defense method to deal with the worrisome of what was going on with the Titan or its passengers, but of all the frustration regarding the injustices we live every day. I saw one comment on a TikTok video mocking the case that said “If millionaires won’t empathize with other social classes, why empathize with them?” Tough, resentful, and selfish, but also quite a valid point.
Which Lives Are Worthy?
This case has unleashed all sorts of discussions, but perhaps the more relevant is the fact that who decides which lives are worthy of media attention and government and private mobilization? The Titan case and all the resources invested to find it in an attempt to save the five passengers have been crudely compared to the zero attention and will to focus on hundreds of lives that perish on the sea while looking for a better future.
Just five days before the Titan submarine went missing, a ship with hundreds of immigrants and refugees was wrecked in the Mediterranean Sea. A minimum search team was sent to find the ship… they closed the case after only three days. Hundreds are still missing. And in many similar cases governments forbid nearby ships to rescue the people and are only limited to share gas if they want to help. So why do cases like this only get a handful of resources while five people who signed for this get all the attention and equipment? Shouldn’t it be the same? Not only that, but why after knowing what happen does the search continues while hundreds are still missing in the Mediterranean?
To be honest, I think this case was only brought to common interest to contrast the privilege and social differences of those on the Titan; to justify our “right” to make jokes or to criticize the rich. But have we ever cared for the dozens of immigrant wrecks that happen constantly? Do we really care for the lives of those who are trying to escape horrible conditions and find a better life? Forget about the ocean, do we care about the millions of refugees all over the world who “sign up” for risky ways to find that life?
Yes, mocking the passing of people will never be right. But beyond the obvious morbid curiosity that a case like this can spark, why don’t we start asking ourselves if we’re only using this case as a scapegoat to vent our frustration in the form of memes and jokes?
More on the case:
Why Saving the ‘Titan’ Submarine Is Impossible Even If They Find It