The media and public’s response to the Titan submersible tragedy – as well as the ongoing romanticization and obsession with the Titanic – forces a harsh light on our priorities: our fixation with the rich and the apathy toward the classism and violence that affects immigrants and people of color.
This past week, an OceanGate submersible lost contact and all passengers died. OceanGate is a privately owned company that provides tours to see the Titanic shipwreck. The tours start at $250,000 a person. Multiple millionaires were present on the ship, according to the New York Times.
More and more people from the Mediterranean region have sought migration as an alternative to unsafe living conditions caused by Western-influenced wars and corrupt governments.
Nearly 2,000 individuals have died this year while seeking immigration to Europe by sea. Two weeks ago, up to 750 individuals were believed to be on a fishing boat that capsized off the coast of Greece. The boat was attempting to reach Italy. The 105 survivors of the wreck were prominently from Syria, Egypt and Pakistan and hundreds of people are believed to be dead, according to NPR.
The Greek Coast Guard had been watching the fishing boat hours before it sank, according to NPR. With how unsafe and overcrowded the ship was, a rescue mission should have been initiated earlier to save the lives of hundreds that died.
Alternatively, the day following the Titan sub going missing, the United States Navy, the Coast Guard and Canadian forces began a search mission. France and England also joined the mission, according to The Guardian. The difference in response is stark.
Unlike the migrants fleeing violence, those on board the Titan were well aware of the risks they were taking and attended the trip out of leisure, but they saw a much larger and quicker search and rescue response, according to the Independent. This is a deadly example of the staggering class inequities and bigotry towards immigrants that allowed hundreds to die with little effort to save them.
The rescue mission for the submarine will cost millions, AP reported, yet EU members and allies involved with the submersible were much less concerned about supporting the search and rescue efforts of the shipwreck that led to the death of hundreds seeking asylum in the EU. The way Western governments respond to tragedies reveals the consistent prioritization of the elite.
The media and public engagement with the coverage of the submersible is evidence of how normalized society has become to tragedies that affect poor people, especially black and brown folk.
While both of these instances are undoubtedly tragedies, the circumstances are widely different. In the Atlantic, a crew of 5 was well aware of the risk associated with the ride, knowing weather conditions had recently made the trip irrational, according to The Guardian. Still, the occupants chose to pay $250,000 dollars to willingly participate for pleasure.
In the Mediterranean, hundreds died while seeking asylum and many continue to die due to corrupt government and unsafe living conditions caused by historic and ongoing Western diplomacy and interference in the region.
The hypocrisy goes beyond the differences in the delay of search and rescue missions, but it demonstrates which emergency situations the U.S. prioritizes aid for on a regular basis.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
OceanGate will most likely not have to reimburse any of the costs of the search and rescue missions to the U.S. A former Coast Guard member said that they don’t want to discourage people from seeking emergency services, said The Washington Post.
However, when emergency services consist of an expensive trip to the emergency room that is impossible for many Americans to cover, universal health care is suddenly an outlandish, unrealistic option.
The United States' response to the immigration crisis on the border with Mexico has also been horrific and is nearly impossible to relate to their concern shown for the submersible.
New asylum restrictions put those seeking safety at risk of tracking and violence, thousands of families remain separated and thousands of people remain in border patrol custody. The U.S. shows little to the same level of care or compassion to those facing ongoing danger or crisis on the Mexican border than they do billionaires who die in a random tragedy.
The tragedy brings a global reminder that when the rich are given aid, they are glamorized, and those who are supported are villainized.
Maddie Pukite is the editor-in-chief at the Daily Lobo. They can be contacted at editorinchief@dailylobo.com on Twitter @maddogpukite
