Titanic tourist submersible missing | Sub's debris found - crew "have been lost"

nimic

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I've read some takes from people that come from a free market/Hayek point of view in defending the CEO to some degree. Their opinion seems to be based on three general points:
1. Companies like Oceangate are where innovation comes from and innovation relies on non-regulation
2. Imposing regulation would increase the cost of these ventures
3. There are always risk-seeking individuals who will undertake risky endeavors because the subjective payoff justifies the risk (peak mountain climbers, aerial enthusiasts, etc)

I find each of these three points massively flawed and not sound logic at all.

First, Oceangate was not a research company undertaking systematic kaizen improvements with the goal of innovation. They were a profit-seeking company cutting corners to reduce costs and increase profits. Their incentives mean that it's in the company's financial interest to minimize the appearance of risk and present a misleading impression of risk. From the posts here and elsewhere, it's hard to see where any such "innovation" could come from the types of corner cutting Oceangate was undertaking. This wasn't a company trying to develop some next level submarine technology, they were doing stupid things to cut costs that almost certainly could not lead any innovation to begin with. The first point is flawed to the point of being disingenuous.

Second, of course regulation and increased safety would increase the costs to the company. That isn't a fecking bad thing the way people that quote Hayek imply it is. It's a good thing. This cost 250K anyway. Anyone paying 250k for this would pony up 300K for a much safer and regulated version of it. It's 100% a good thing if costs for profit-seeking extreme tourism increases to make them safer. Again, the incentives were aligned that Oceangate was cutting corners that should never have been cut. Earning them more profit or saving some billionaire risk-seeker 50K is not worth the dangers involved.

Third, yes some people are heavy risk-seekers. But this is not comparable to an experienced mountain climber choosing to climb K2. First, the risks for climbing K2 are well known and any mountain climber experienced enough to contemplate peaking K2 can accurately assess the risk-reward and understand if their skillset is at a level to make it viable. With a profit-seeking company with incentives to cut corners, it's simply not possible for a consumer to accurately assess the risks. It's simply not a comparable situation as mountain climbers choosing to climb K2 despite the risk. Mountain climbers are active participants that can also abandon a climb if conditions worsen. Passengers in a craft like this have no such option; no skill component or option to abandon.

Overall, those three points are just based on bad logic and bad empirical facts.
Yeah, the innovation argument is really dumb. These guys weren't innovating anything. Just cutting corners to make money, as you say.
 

saivet

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Rush definitely coming across as a bit of a con artist. Perhaps the others on board were naive but the guy seems manipulative too.

By the letter of the law, I'm not sure what he's guilty of but it seems criminal. Just incredibly sad others were killed as a result of him and his companies approach to safety.
 

Wibble

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The whole thing became a meme, peaking at a time when their relatives must have been frantic with worry and this kid was either dying the most horrendous death imaginable, or already dead. I know this might come across as a bit po-faced and I'm not demanding that anyone should mourn strangers but the whole thing reflected badly on everyone involved in the pile-on. The lack of basic human empathy was grim. Even more so when so much of it was coming from people who would probably think of themselves as belonging to the compassionate end of the political spectrum.

Can you imagine the reaction if the same "hilarious" meme frenzy happened when those Thai kids were trapped in the cave? How furious everyone would be? Yet here we are, not showing a hint of compassion towards people in a similarly horrific scenario because the culture war deems them as bad people, whose trauma means nothing to us. That's fecked up.
Agreed
 

wr8_utd

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Online commenters and journalists are calling out Stockton Rush, he CEO and co-founder of OceanGate who was killed onboard the Titan submersible, for his goals of using his deep sea exploration tourism as a cost-effective tool for oil and gas companies.

His father, Richard Stockton Rush Jr, is the chairman of Peregrine oil and gas company based in Northern California. In addition to his familial ties to the industry, Stockton Rush sought to sell his submersibles as a tool for companies who want to explore deep sea drilling opportunities but aren’t willing to pay for the machinery that would support that field research.

In a 2017 Fast Company article, Rush said that OceanGate wouldn’t be involved in oil production, but instead were, “just going to be involved in inspection, repair, and maintenance.”

Rush, if he were alive, would not be facing a very pleasant time if he surfaced. :lol:
 

wr8_utd

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I reckon he meant like a federal probe and not memers
While I agree with what Pogue meant as well, you are correct. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has already launched a safety investigation into the accident and the US Coast Guard also alluded that a formal inquiry would begin soon.
 

Mogget

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The whole thing became a meme, peaking at a time when their relatives must have been frantic with worry and this kid was either dying the most horrendous death imaginable, or already dead. I know this might come across as a bit po-faced and I'm not demanding that anyone should mourn strangers but the whole thing reflected badly on everyone involved in the pile-on. The lack of basic human empathy was grim. Even more so when so much of it was coming from people who would probably think of themselves as belonging to the compassionate end of the political spectrum.

Can you imagine the reaction if the same "hilarious" meme frenzy happened when those Thai kids were trapped in the cave? How furious everyone would be? Yet here we are, not showing a hint of compassion towards people in a similarly horrific scenario because the culture war deems them as bad people, whose trauma means nothing to us. That's fecked up.
Personally I find the lack of empathy in people on here failing to understand why the internet is making jokes at the expense of these rich clowns even more baffling.

I think @Wibble mentioned that the people making the jokes must be bitter and twisted. Yes, they absolutely are bitter? How is that surprising? Of course they are. Have you not seen the state of the world? So many ordinary people are being fecked over by the decisions of the rich and the powerful. We see them living the sorts of lives and doing things we can only dream of doing and we know that they're only able to do this because they've taken advantage of a system that exploits ordinary people.

It's pretty obvious that these rich people have become a proxy for all the resentment that's been growing in the last few years. The fact they were so rich yet died in such a ridiculous way, in a sub made by a company trying to cut any corners they could for a tiny bit more profit, doing something a regular person isn't likely to ever do in their lives, is what makes it so hilarious. It's like the perfect metaphor for capitalism.

Personally I have more in common with and more empathy for the people making the jokes than the people on the sub but somehow I feel that's the opposite for you. The fact you're comparing this to the Thai kids incident shows you have no understanding of why people are making the jokes.
 

Abizzz

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Rush, if he were alive, would not be facing a very pleasant time if he surfaced. :lol:
The idea was to take tourists as guinea pigs for the oil industry? Wonder if the poor souls who signed up knew about that part.
 

Wibble

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Personally I find the lack of empathy in people on here failing to understand why the internet is making jokes at the expense of these rich clowns even more baffling.

I think @Wibble mentioned that the people making the jokes must be bitter and twisted. Yes, they absolutely are bitter? How is that surprising? Of course they are. Have you not seen the state of the world? So many ordinary people are being fecked over by the decisions of the rich and the powerful. We see them living the sorts of lives and doing things we can only dream of doing and we know that they're only able to do this because they've taken advantage of a system that exploits ordinary people.

It's pretty obvious that these rich people have become a proxy for all the resentment that's been growing in the last few years. The fact they were so rich yet died in such a ridiculous way, in a sub made by a company trying to cut any corners they could for a tiny bit more profit, doing something a regular person isn't likely to ever do in their lives, is what makes it so hilarious. It's like the perfect metaphor for capitalism.

Personally I have more in common with and more empathy for the people making the jokes than the people on the sub but somehow I feel that's the opposite for you. The fact you're comparing this to the Thai kids incident shows you have no understanding of why people are making the jokes.
I'm glad I can separate my extreme dislike for the growing gap between rich and poor from personal ill will for, sometimes to the point of wishing death upon, people who are wealthier than me.

Shame people didn't express their dislike for inequality by not voting Tory for years.
 
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Abizzz

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I'm glad I can separate by dislike for the growing gap between rich and poor from personal ill will for, sometimes to the point of wishing death upon, people who are wealthier than me.

Shame people didn't express their dislike for inequality by not voting Tory for years.
I thought @Mogget was Danish?

I agree with him on a lot of points even if I thought some jokes to be crass and distasteful. We live in a world where even in "rich" nations children don't take the correct medicine because billionaire heir families own copyrights and decide that they need more money. And then there's the majority of humans in even poorer and less fortunate nations. We live in a world in which the rich buy the media and all but brainwashes the gullible into thinking making the rich richer will somehow benefit them. And all we can seemingly do is watch.

So I won't judge too harshly when 2 go in such an idiotic way as this has shown to be in retrospect.
 

Mogget

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I'm glad I can separate by dislike for the growing gap between rich and poor from personal ill will for, sometimes to the point of wishing death upon, people who are wealthier than me.

Shame people didn't express their dislike for inequality by not voting Tory for years.
You would have hated the French revolution. All those poor people with their lack of empathy for the rich :(

@Abizzz that may be @Maagge you're thinking of. I'm British
 

Pogue Mahone

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Personally I find the lack of empathy in people on here failing to understand why the internet is making jokes at the expense of these rich clowns even more baffling.

I think @Wibble mentioned that the people making the jokes must be bitter and twisted. Yes, they absolutely are bitter? How is that surprising? Of course they are. Have you not seen the state of the world? So many ordinary people are being fecked over by the decisions of the rich and the powerful. We see them living the sorts of lives and doing things we can only dream of doing and we know that they're only able to do this because they've taken advantage of a system that exploits ordinary people.

It's pretty obvious that these rich people have become a proxy for all the resentment that's been growing in the last few years. The fact they were so rich yet died in such a ridiculous way, in a sub made by a company trying to cut any corners they could for a tiny bit more profit, doing something a regular person isn't likely to ever do in their lives, is what makes it so hilarious. It's like the perfect metaphor for capitalism.

Personally I have more in common with and more empathy for the people making the jokes than the people on the sub but somehow I feel that's the opposite for you. The fact you're comparing this to the Thai kids incident shows you have no understanding of why people are making the jokes.
I just think it’s possible to hold political opinions that would want an end to the system that produces billionaires without rejoicing at terrible things happening to individuals. In fact, I think the type of person who might hold those opinions is the type of person who should be above that sort of mean spirited behaviour. But I’m repeating myself here. So I won’t go on. I don’t feel strongly enough about any of this to get in a back and forth. There are much worse things going on in the world, obviously.
 

Chief123

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I don't get this line of thinking. Cemetries, graveyards, mausoleums etc pull millions of tourists every year. Should we not go to Highgate cemetry, or Arlington? should we not visit battle fields like the Somme or Gettysburg? What about Auschwitz or the Killing Fields?

Where do you draw the line?
A cemetery on the ground level is completely different to a cemetery on the bed of the ocean. Strange comparison dude.
 

The Boy

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You genuinely believe there’s no difference in visiting a cemetery on the ground than a cemetery on the bed of the Atlantic Ocean?
Apart from getting there is more difficult.
 

Chief123

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Apart from getting there is more difficult.
I’d also imagine it’s considerably much safer taking a walk to your local cemetery than going 12,500 feet under water in mode of transportation that is deemed unsafe by many experts and has parts which aren’t even certified to be safe.
 

mitChley

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Apart from getting there is more difficult.
It's not a fair comparison. The "normal" cemetery, isn't where they died, it's not where the had the car crash, or the heart attack, it's where they were placed, maybe at their will or certainly at their families, to be remembered and visited. The titanic is where 1500 people died, it's not a place for remembrance, it's a crash site.
 

Abizzz

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It's not a fair comparison. The "normal" cemetery, isn't where they died, it's not where the had the car crash, or the heart attack, it's where they were placed, maybe at their will or certainly at their families, to be remembered and visited. The titanic is where 1500 people died, it's not a place for remembrance, it's a crash site.
You are a lot closer to where they died on the support vessel than in the sub.
 

The Boy

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I’d also imagine it’s considerably much safer taking a walk to your local cemetery than going 12,500 feet under water in mode of transportation that is deemed unsafe by many experts and has parts which aren’t even certified to be safe.
That's irrelevant to the original point which was people saying it was a site that tourists shouldn't go to as so many people's remains were still there. Of course it's difficult and dangerous to get there, that's why hardly anyone goes.

It's not a fair comparison. The "normal" cemetery, isn't where they died, it's not where the had the car crash, or the heart attack, it's where they were placed, maybe at their will or certainly at their families, to be remembered and visited. The titanic is where 1500 people died, it's not a place for remembrance, it's a crash site.
I get this but that's why I mentioned Auschwitz and the Killing Fields, thousands upon thousands died in those places, but both are deemed perfectly acceptable to visit.
 

Chief123

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That's irrelevant to the original point which was people saying it was a site that tourists shouldn't go to as so many people's remains were still there. Of course it's difficult and dangerous to get there, that's why hardly anyone goes.
It is relevant because the original point stated a resting place of 1500 people at “such depth” (I.E. a dangerous place to go) should never be visited.

You bizarrely responded to him implying he was suggesting we shouldn’t visit any resting places. All the places you brought up has zero relevance to his point.
 

golden_blunder

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That's irrelevant to the original point which was people saying it was a site that tourists shouldn't go to as so many people's remains were still there. Of course it's difficult and dangerous to get there, that's why hardly anyone goes.



I get this but that's why I mentioned Auschwitz and the Killing Fields, thousands upon thousands died in those places, but both are deemed perfectly acceptable to visit.
I went to the killing fields in my 20s. There wasn’t much else to do in Cambodia: it’s the most depressing tour. Hundreds of skulls on display. Clothes poking out of holes in the ground. Motorbike guides who happily take you round smiling whilst telling you that all of their family got killed. A primary school that was turned into a torture centre. Depressing shit.
 

Oranges038

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Personally I find the lack of empathy in people on here failing to understand why the internet is making jokes at the expense of these rich clowns even more baffling.

I think @Wibble mentioned that the people making the jokes must be bitter and twisted. Yes, they absolutely are bitter? How is that surprising? Of course they are. Have you not seen the state of the world? So many ordinary people are being fecked over by the decisions of the rich and the powerful. We see them living the sorts of lives and doing things we can only dream of doing and we know that they're only able to do this because they've taken advantage of a system that exploits ordinary people.

It's pretty obvious that these rich people have become a proxy for all the resentment that's been growing in the last few years. The fact they were so rich yet died in such a ridiculous way, in a sub made by a company trying to cut any corners they could for a tiny bit more profit, doing something a regular person isn't likely to ever do in their lives, is what makes it so hilarious. It's like the perfect metaphor for capitalism.

Personally I have more in common with and more empathy for the people making the jokes than the people on the sub but somehow I feel that's the opposite for you. The fact you're comparing this to the Thai kids incident shows you have no understanding of why people are making the jokes.
Rich or poor anyone stupid enough to get in that thing and think it could go a few miles down and back without incident would be the butt of jokes regardless.

I think the jokes stem more from them being stupid eoungh to go down there a tin can that was already labelled a death trap, being rich just makes people less sympathetic to their plight.
 

The Boy

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It is relevant because the original point stated a resting place of 1500 people at “such depth” (I.E. a dangerous place to go) should never be visited.

You bizarrely responded to him implying he was suggesting we shouldn’t visit any resting places. All the places you brought up has zero relevance to his point.
Seriously, the resting place for 1,500 people at such depth should never be a place for tourists nor private companies to go nearby.
Hmmm I took the resting place to be the key part of that and to be fair I refereed to people giving this line of thought rather than just the one poster, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

So at what depth or what level of danger do you draw the line? and why should we not go, surely the risk is for those that want to go to assess? Or are resting places at the bottom of the ocean worthy of more respect than those on the surface?

Does this mean that scuba divers shouldn't dive wrecks? or is that acceptably close to the surface?
 

Chief123

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Hmmm I took the resting place to be the key part of that and to be fair I refereed to people giving this line of thought rather than just the one poster, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

So at what depth or what level of danger do you draw the line? and why should we not go, surely the risk is for those that want to go to assess? Or are resting places at the bottom of the ocean worthy of more respect than those on the surface?

Does this mean that scuba divers shouldn't dive wrecks? or is that acceptably close to the surface?
People are free to go where they want and risk their lives as much as they want as long as it doesn’t affect and endanger others.

My point was simply comparing visiting a cemetery on the bottom of the ocean to visiting one on the ground is not a rational or valid comparison. That’s it.
 

Wibble

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You would have hated the French revolution. All those poor people with their lack of empathy for the rich :(

@Abizzz that may be @Maagge you're thinking of. I'm British
It isn't to do with empathy for rich people. I'd have no problem with people cheering on measures to make society more equal at the expense of the super rich. It is to do with laughing at people losing their life, especially those who were just passengers. I just find it distasteful. Did we laugh at Michael Schumacker because he was wealthy and was injured doing an elite pass time? Not that I remember. I don't remember us saying that he deserved it or that we hope that he dies.
 

The Boy

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I went to the killing fields in my 20s. There wasn’t much else to do in Cambodia: it’s the most depressing tour. Hundreds of skulls on display. Clothes poking out of holes in the ground. Motorbike guides who happily take you round smiling whilst telling you that all of their family got killed. A primary school that was turned into a torture centre. Depressing shit.
You'll be glad to hear that Cambodia has more to do now! However, the genocide sites are still horrendously depressing but very powerful, they've also introduced audio tours that are incredibly well done and have removed the need for moto guides!