Sympathy for Drowning Billionaires (Not Migrants)

Compassion flows as freely as champagne to toast first-world extravagances, yet runs dry when it comes to the basic human needs of those suffering in the third.

By Karim Bettache

In a world riddled with contradictions, it is the hypocrisy of compassion that reveals the true nature of our society. The recent tragedy involving a group of billionaires who embarked on a $250,000 submarine trip to view the sunken Titanic has unveiled a disturbing double standard prevalent in the West, particularly among right-wing commentators.

These wealthy individuals, who sought to indulge in a macabre voyage of luxury, have garnered sympathy and attention from the very same people who coldly dismiss the daily deaths of desperate migrants seeking refuge in Europe. The insensitivity of these commentators towards the plight of non-white migrants is a chilling testimony to the deeply ingrained racism and white supremacy prevalent in our collective consciousness.

The vitriol directed at Ash Sarkar of Novara Media for highlighting this moral dichotomy only serves to underscore the lengths to which some will go to protect the interests of the privileged. Accusations of 'one-eyed dogmatism' and membership in the so-called "woke mob" are nothing more than attempts to distract from the central issue: the unequal distribution of empathy in our world.

The fact that many of these right-wing commentators actively celebrate the deaths of migrants, blaming them for undertaking dangerous journeys, is a grim testament to their lack of compassion. They fail to acknowledge the harrowing circumstances that force these individuals to risk their lives in search of safety and a better future, circumstances often exacerbated by Western imperialism and global power dynamics.

This is not a question of politics, but of fundamental human decency. To empathize with a group of billionaires who voluntarily embarked on a perilous underwater adventure while callously disregarding the lives of those seeking refuge from war, famine, and persecution is an abhorrent display of moral bankruptcy.

The Titanic submarine spectacle illustrates how obscene wealth and profligacy are decoupled from moral responsibility in late-stage capitalism. The rich are showered with sympathy and tribute for self-indulgence while the poor are denied mercy and compassion for a desperate struggle to survive. This is the real modern morality tale. And it exposes the moral rot that threatens to extinguish the light of justice and humanity in our society.