Last week, a fishing boat packed with about 750 men, women and children capsized off the coast of Greece, with hundreds believed to have died

  • peanuts4life@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I do feel like this is an exercise in “whataboutism.” The Greek ship was a horrible tragedy brought on by unpleasant geopolitical realities, the submarine was a mystery, with a wacky story, exotic setting, and eclectic cast.

  • xantoxis@lemmy.one
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    1 year ago

    OK? You can just call attention to the migrant boat tragedy without making everyone feel bad for finding this story weirdly compelling.

    Statements like these always somehow act like an entire group of people all took a vote and decided to focus on one thing over another. I don’t have control over what other people think is interesting, so what is he trying to tell me, personally?

    • DeviloDante@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      I believe the point here is that a lot of media attention was directed to the titanic story with a lot of discussion how to rescue the victims. All while in the last couple of years there have been multiple cases of ships with refugees drowning in the Mediterranean Sea with next to no media coverage.

      Millionaires doing wacky shit just seems to be way more interesting then refugees drowning.

      • xantoxis@lemmy.one
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        1 year ago

        Thanks but I understand the point. My point is, why is Obama telling me? My ability to affect the fates of the migrant refugees is the same as my ability affect the fates of the billionaires: zero.

        If I could choose to save one migrant life or one billionaire from that sub, I’ll pick the migrant life, every time, now matter how you phrase the question. I still think the submarine story is more interesting, in part because it makes me feel less hopeless to think about it.

        And that’s always how it goes with scolding people for what they watch. Tell the news networks. Tell the people who own the news networks. Use your influence to pass laws, Obama. Don’t scold me, what am I supposed to do.

        • garrettw87@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          The news networks only do whatever gets them more eyeballs. If they see that submarine coverage will do that, then that’s what they do.

  • Magrath@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    I understand what he’s getting at. The submarine was an escape story. The migrant boat is just a reminder of how fucked things are. It should’ve gotten more attention but the average person just wants to not be bombarded by tragic stories. The submarine was not a tragic story.

  • Wigglehard@exploding-heads.com
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    1 year ago

    Apples and oranges, besides he’s over here trying to get people to cry for people, miss placed by wars that he engaged in, if you haven’t figured out this dude is a grifter well now you know

    • abff08f4813c@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Totally apples and oranges.

      I followed the news about the sub diligently while there was hope that those folks were still alive (a desperate race against time and a dramatic rescue) but once it was known that they had died, I largely lost interest.

      I’m actually more interested in the migrants story now - very upset and enraged by reports that it was the Greek version of the coast guard that got them killed - while trying to kick them out of Greek waters no less.

      • Wigglehard@exploding-heads.com
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        1 year ago

        No, I get it. I just think it’s rather hypocritical of the former president because he was over here arming militia groups in Lybia and his administration. Actively lied about the circumstances surrounding the death of an Ambassador blaming odds of the stupid YouTube video that only had a couple hundred views at the time. Meanwhile his predecessor invaded Iraq. Bush and obama are walking trash and epic liars and grifters

    • ripcord@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      There were so many upvoted comments here with people saying the same thing as him.

      I agree with you though.