HANH NGUYEN (According to National World, Guardian)
Among the five people trapped in the Titan submersible visiting the Titanic wreck at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean are two billionaires: British businessman Hamish Harding and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood.
Billionaire Harding holds three world records for adventurous exploration. Photo: The Scotsman
Before starting the 12,000-foot dive on the morning of June 18, Harding excitedly said that this was likely to be the first and only mission to visit the Titanic wreck in 2023. However, the Titan lost contact with its operators less than two hours after departure. The US, Canada and France have conducted a large-scale search and rescue operation but so far no trace of the submersible has been found.
The aerial activity is not Mr. Harding’s first expedition to the ocean floor. In 2021, the 58-year-old billionaire dived to the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean, the deepest known point on Earth (10,925m). He also participated in a 107km space exploration mission aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket last year.
These expeditions are not cheap. While OceanGate’s Titanic dives cost $250,000 per person, a pair of tickets for a Blue Origin flight costs $2.5 million. Other companies offer expensive tours of the world’s last wildernesses. Explorer Patrick Woodhead’s White Desert Antarctica takes wealthy clients to the South Pole for $98,500 per person. Woodhead calls Harding a “master adventurer” and has been to Antarctica many times.
The Unusual Views of Billionaires
The idea of spending a large sum of money on such a dangerous activity has sparked debate online, with many people comparing a tour of the Titanic wreckage to their worst nightmare and claiming they wouldn't participate even if offered $250,000.
However, the super-rich, such as billionaires Harding and Dawood (one of Pakistan’s richest men), have a different view of these risky journeys. Psychologist Charlotte Russell argues that the super-rich are in an unusual position because they have the means to undertake more extreme endeavors. This also leads them to associate with others of similar financial status, so their view of “normalcy” is very different from that of the average person.
ordinary people
There are also psychological reasons why rich people indulge in risky activities, and they are also linked to how they got rich. “Becoming a billionaire may have its own risk factors because it requires you to act in an extreme way,” Dr Russell argues.
Agreeing, consultant Shirley Palmer points to the link between adventure travel and the prestige of a wealthy person. “For the wealthy, participating in adventure travel is a testament to their social status. Only a few individuals can afford to undertake such expeditions, so these activities symbolize exclusivity and prestige,” Ms. Palmer explains.
| On June 22, Business Insider quoted legal experts as saying that OceanGate will likely avoid lawsuits related to the disappearance of the Titan submersible. Before getting off the ship, all five passengers signed a risk acceptance form, and on the first page of the form, the risk of death was mentioned three times. However, OceanGate could still get into trouble if it is discovered that it was negligent in its operations. |
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