The recent backlash over the Titan submersive disaster still unnerves me, so I needed to organize some thoughts.

Aside from the mocking memes and jokes, people were chastised for having any empathy for the victims because they were rich and chose to do this dangerous thing, spending $250,000 for the privilege. They could have helped all the starving people, many said. Facebook posters expressed, in no uncertain terms, that rich people were evil and didn’t care about others, and they only got where they’d gotten by harming and exploiting others.

It was the same during the pandemic. Some gloated whenever the stock market plunged, like, “Haha, the rich people.” It didn’t seem to matter to them that the stock market and the economy impact each other. It affects everyone. It didn’t seem to occur to them either that not everyone who owns stock is wealthy or even close. A lot of people who have worked all their lives invest in their eventual retirement.

I have to say, it doesn’t matter to me who is on the receiving end of tragedy—I hate to see any living being suffering. There’s not a person I can think of who has been harmful to me in my life that I want to see suffer. It’s just the way I’ve always been.

Take politics, for example—I want the crimes of politicians investigated, the same as I’d want any other crimes investigated. It doesn’t matter what party they belong to or their socioeconomic status or race or sexual preference or ethnicity, or religion. I want justice, but it doesn’t mean I enjoy seeing people suffer the consequences of their actions.

What I would enjoy is people not taking advantage, not committing crimes thinking they are above the law, and learning from their mistakes. That’s what I would enjoy.

I remember a story I heard years ago from a Rikers Island corrections officer here in New York. It was about what inmates did to a convicted rapist. Rapists are very low on my list for compassion, as anyone who knows me will tell you, but what this officer described to me, what they did to that guy, was hard to hear, hard to stomach, and it didn’t give me any pleasure. I’m glad the guy was incarcerated for his crimes so that he couldn’t harm anyone else, but I don’t get pleasure from his additional suffering.

It’s not in me.

People have said, “Well, what if it was so and so on the Titan sub?” I’ll skip the name, but no, it gives me no pleasure.

I can understand the anger people feel, though. The disparity of wealth angers me, too. People are struggling, more and more of them losing jobs and finding themselves homeless, while many wealthy people don’t even pay their taxes. Senator Bernie Sanders said in his March 29, 2021, op-ed, “Over the past 40 years, there has been a massive transfer of wealth from the middle class and working families to the very wealthiest people in America. The United States cannot prosper and remain a vigorous democracy when so few have so much and so many have so little.”

No one should take advantage of any system to exploit or oppress others. And because we always see that happening, it’s easy for people to be wary and think that anyone who has success would likely take advantage as well. One person suggested that the collective trauma of this reality is what sets people off to being callous themselves. “Maybe it’s a coping mechanism,” he said. “Maybe it helps.”

Yeah, if people are taking advantage of the system, that’s not okay. But don’t assume that they are.

Sure, you’ll find rich people who are cruel. But there are callous people in every walk of life, people who take advantage of others, hurt and destroy others, all walks of life. You don’t need to be rich to do that, and you don’t have to do that if you’re rich.

As they say in Alcoholics Anonymous, it takes all kinds. I used to think if someone was in recovery, they had to have become a good person in the process, right? A wise person assured me that some of them are awesome people. Some are truly unkind. And there’s everything in between. No matter what group you’re talking about, it takes all kinds.

Everyone wants to live the American dream, and many people work hard to achieve that. Aside from whatever else they do, many have spent billions to combat disease and improve healthcare worldwide. Some fight for gun safety, urban development, and other charitable foundations. They fund criminal justice reform, immigration reform, healthcare, and housing. A number of them, along with many big-name actors, are devoted to human rights issues and are making a difference across the globe. Some have spent millions on environmental causes and conservation. Big stars in the music industry have also donated millions to charity.

And yet, some people will say they’re just doing for clout or some other selfish purpose with no evidence of these claims. So, they are damned if they do, damned if they don’t. I still say you can’t assume what a person is doing or has done or will do and why. Many people donating, helping, and advocating are passionate about those causes.

Those who make dangerous voyages and are willing to spend a fortune to do it are also passionate about their causes. The ocean is this planet’s largest ecosystem, and we’re constantly learning more about it thanks to scientists and explorers.

The Brooklyn CUNY website states, “Because they are often driven by their curiosity about how our world functions, scientists are in the unique position to create new knowledge, and that leads them to develop new technologies.” So, yeah, scientific research is essential. Anyone concerned about climate change should know that the deep sea is a significant factor. 

So, I’m glad certain people have the curiosity and passion to explore. We need people like that. Maybe that’s why they are fearless. I know that when you are passionate about what you do, you will do it no matter what. That’s how I feel about writing. No matter what happens or doesn’t happen, I’ll never not do it. I can’t. So, I, and many others, can relate to people with passions and dreams.

As for the collective trauma, I realize that I have my own trauma responses to:

1. Prejudice
2. Character assassination
3. Assumptions
4. Not being given the benefit of the doubt

Some of the reactions I witnessed during the backlash reminded me that I don’t like anyone telling me how to feel or what to do in situations where people dispensing the advice don’t have all the facts, don’t really know how I feel or why, and, therefore, have no idea what they’re talking about. It’s consistent with their one-size-fits-all mentality. They’re quick to label you and put you into a category. They mock your viewpoint and minimalize the situation.

It’s what certain individuals do to people in marginalized groups, and I’m against it across the board. Look at all people as individuals rather than lump them into stereotypes.

If you need to make fun of tragedies that befall the perceived enemy, and that helps, you do you. But then let me be me because I don’t have the stomach for it. I just don’t.

Under sea image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

Red and blue masks image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Heart, stars, love image by emmagrau from Pixabay

Little girl and heart image by Veronica Colombo from Pixabay