I’ve been following these guys for a while. It’s fascinating to see how much they’ve changed. Just listening to a lot of different types of music can open your mind that much.
It’s been an interesting phenomenon, seeing the way reaction videos have proliferated on YouTube.
You have rap fans listening to rock, rock fans listening to rap. People from tribal cultures listening to techno. People reacting to stand up comics. Classical musicians listening to self-taught punk artists, young people checking out classics, old people checking out new bands way outside their comfort zones. So many possibilities.
At first I thought it was a bit much, but eventually I couldn’t help it. I got addicted. What will people who are different from me think of my favorite music, comedian or movie? Seeing someone discover them makes them feel new all over again.
It occurs to me that these videos are doing something very positive, opening people up to different cultures, points of view. There are some channels I’ve watched on and off for a few years and I can tell they’ve grown as people, simply by listening to a variety of music over time.
Ren, reacting to the reactors posting about his “Hi Ren” video. Ren is all about opening people’s minds and bringing people together, has encouraged reaction videos as a way to advance his career. They don’t have to worry about copyright strikes and it’s paying off.
So the saga of the billionaire submersible comes to an end. It seems the underwater craft imploded, ending CEO Stockton Rush and his wealthy passengers in the blink of an eye.
It’s been interesting to see how people have been reacting. There are exceptions, but for the most part people don’t seem very fazed by the tragedy. I’ve seen a lot of “too soon” jokes and not much finger wagging.
The Titanic – A spiritual field recording by Alan Lomax at St. Simons Island, April, 1960. Performers include John Davis, Bessie Jones, Emma Ramsay and Hobart Smith.
A lot of it has to do with the hubris and foolhardiness of the CEO. He apparently did it on the cheap, used off the shelf parts and ignored the warnings of people who knew how dangerous it was.
James Cameron made a good point. Kind of ironic how similar Rush’s fate was to that of Captain Smith of the Titanic. One thing’s for sure, Rush will be remembered. He’s become a myth, like Icarus flying too close to the sun.
I can’t say I wouldn’t have done myself in if I’d had the resources to make a submarine. How hard could it be? I grew up on shows like Salvage 1, where Andy Griffith plays a junk man who makes his own spaceship. A lot of the Golden Age sci fi I read had premises like that.
TV in the ’70s was so dumb – and fun. Pretty sure I watched every ridiculous episode.
Mostly though, the lack of empathy toward the CEO seems to be about class. Like why should we care about billionaires when they don’t care about us?
I understand the sentiment to an extent. I was excited when Robert Ballard discovered the wreckage of the Titanic. The thought of colonizing other planets excites me. I have a much harder time caring about “extreme tourism” for the wealthy. Billionaires in space or billionaires under the sea – the rest of the world could really use those resources.
If you’re not careful though, you can get carried away. The guys who died in that sub didn’t deserve it just because they were wealthy.
If you think of it, the wealthy are just as trapped by the system as the rest of us. I’ve actually met a billionaire and I like the guy. He runs an ethical company and believes in paying his taxes (he’s European).
Money is survival and wealth is security. If you don’t have enough, the system will let you die. But how much is enough? If you have a lot, you’re gonna want more, just in case.
The more you have and the less everyone else has, the more you have to close yourself off. You can do it with walls and surveillance, private security, or distance. You can use your influence to keep the people you’re scared of away.
The Bastille was a prison, but so was Versailles. Nobody wants to get robbed or Marie Antoinetted. But the worse life becomes for those people you never see, the more likely it becomes. Poverty is a trap, but so is wealth.
I don’t know how we’re gonna get out of this mess, but billionaires do have a lot of resources. If enough of them could be convinced that we’re all in this together, they could do a lot of good.
It’s worth remembering that FDR, who helped the country out of a depression and got us through a world war, came from the wealthy class.
When I was around 7 or 8, there was a little kid I used to see in the nursery of our Southern Baptist church. I’ll call him Avery. Avery was about 4.
This was the early 70s in a small Texas town, typical Baptist church. Avery’s parents were decent and very active. I think the father was a former preacher.
When adults asked Avery what he wanted to be when he grew up, Avery would say, “I’m going to be a princess and have a pretty dress like Cinderella.”
You could tell it bothered them. “No you’re not. You’re going to be a handsome young man and have beautiful children.”
Avery would argue back. “No, I’m going to have a pretty dress like Cinderella.” As long as I knew Avery, the answer never changed.
I’m not one of those people who calls himself an “ally.” What the hell do I know about trans issues? I’m old. I used to be on the “wrong” side of politics. I use the wrong pronouns half the time.
But I know being transgender is not made-up, or sinister. I remember Avery and I know what I saw. I’ve since met other trans people – and they’re people, with hobbies and interests. They just want to live.
When I see all the cruelty directed toward trans kids and their families, I think of Avery and wonder if they’ve had a happy life. I’ll never know, but I hope Avery got to wear that dress and feel like a princess if that’s what Avery wanted.
Late Boomer's Den 
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