On Friday, CNN This Morning described the deceased members of the OceanGate Titanic submersible tour as risk junkies who willingly took on danger for exclusive experiences too expensive for the average person. Chief business correspondent Christine Romans considered their wealth and adventurousness overindulgent and twisted their lifestyle to suggest that they earned their money by flouting rules and possibly even the law.
Instead of mourning the men who died while attempting to view the Titanic and sympathizing with those who knew them, Romans hyper-focused on their wealth.
“It's a really big market for a small group of super-rich people. And these are people who have made their money by not following the rules, by maybe breaking -- breaking rules, by taking a lot of risks,” Romans said, describing the expedition. “In fact, that's why they do it, because it is a risk. And it is such a thrill to be able to do these things that most mere mortals can never touch.”
Romans assumed those on the Titan (the name of the submersible) were aloof and disconnected from the mere mortals due to their net worth. Deeply suspicious, Romans questioned whether they earned their money by legitimate means and postulated that they broke rules to achieve such wealth. She also made character judgments about the crew:
These are risk-takers we're talking about. Thrill-seekers, risk-takers -- people who, in many cases, built their wealth. And we're talking about high-net-worth individuals who go for this market, right? This is $30 million or more. These are people who, you know, don't like to hear no and want to have this kind of an experience.
Romans seemed almost vindictive, as if earning large sums of money made one slightly less human and their death less tragic.
She described other adventurous trips risk-takers favored, such as climbing Mount Everest. “I actually have no desire to go to Mount Everest, by the way, and I also don’t have the money,” Romans assured viewers.
Her colleague Elie Honig quickly distanced himself from such people as well. “I'm neither rich nor a thrill seeker,” Honig added to ensure no one associated him with either dreaded category.
“We can only hope,” Rachel Solomon laughed.
Later in the show, Alfred Hagen discussed his friendship with one of the crew members and shot back at the kind of assertions made before he was on-air. “I am tired of people coming in now to insult the high achievers and disparage wealthy people that want to, you know, break trail for the rest of humanity and come in and bayonet their dead corpses. I am tired of that,” he declared.
Hagen seemed to refer to Romans’s lack of empathy for the Titan crew and their families. He defended his deceased friends and called out those who deprecated them because of their wealth. He also praised their visionary spirit and the benefits of men’s willingness to explore:
These are risk-takers. Risk-takers have always driven humanity forward. You know, and that’s, taking a risk is what distinguishes us as men. And it’s the divine spark. If we didn't we would never have crossed oceans, we would never have learned to sail. We would never have left the surly bonds of earth. And we wouldn't be in space, and we certainly wouldn’t be exploring the depths of the ocean.
Hagen’s words honored his former friends and served as a testament to their lives and hopes. He reminded the world that, despite Romans' assertions, wealth does not dehumanize, and risk-taking often makes significant advancements for humanity. One could only imagine what the world might look like if Christine Romans called the shots, or rather, one could read a history book and visit a museum.
CNN’s biased coverage of the Titan submersible was made possible because of a sponsorship from Flex Seal. Their contact information is linked.
The Transcript is below, click "expand" to read.
CNN This Morning
6/23/2023
6:24 AM Eastern
[…]
CHRISTINE ROMANS: So, look, this is a market for rich thrill seekers. We're talking ultra-high net worth individuals, people with $30 million or more. And they're going on things like 24-day private jet tours around the country. They're going to helicopter into base camp on Mount Everest. They're spending $250,000 to go to the bottom of the ocean. And these trips to space, Virgin Galactic just said last week, it's announcing trips to space starting next month, and those are going to be $450,000 a pop to become a private astronaut. And they've already sold 800 tickets.
It's a really big market for a small group of super-rich people. And these are people who have made their money by not following the rules, by maybe breaking -- breaking rules, by taking a lot of risks.
RACHEL SOLOMON: Disrupting--
ROMANS: So, they are risk-takers by nature. That's how they got their money. And they are thrill seekers. I mean, one of the people who sadly perished on this trip has three Guinness, you know, World Records and has done a bunch of other stuff, too, including going to space.
So, it's almost an addictive kind of adventure travel, costs a lot of money. You have to have a lot of money to do it. And it's a market that I don't think will be moved by this tragedy. I don’t –
MATTINGLY: Yes. The profile of the people you are describing wouldn't be affected by –
SOLOMON: Undeterred.
ROMANS: They know that it's a risk.
MATTINGLY: Right.
ROMANS: In fact, that's why they do it, because it is a risk. And it is such a thrill to be able to do these things that most mere mortals can never touch. I actually have no desire to go to Mount Everest, by the way, and I also don’t have the money.
SOLOMON: I think this is their busiest season, one of their busiest climbing seasons. So, certainly-
MATTINGLY: Well, I think seven people died during that climbing season. Look, Elie has got that kind of money and that type of risk-taking strategy.
ROMANS: Yea.
ELIE HONIG: I'm neither rich nor a thrill seeker.
SOLOMON: We can only hope.
HONIG: Just to be clear.
[…]
6:34 AM Eastern
ALFRED HAGEN: We all understood the risk we were taking. And there were concerns. There was a moment when the current kind of pushed us closer than we intended and we got stuck. And P.H. was able to maneuver us out. And of course, at that moment, you know, the thought flashes through your mind if we do not get loose, this could be it. That is a risk that you accept.
And I am tired of people coming in now to insult the high achievers and disparage wealthy people that want to, you know, break trail for the rest of humanity and come in and bayonet their dead corpses. I am tired of that. These are risk-takers. Risk-takers have always driven humanity forward. You know, and that’s, taking a risk is what distinguishes us as men. And it’s the divine spark. If we didn't we would never have crossed oceans, we would never have learned to sail. We would never have left the surly bonds of earth. And we wouldn't be in space, and we certainly wouldn’t be exploring the depths of the ocean.
And, you know, James Cameron, I have great respect for. And if he says the carbon fiber is not the appropriate shell, then I will agree with him, and we are going to learn from that and move on. But Stockton Rush was also correct. The oceans are fundamental to our future. The elements that will power the green economy are all on the seafloor. We have to explore this last great frontier on Earth.
ANDERSON COOPER: Right.
HAGEN: It is critical to the survival of life on Earth. And he was a trailblazer.
[…]
7:31 AM Eastern
ROMANS: Absolutely, and these are risk-takers we're talking about.
MATTINGLY: Right.
ROMANS: Thrill-seekers, risk-takers -- people who, in many cases, built their wealth. And we're talking about high-net-worth individuals who go for this market, right? This is $30 million or more. These are people who, you know, don't like to hear no and want to have this kind of an experience.
And I think that when you look at whether it's going to Everest, a 24-day private jet trip around the world, these speed -- aviation speed races around the world that some -- and going to space, all of these are frontiers that have a huge market. There are waiting lists to go to space, for example, and that costs up to $450,000 to be a, you know, a private astronaut. And there's a waiting list to do it and there are plenty of people with the money.
By the way, that ultra-high-net-worth group -- $30 million wealth or more -- the size of that group has grown 44 -- grown 44 percent since 2017. So it's a –
SOLOMON: Yeah.
MATTINGLY: Yeah.
ROMANS: -- it's a big –
MATTINGLY: It’s grown, yeah.
ROMANS: -- and growing group of very rich people who want to take these risks in the name of exploration –
SOLOMON: Yeah.
ROMANS: -- in many cases, as one of our guests said.
[…]
