The actor compared the way people responded to the missing Titanic submersible and refugees capsizing
Julia Hunt
·Contributor
Thu, June 22, 2023
John Cusack has tweeted about the search for the Titanic submersible. (REUTERS)
John Cusack has sparked debate after suggesting that “no one cares” when refugee boats capsize but that things are very different when it comes to the lost Titanic submersible.
The sub went missing in the Atlantic on an underwater journey to the wreck of the Titanic, with five people on board.
A large search is under way, with experts predicting that the vessel will soon run out of oxygen.
Read more: Channel 5 under fire for 'distasteful' show on missing Titanic submersible
Commenting on the search on Twitter, Cusack appeared to reference the migrant boat that recently sank off Greece, leaving 78 dead and hundreds missing.
“All I can think is refugees capsize no one cares - some billionaires on joy rides go missing - it seems like multiple navy’s are instantly searching,” the 56-year-old posted.
Many people chimed in to agree with the actor, who is known for films such as Sixteen Candles and Being John Malkovich.
One person tweeted that it was “infuriating” and another said: “It's really, really sad when it's right in front you. Money people mean more than anyone else.”
“I just got done saying the same thing...” said one fan.
“Five billionaires get lost in a s****** submersible on a $250k per person trip to see the Titanic, and half the US Coast Guard gets mobilised to find them.
The tourist submarine went missing in the Atlantic. (Ocean Gate/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“Innocent refugees get lost at sea trying to make their way to safety and a better life, and no one can be bothered to give a crap.”
However, another said: “I agree that society is very one-sided but in my mind they're still people.”
“We have to watch the way we refer to people with money,” said someone else.
“It is not fair to think they are less than just because they are rich.”
One fan suggested people have been gripped by the story because “we can see ourselves in a tourist junket that goes awry”.
Several people agreed with the actor. (REUTERS)
“Plausible something like that could happen to us,” they said.
Read more: John Cusack defends speaking out about politics: 'I haven’t really been hot for a long time'
“We don’t really see ourselves in a boat full of other refugees.
"I think people are by and large only empathetic to those with whom they can identify.”
Barack Obama Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud About The Titan Sub
Story by Kate Nicholson • Yesterday
Former US president Barack Obama spoke about the Titan sub this week in Athens, Greece.© Provided by HuffPost UKFormer US president Barack Obama spoke about the Titan sub this week in Athens, Greece.
Barack Obama hit the nail on the head when he spoke about the “untenable” way the Titan submersible tragedy received more attention than the recent deaths of hundreds of refugees near Greece.
The former US president was speaking during a conference held by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation in Athens on Thursday, when he discussed the struggles which asylum seekers face around the world.
Obama called for people to think about the “circumstances which lead desperate people to come here”.
He said: “We can’t ignore it.
“You think about what’s happening this week. There is a potential tragedy unfolding with the submarine that is getting, you know, minute-to-minute, coverage, all around the world.
“And you know it’s understandable, because we all want and pray that those folks are rescued.
“But the fact that that’s got so much more attention than 700 people who sank,” the crowd began to applaud at this, realising where Obama was going with his sentence.
He added: “That’s an untenable situation.”
He was referring to the fishing trawler which sank off the coast of Greece, with 700 asylum seekers on board on June 14.
The International Organisation for Migration called it “the worst sea tragedies in the last decade in Greece”.
However, it received just a fraction of the coverage the submarine crisis did. There were five people on the the tourist submersible, named the Titan, when it went missing while en route to see the Titanic shipwreck.
Regularly news alerts and live blogs were set up in an effort to track the search and rescue mission for the five passengers, stretching on between Sunday and Thursday.
Obama’s comments came hours before the US Coast Guard confirmed that the five people who were on board the Titan died in a “catastrophic implosion”.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Obama repeated his sentiment – and, this time, emphasised how it reflects a larger problem with inequality.
He said: “Our democracy is not going to be healthy with the levels of inequality that we’ve seen, generated from globalisation, automation, the decline in unions, obscene inequality.”
He referenced the “news of the day” had focused on how “the submersible, that tragically is right now lost at the bottom of the sea.”
Obama continued: “At the same time, right here, in just off the coast of Greece, we had 700 people that – 700 migrants who were apparently being smuggled into here, and we’ve made news, but it’s not dominating in the same way.
“And in some ways, it’s indicative of the degree to which people’s life chances have grown so disparate.”
Related...
Story by Kate Nicholson • Yesterday
Barack Obama hit the nail on the head when he spoke about the “untenable” way the Titan submersible tragedy received more attention than the recent deaths of hundreds of refugees near Greece.
The former US president was speaking during a conference held by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation in Athens on Thursday, when he discussed the struggles which asylum seekers face around the world.
Obama called for people to think about the “circumstances which lead desperate people to come here”.
He said: “We can’t ignore it.
“You think about what’s happening this week. There is a potential tragedy unfolding with the submarine that is getting, you know, minute-to-minute, coverage, all around the world.
“And you know it’s understandable, because we all want and pray that those folks are rescued.
“But the fact that that’s got so much more attention than 700 people who sank,” the crowd began to applaud at this, realising where Obama was going with his sentence.
He added: “That’s an untenable situation.”
He was referring to the fishing trawler which sank off the coast of Greece, with 700 asylum seekers on board on June 14.
The International Organisation for Migration called it “the worst sea tragedies in the last decade in Greece”.
However, it received just a fraction of the coverage the submarine crisis did. There were five people on the the tourist submersible, named the Titan, when it went missing while en route to see the Titanic shipwreck.
Regularly news alerts and live blogs were set up in an effort to track the search and rescue mission for the five passengers, stretching on between Sunday and Thursday.
Obama’s comments came hours before the US Coast Guard confirmed that the five people who were on board the Titan died in a “catastrophic implosion”.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Obama repeated his sentiment – and, this time, emphasised how it reflects a larger problem with inequality.
He said: “Our democracy is not going to be healthy with the levels of inequality that we’ve seen, generated from globalisation, automation, the decline in unions, obscene inequality.”
He referenced the “news of the day” had focused on how “the submersible, that tragically is right now lost at the bottom of the sea.”
Obama continued: “At the same time, right here, in just off the coast of Greece, we had 700 people that – 700 migrants who were apparently being smuggled into here, and we’ve made news, but it’s not dominating in the same way.
“And in some ways, it’s indicative of the degree to which people’s life chances have grown so disparate.”
Related...
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