On Sunday night, 60 Minutes reporter Peter Harvey interviewed Mark Ingles a mountaineer who successfully climbed Mt. Everest on stilts. In recent days, the media has been debating the scenario of leaving a fellow mountaineer to die on the mountain in pursuit for the summit. Mark Ingles has copped a lot of flack, when he thought he would become a hero for his feat, he has been overshadowed by societies disbelief that over 40 climbers could leave a fellow climber, helpless to die.
Harvey's line of questioning, accused Ingles of pursuiting the summit, leaving David Sharp, a British mountaineer to die. This horrific act of self obsession and human greed does not surprise me. Ingles is in the wrong, but so are the other 40 mountaineers for stepping over fellow human beings who are obviously struggling just in pursuit of personal satisfaction. I have to question, why would you even climb Everest in the first place?
But don't be complacent news crews. I am supporting the media attention this story is receiving. It is an interesting conundrum and would you forgo your own ambitions, a once in a lifetime dream and opportunity to save someone else’s life? The answer has to simply be, put the shoe on the other foot. If you were the person dying and saw 40 people walk over you, how would you feel?
It's a terrible reflection on what humanity has become but news networks are no different. For the pursuit of that exclusive, ratings-war. I am always dumbfounded when we see vision from a news camera of an incident involving crime, death, warfare or the simplicity of tears and anxiety in someone, while the camera roles no attention is given to the person in strife but hey at least the news got an exclusive.
Media is important to our lives, its important to know the news of the world but this heroic vision of humanity is having its effect on our most precious gift, life.
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