Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Risking Your Life for Fun – Western Madness

Most people in the world spend their lives fighting various real dangerous situations.  If you were to explain to them that westerners create fake danger they would think those Westerners are mad.  And they would be right.

How many times have you seen an ad for some TV show where some idiot puts themselves in a dangerous situation and then tries to get themselves out of it to the oohs and aaaahs of a spellbound audience as moron X finally frees themselves from their glass sarcophagus?

Then there are the endless sky diving expeditions and bungee jumping jaunts.  What is wrong with people?  Why don’t you take your hard earned money and limited time and do something useful at least and leave the medical professionals who have to be on standby in case the Darwin laws injure you or take you out, get on with treating sick people?

You want the thrill of danger and to put your life at risk?  Go save some Yazidi women from Isis rapists.

Want to feel a frisson of excitement at putting your health in danger? Go to a mosquito infested region and distribute some netting!  Job done!

The fascination westerners have with creating fake dangerous situations that they then get out of and then congratulate themselves on their ‘bravery and ingenuity; a serious kind of privilege.