THIS. Maybe if there weren't so many poor Black folks dying in horrible ways for no reason but race capitalism, I'd have more sympathy for dead billionaires who paid a SMALL FORTUNE (and signed WAIVERS!!!!) to DIE HORRIBLY. Though ... probably not. Other than the irony of the situation, and a few gallows humor-chuckles, I don't feel much of anything. As one commentator (a diving instructor) I read, said: "When social consequences have never existed for someone, they tend to forget that the sea doesn't give a shit who their dad is."

That's some of the realest truth I've seen in a while--and a perfect encapsulation of why wealthy folks do obviously stupid things. And I find it helps to remember that these dead folks spent that small fortune not helping people, nor even just relaxing in Monaco, nor even investing in something to make more dirty capital. They paid to DIE MISERABLY, when they coulda stayed home and done it for much cheaper. And the FUN way, with liquor and blow as the method of death. For a quarter of a million they could've died under much better circumstances. Much nicer, much cheaper. Hell, I might've applauded if they had gone out like true hedonists.

Instead, they died having likely had resort to cannibalism....

CLEARLY, they were NOT connoisseurs nor bargain-shoppers, when it comes to "live fast, die young."

My sympathy for that level of stupid tone-deafness is limited to the point of being invisible even through an electron microscope. And as long as poor Black folks and other POC die horribly for NO DAMN REASONS and all the damn reasons ... I'm okay with that limit.

GREAT article. Thank you.