Obama Calls Submarine Tragedy “Obscene” Because People Paid Attention

(UnitedHeadlines.com) – Barack Obama said the media coverage of the tragic death of a group of explorers in the Atlantic Ocean is a double standard indicative of social inequality. He said the loss of the Titan submarine, which imploded soon after it began its descent to visit the Titanic shipwreck, received 24-hour news coverage, while a ship filled with illegal immigrants that sank off the coast of Greece received hardly any attention.

The former President said, “Our democracy is not going to be healthy with the levels of inequality that we’ve seen generated from globalization, automation, and the decline in unions. Obscene inequality.”

The OceanGate submersible Titan left for the Titanic on June 18 but lost contact with the surface around 1 hour and 45 minutes later. A frantic search by the US and Canadian coastguards continued for four days until reports confirmed that the vessel had imploded, instantly killing everyone on board.

These were OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, and former French Navy commander Paul-Henry Nargeolet.

Obama compared the OceanGate incident with the capsizing of a ship packed with illegal immigrants off the coast of Greece during the same time period. Dozens died when a boat carrying illegal migrants, on their way to Europe with the help of criminal people smugglers, capsized near the Greek coast. The boat had departed from Egypt and called at Libya to collect more migrants before setting out for the Mediterranean to enter Italy or Greece.

Authorities in Pakistan made seven arrests in the wake of the incident. Those arrested are accused of organizing people smuggling rings from Pakistan and elsewhere into Europe. Illegal immigrants are reported to be paying the smugglers between $5,000 and $8,000. Dozens of Pakistanis are believed to have been on board the boat whose sinking was described as the “worst ever tragedy” in the Mediterranean by EU migration chief Ylva Johansson.