Deranged. “Free” climbing as a concept to grab eyeballs is already bad enough, but he’s got a wife and child depending on him. The fact this dude’s plunging to his death (the possibility of which is the only real draw of this farce) would be handled as unceremoniously as just cutting away, that that “contingency” has to be seriously considered at all for a piece of public entertainment, is just gross. Don’t give this shit views.
orundarkes on
If they’re going to televise this, show the freaking fall , make people live through their bad decisions to watch this garbage.
GOA_AMD65 on
I thought he gave up on free solo’ing after having a kid. Guess not.
Sa7aSa7a on
Netflix’s worst case scenario is if he makes it to the top with no issues. The Executives would all ejaculate if he was to fall to his death on live TV. It would get them so much buzz and talked about so much on TV it would be about $5b in free advertising.
Bob_Fancy on
Worst sequel ever.
M-Bernard-LLB on
It’s just like Felix Baumgardner (sp?) skydiving from 100k feet, or any Nascar event. It’s the crash potential that gets people watching.
braumbles on
Screen goes black, you hear the tudum, then Stranger Things starts.
dokaebeex on
cool paywalled article i will never read
NowGoodbyeForever on
I just didn’t think we’d hit *The Running Man* this fast, or this stupidly. Because that’s what this is, that’s what Netflix has been nudging us closer towards: Entertainment where you can watch real people suffer and, inevitably, die.
Mr. Beast was the primer, and him bringing Beat Games to Amazon was the proof of concept. Obviously we’ve been watching things like this for huge swaths of human history—from gladiatorial fights to public executions—but it’s also worth pointing out that **we don’t hold those things up as good healthy parts of a society.** They’re spectacles we aimed to move beyond, feeding into the worst natures of desperate people.
This isn’t a combat sport like boxing or UFC, where (allegedly and on paper) there are professionals and referees and athletic commissions ensuring that everything is as safe as it can be. This entire article is basically saying “If the climber feels ready, and if the weather isn’t too wet or windy, we’ll do this.” And I’m sorry: **That’s not safety, that’s ensuring the inevitable lawsuit can’t touch you.** Because there’s no world where he hasn’t essentially signed a Life Waiver.
You might be thinking: *So what? People Free Climb all the time. If he wants to risk his life, what’s so bad about that?* To say nothing of the many (great) documentaries about situations like this, such as *Man on Wire*.
I’ve got a pretty simple answer: Free climbers do it for free, knowing that it’s illegal, unsafe, and entirely on them if they get hurt or die. And *Man on Wire* was about documenting a guy who was very clearly going to do this stunt either way. The documentarians weren’t paying him.
Netflix is quite literally offering a man a substantial amount of money to risk his life for their views. He doesn’t do this without that external motivator, and that’s the point of no return here. Actively funding and encouraging deadly acts of spectacle shouldn’t be a *thing* in a healthy world. Nobody should feel that desperate, and our dopamine receptors shouldn’t be so fried to the point where something needs to escalate to this point to be worthy of our attention.
This fucking sucks, and it won’t be the end. I wouldn’t be shocked if we start seeing livestreamed executions within the decade.
e_dan_k on
Any sport that only gets exciting because you are increasing the chance of your death is idiotic.
Free climbing, squirrel suit flying, etc…
Leberknodel on
Honnold has a death wish. If he continues, someday he’ll get his wish. It’s the same with the people that “climb” Everest. Yeah, I put climb in quotes, because for decades now, most of the people who go are adventure tourists who pay upwards of 100K for sherpas and the outfit to do the hardest stuff.
I have no intention of watching this nonsense, and am a bit grossed out at the thought that most people who do watch are probably hoping he falls.
tanktronic on
How long is the climb supposed to take?
janno88 on
TLDR: there’s a 10 second delay.
JackSpadesSI on
It obviously wouldn’t make it to our TVs. I’m sure there’s a tape delay for exactly this reason.
14 Comments
Deranged. “Free” climbing as a concept to grab eyeballs is already bad enough, but he’s got a wife and child depending on him. The fact this dude’s plunging to his death (the possibility of which is the only real draw of this farce) would be handled as unceremoniously as just cutting away, that that “contingency” has to be seriously considered at all for a piece of public entertainment, is just gross. Don’t give this shit views.
If they’re going to televise this, show the freaking fall , make people live through their bad decisions to watch this garbage.
I thought he gave up on free solo’ing after having a kid. Guess not.
Netflix’s worst case scenario is if he makes it to the top with no issues. The Executives would all ejaculate if he was to fall to his death on live TV. It would get them so much buzz and talked about so much on TV it would be about $5b in free advertising.
Worst sequel ever.
It’s just like Felix Baumgardner (sp?) skydiving from 100k feet, or any Nascar event. It’s the crash potential that gets people watching.
Screen goes black, you hear the tudum, then Stranger Things starts.
cool paywalled article i will never read
I just didn’t think we’d hit *The Running Man* this fast, or this stupidly. Because that’s what this is, that’s what Netflix has been nudging us closer towards: Entertainment where you can watch real people suffer and, inevitably, die.
Mr. Beast was the primer, and him bringing Beat Games to Amazon was the proof of concept. Obviously we’ve been watching things like this for huge swaths of human history—from gladiatorial fights to public executions—but it’s also worth pointing out that **we don’t hold those things up as good healthy parts of a society.** They’re spectacles we aimed to move beyond, feeding into the worst natures of desperate people.
This isn’t a combat sport like boxing or UFC, where (allegedly and on paper) there are professionals and referees and athletic commissions ensuring that everything is as safe as it can be. This entire article is basically saying “If the climber feels ready, and if the weather isn’t too wet or windy, we’ll do this.” And I’m sorry: **That’s not safety, that’s ensuring the inevitable lawsuit can’t touch you.** Because there’s no world where he hasn’t essentially signed a Life Waiver.
You might be thinking: *So what? People Free Climb all the time. If he wants to risk his life, what’s so bad about that?* To say nothing of the many (great) documentaries about situations like this, such as *Man on Wire*.
I’ve got a pretty simple answer: Free climbers do it for free, knowing that it’s illegal, unsafe, and entirely on them if they get hurt or die. And *Man on Wire* was about documenting a guy who was very clearly going to do this stunt either way. The documentarians weren’t paying him.
Netflix is quite literally offering a man a substantial amount of money to risk his life for their views. He doesn’t do this without that external motivator, and that’s the point of no return here. Actively funding and encouraging deadly acts of spectacle shouldn’t be a *thing* in a healthy world. Nobody should feel that desperate, and our dopamine receptors shouldn’t be so fried to the point where something needs to escalate to this point to be worthy of our attention.
This fucking sucks, and it won’t be the end. I wouldn’t be shocked if we start seeing livestreamed executions within the decade.
Any sport that only gets exciting because you are increasing the chance of your death is idiotic.
Free climbing, squirrel suit flying, etc…
Honnold has a death wish. If he continues, someday he’ll get his wish. It’s the same with the people that “climb” Everest. Yeah, I put climb in quotes, because for decades now, most of the people who go are adventure tourists who pay upwards of 100K for sherpas and the outfit to do the hardest stuff.
I have no intention of watching this nonsense, and am a bit grossed out at the thought that most people who do watch are probably hoping he falls.
How long is the climb supposed to take?
TLDR: there’s a 10 second delay.
It obviously wouldn’t make it to our TVs. I’m sure there’s a tape delay for exactly this reason.