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The author explains exactly what happened and still refers to it as a “selfie-related death.” That is atrocious.
by gatherhunterer 7y ago
The author explains exactly what happened and still refers to it as a “selfie-related death.” That is atrocious.
- infinitezest 7y agoBy the same logic, the death was also "oxygen-related".
- Bartweiss 7y agoThat whole attempt to analyze Wu (and the others profiled) by talking to social media experts is stunningly unfair. Honnold got his start free soloing because he didn't have a climbing partner, then continued later because it let him climber faster and more easily. Wu's past is less documented, but to all appearances she was seriously hiking and mountaineering long before her rise on social media, no different than any other mountaineer who hones their skills and then later lands a sponsorship. Bypassing those histories in favor of talking about "personal brands" and selfie-induced selective attention is incredibly unfair. The comparisons between professional and amateur photographers taking risks make some sense here, but there's no such narrative for these two. The risks they run aren't related to their photography, and there's no copycat epidemic of solo mountaineers and climbers. Better to talk about Wu alongside other hikers lost in Yushan, or even alongside other serious 'celebrity' mountaineers like Scott Fischer. It's not a story that has any place in this piece.