The new wave of arguments against migration has a decidedly green tinge. James Arvanitakis looks at population and the lifeboat mentality
The movie does, however, have one redeeming and instructive scene: the one where people are huddled into the lifeboat and watch their fellow passengers drown. To save themselves, many have to push others away. This had to be done because, as we all know, if you try and save too many other people, your overloaded lifeboat will go down and sink. The Titanic passengers were forced to make an unimaginably difficult decision.
It is a scene that resonated with me because I have always wondered what I would do in a similar situation — that is, if the women and children first rule no longer applies. Would I push people off or would I try and save them? Would I risk my own life for the sake of others or would I take the position that any attempts to do so would be futile — so just hang on folks.
Hanging on for dear life while pushing others away is best described as a "lifeboat mentality". In teaching students, I challenge them to reflect on how far their own "lifeboat mentality" extends: at what point should we push others away to save ourselves? Read more.