http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/
As reflected in this video clip, Sherpas can make 10 times the average yearly wage in just 2 months during the climbing season. This puts families in a bind, because this is a good source of income for most families who otherwise live in poverty. However, this job is extremely dangerous. There have been 103 Sherpa deaths since they began to be recorded. The most recent tragedy left 31 children without fathers. No foreign climbers died in this event.
The climbing industry in Nepal generates an estimated 3.4 million annually that goes directly toward the government. After the families loose their source of income they are devastated to the utmost poverty, and there is very little aide to help them.
Who is responsible for all of this? Are foreign climbers ethically responsible for these Sherpas and their families if they are injured or die while working for them? What should be done to aide the families of the Sherpas if they die? Is the government responsible? What would your response be to someone dying on the account of your enjoyment of a sport?
(2015). SC Featured:At The Top of The World [Online video]. ESPN. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=12663968
Matthias E. Reiber
Matthias,
ReplyDeleteI happened to catch this segment on Outside the Lines and found it mesmerizing. Then in the wake of the horrific earthquake, they reported on the avalanche that occurred on Mt. Everest. Some of the people reporting on the missing climbers (not just sherpas) gave the impression that it would be a greater tragedy if they shut down the mountain than what that area of Nepal was facing as a nation. I was somewhat taken aback by the callous indifference to the suffering of a nation. I'm not sure I could take up climbing knowing the way in which sherpas and their families appear to be exploited. I hope something positive comes out of this OTL segment.
Thanks for sharing about it.
Dr. Spencer