Forum: Thin line between celebrating courage and rewarding dangerous behaviour
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I refer to the debate surrounding elite climber Alex Honnold’s incredible free-soloing of Taipei 101 ( Taiwan gains global visibility with Alex Honnold’s Taipei 101 climb, but were the risks justified?
When acts that flirt openly with death are packaged as spectacles – complete with live streams, countdowns, and heroic framing – they cease to be private personal risks and become public endorsements of recklessness.
The line between inspiration and imitation grows dangerously thin. This is especially worrying for younger audiences, who are still forming their sense of identity, limits and consequence.
There is a difference between documenting human endeavour and glorifying behaviour that relies on survival as a selling point. Media organisations and content-sharing platforms wield enormous influence. With that influence comes responsibility – not only to inform and entertain, but also to consider what values are being normalised.
Andrew Ee Changshun
