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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU not missing missing explorer?

50 replies

Illtellyouwhatswhat10 · 15/11/2017 10:30

On today's news: British explorer Benedict Allen is missing in Papua New Guinea whilst searching for lost tribe.

AIBU that whilst I have sympathy for his family, nearest & dearest, another part of me has no sympathy at all.

The reason being, there seems to be a sense of entitlement that anyone should actively seek out a hitherto undiscovered tribe and for what? For their own glory? And how would this benefit this tribe who have probably been carrying on quite happily for years, with no need for the 'outside' world. After all, history has shown time and time again that for tribes which have been discovered and outed, the results for them have been catastrophic (slavery, land grabs etc just to mention two examples).

So I think if you are determined to explore and find lost tribes who may not wish to be found, you deserve what you get.

OP posts:
Original poster
Illtellyouwhatswhat10 · 15/11/2017 10:43

Anyone?

OP posts:
GiveMyHeadPeaceffs · 15/11/2017 10:54

Hmmm my understanding of it is that he was trying to reconnect with a guide from the tribe that he’d met 30 years ago. But he decided to do it without any means of communicating with the outside world ie a satellite phone. Now, to me, that seems like a foolish move but then I’m not an explorer craving a life of derring-do!

I feel very sorry for his wife as I’m sure she’s worried but I’m also pretty sure she was aware that this was part of the deal with him.

Each to their own, I’d never be with the explorer type anyway as I suspect it’s all about themselves.

coddiwomple · 15/11/2017 11:08

You could argue that alerting governments about hidden tribes would give them necessary info to protect the lands they live on.

ChampagneCommunist · 15/11/2017 11:18

Glory seeking posh boy.

"Undiscovered" tribes can only survive now if they remain "undiscovered". He's more likely to kill them by taking in the common cold than do any good.

RoseWhiteTips · 15/11/2017 11:20

Yes. What a cold and unpleasant feeling to have about a fellow human. Nice.

Matilda1981 · 15/11/2017 11:23

I actually agree with the OP; seems a reckless thing to do in my opinion!

TheFallenMadonna · 15/11/2017 11:23

"I’m also pretty sure she was aware that this was part of the deal with him."

The Trump school of sympathy...

coddiwomple · 15/11/2017 11:25

ChampagneCommunist
Glory seeking posh boy.

IS that a real post? Your user name doesn't try to hide your feeling, but it must be painful to be so bitter and jealous in your life!

londonrach · 15/11/2017 11:26

I kinda agree op. Undiscovered tribes should be left as were as they no immunity to cold, flu etc. He is being very selfish. No idea why he didnt take a phone. Just seen a doc last night on tv about some trip that more people got killed rescuring the group of people who were missing than those missing. His poor wife and family and the poor tribe if he does meet them and make them ill.

Rinoachicken · 15/11/2017 11:28

They aren’t ‘undiscovered’, he visited the tribe 30 years ago, but yeah, I suspect his head is on a stick somewhere!

jennawade · 15/11/2017 11:29

his last tweet said something along the lines of 'don't try and rescue me, you won't be able to find me'....

I dunno - if he felt the need to do this, then he needed to be more specific about his plans. It looks like he wasn't sure he was really aiming for that flight, and he has no phone with him. So now people are spending time money and effort trying to find him when he might not want to be found?

CotswoldStrife · 15/11/2017 11:49

It must be more worrying for the family and friends left behind because they don't know what has happened and will be running through all the scenarios in their heads.

ChampagneCommunist · 15/11/2017 12:04

Coddiwomple - It seeems your user name says more about BA's outlook on life than mine says about me.

Better and jealous? No. There's no point to his expedition other than glory-seeking recognition, it's not as if he was trying to do any worthwhile scientific research etc

BatteredBreadedOrSouthernFried · 15/11/2017 12:08

Maybe he is deliberately missing and just wanted a new life. Maybe he is in Cabo with a new wife calling himself Jerome.

Lethaldrizzle · 15/11/2017 12:13

Yes he shoulda stayed at home writing mean messages on Internet forums rather than follow his passion.

Original poster
Illtellyouwhatswhat10 · 15/11/2017 12:20

Yes it's fine to follow one's 'passion' if one is considerate of how potentially this impacts on other people. In this case he has a distressed and worried family at home, and on the other hand, a tribe of people who may become vulnerable if 'discovered' by our explorer hero.

OP posts:
megletthesecond · 15/11/2017 12:24

He's been doing this for decades, his documentaries are fascinating. I think he'll appear soon.

Really stupid to not even take a satellite phone though. He's obviously supremely confident in his abilities.

coddiwomple · 15/11/2017 12:43

ChampagneCommunist

Why the need to qualify the missing man as "glory seeking posh"? What has "posh" doing with anything?

Another very distasteful thread, I hope his family doesn't see it. They don't need nasty comments like the ones above at the moment, about a man who has done absolutely nothing wrong

Lethaldrizzle · 15/11/2017 12:45

Op - so that rules out climbing any mountains then. And you can forget about both poles!

TheProdigalRhubarb · 15/11/2017 12:48

I met him at a book signing years ago. Really nice bloke, and a fascinating speaker. I hope he turns up safe and well.

Original poster
Illtellyouwhatswhat10 · 15/11/2017 12:51

But Lethal he's not doing either - he's gone to find a tribe of people!

OP posts:
Laiste · 15/11/2017 12:53

What a horrible thread! The tribe is not undiscovered.

How about arctic explorers? Mountain climbers? Should they all not do what they do if they have families? As a pp said - i guess if you marry an explorer the worry comes with the package.

I hope he's found and i feel for his family.

Theresamayscough · 15/11/2017 12:55

Frank Gardner the BBC correspondent who had travelled with him isn’t worried just yet and thinks it might be due to atrocious weather conditions and not sinister.

However my dd is off exploring next year completely safe first world countries and I have brought her a signal tracker with an sos button that will access her help within 30 mins. Grin

I hope this explorer is safe and well.

Original poster
Illtellyouwhatswhat10 · 15/11/2017 12:56

Does it ever end well for an indigenous tribe of people, once they are 'discovered'? Look what this did for the Aborigines.

From what I can see, the only winners in the game of let's find some new people are the discoverers. And thus we had the British Empire.

So when our intrepid explorer returns (assuming he does) he will write a book and make after-dinner speeches about this newly found tribe (and make a mint in the process). I doubt he will ask this tribe first how they might feel about this?

OP posts:
Laiste · 15/11/2017 13:02

HE SPENT TIME WITH THEM 30 YEARS AGO.

It's fine to debate about the merits of exploring but get your facts right. They're not undiscovered.