Abbie Chatfield’s Hot Take About The Submersible Tragedy Hasn’t Gone Down Well

FBoy Island host Abbie Chatfield has divided opinion online after going on a lengthy TikTok rant about the Titan submersible tragedy. For context, the OceanGate vessel imploded after an attempt to visit the Titanic wreckage, which sits about 4000 metres below sea level. All five passengers were sadly confirmed dead on Thursday, including billionaires Hamish Harding and Shahzada Dawood. 

Abbie got riled up about the submersible, declaring that she was sick of seeing the videos come up on her TikTok feed, and some of her followers weren’t impressed.

“I’m so sick of the word submersible, I’m so sick of the word fucking scrubber,” she declared. “The only reason billionaires would’ve gotten into this fucking tin can, honestly, is because they are so fucking bored with their lives.”

“They can do anything, and they probably have done everything they want to. So what next? Let’s go look at some rust at the bottom of the ocean.” 

She suggested that somewhere like the Tangalooma Island Resort off the coast of Brisbane would make for a much more picturesque holiday, and questioned why anyone would want to see the Titanic through a “tiny window on the toot” anyway. 

“If that’s your special interest, go for it babes. But a quarter of a million dollars to be run by an off-brand PlayStation controller? No thank you,” she said. “Being a billionaire must suck if this is something that has brought them joy. It must be awful and boring and hideous, because what the fuck?”

@abbiechatfield♬ original sound – Abbie Chatfield

Abbie Chatfield’s TikTok followers respond to her hot take:

The response to Abbie’s TikToks were mixed, with some wondering why she wasn’t being more sensitive to the families who had just lost their loved ones.

“Social class is irrelevant. These are all human beings and their families are grieving. Let’s all show respect,” one person wrote.

“This is a really distasteful take. Also, one of them was a researcher,” another added.

“It just seems a little disrespectful, even though they signed a waiver and they are billionaires, they are going through unimaginable pain,” a third said.

A few people defended Abbie, with one saying that her opinion was “so true”. 

“I feel without having the barrier of money and budgets it opens up the room to be so much more impulsive and careless,” a fan commented.

“They can literally buy anything, so there is zero satisfaction, they are chasing a thrill,” a second wrote.

“They are billionaires and literally skipped the safety features. Surely there is a message in that,” another added.

@armedgreen The last successful dive exploration the OceanGate submarine had. ? #lostsubmarine #titanic #titanicsubmarine #submersible #submersible #submarine #submarinefound #viral #trending #fyp #fypシ #foryou #foryoupage #sad #titansubmarine #oceangatesubmarine ♬ Slow Dancing in The Dark (imasgrohn Remix) – Joji

Abbie clarifies her position on the submersible tragedy:

In later TikToks, Abbie said she “wasn’t laughing” at the tragedy, or suggesting that anybody “deserved” to die. Instead, she was baffled by the amount of media coverage, and simply couldn’t understand why anybody would want to be on the vessel.

After a fan pointed out the lack of media coverage for refugees and asylum seekers who go missing at sea, Abbie shared her thoughts. 

“The reason why I think this has so much press coverage is because people don’t understand why you’d do this as a tourist,” she said. “Why would you put yourself in that position unnecessarily? Asylum seekers and refugees, it is the only option for them, the only option left.”

Her followers seemed to agree, with one praising her argument as “eloquent and well put together”. 

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Image credits: TikTok/@abbiechatfield