Tin Tức

It is in our nature as humans to continually test our boundaries in our pursuit of a better life, and many such activities which used to serve that very specific purpose have been made into a recreational activity. Skiing, which used to be how our arctic ancestors traverse the snow, has long been made into a sport, so too has hunting, which was meant to bring food to our table. These activities are dangerous and, in many cases, such as that of hunting, needlessly cruel, the fact of which has raised many ethical concerns regarding the sport. Aside from moral issues, these activities also without a doubt pose a morbid risk to its participants, which some have contended to be enough to warrant banning these activities altogether. However, so long as there is a demand for such recreation, it is hard to truly justify such a wide-scale decision. Perhaps it is better, then, to look at the facts concerning whether or not such extreme sports are enough of a public risk to act as grounds for what would be an imposed limitation upon supporters of these sports.

Despite the numerous fail-safe mechanisms that have been put in place over the years, no one, not even extreme sports providers or equipment manufacturers can claim that there is no risk associated with participating in such activities. As such, participants are always, without fail, required to sign a release form that essentially pardons the provider
from any legal hurdle after the fact should there have been any incident in course of the person’s participation. It also serves as a written awareness notice through which potential participants are made aware of the inherent risks present in the activity that they are about to take part in. It is not uncommon for a potential participant to change their mind upon having been fully informed on this matter. Legal hurdles aside there is also the ethical question of whether it is morally acceptable to knowingly provide services which could lead people to their death. Here is where the water becomes murky. To many, it is justifiable as long as it is the participant’s own wish to go through with the process. However, to those who advocate the banning of these sports, these risks should be eliminated altogether in the name of human life. It is difficult to judge who is wrong, but if human lives were just a matter of numbers, then yes, these sports should be banned.

That being said, it is difficult to judge who is right in this situation precisely because human lives are more than that. To some people, particularly those who knowingly choose to take part in these dangerous activities, life is perhaps about the pursuit of the extremes, and testing one’s limits. To the extent that these activities can still provide enjoyment to its participants, sufficient enough for them to justify to themselves that the risks are worth it, then, according to enthusiasts of extreme sports, these activities should not be banned. At the end of the day, it depends on the end on which the authorities of a certain locale stand concerning this matter, which is why there are places where these activities are not supported nor are they provided in any measure, but there are also places where they exist. A more extreme example of this debate is the Titanic-seeking submersible incident which just happened recently. Even now, the incident remains polarising, with a large number of people advocating for the total elimination of

these needlessly danger activities, and an equally sizeable crowd still on the search for their next adrenaline rush. In this day and age, it is ultimately quite difficult to actually ban any activity that still has such a large following. Even if it was banned in one country, people could always participate in it elsewhere. The better thing to do is to put in place a strategic and strict regulation system that prohibits these activities from taking place without proper safety mechanisms and equipment. This decision will undoubtedly be met with far less backlash compared to if these activities were to be banned indiscriminately. Furthermore, it is, in a way, in the people’s best interest regardless, given the fact that banning anything in the past has only motivated a number of passionate folks to find alternatives, which are often much worse.

VOCABULARY

Warrant = justify (v): Biện hộ
Recreation (n): Hoạt động giải trí
Morbid (adj): Chết chóc
Impose (v): Áp đặt
Fail-safe (adj): Phòng hờ
Pardon (v): Miễn giảm
Inherent (adj): Vốn có
Hurdle (n): Khó khăn cần vượt qua
Enthusiast (n): Người nhiệt tình
Incident (n): Vụ việc
Advocate (v): Ủng hộ