And then with Krakauer specifically, and possibly with some of these other writers (though it sounds like not Ralston) the whole thing also gets exacerbated by survivor's guilt. Krakauer has absolutely done shit just as stupid as anything most of these people who die in the wilderness ever did (although, to be fair to Krakauer, nothing as stupid as the guy from Grizzly Man), and Krakauer is not only alive but thriving. This is his career, talking about the people who didn't make it, people come to him as an authority about this, so he's defending himself and also defending the dead, and I think there's a lot of identification there, and that he needs them to be blameless or at least to have done everything they could so he can feel better about his own past.
no subject
And then with Krakauer specifically, and possibly with some of these other writers (though it sounds like not Ralston) the whole thing also gets exacerbated by survivor's guilt. Krakauer has absolutely done shit just as stupid as anything most of these people who die in the wilderness ever did (although, to be fair to Krakauer, nothing as stupid as the guy from Grizzly Man), and Krakauer is not only alive but thriving. This is his career, talking about the people who didn't make it, people come to him as an authority about this, so he's defending himself and also defending the dead, and I think there's a lot of identification there, and that he needs them to be blameless or at least to have done everything they could so he can feel better about his own past.