Let’s tear apart this narrative about the Nepali-born climber who scaled the world’s 14 highest peaks in just over six months in 2019. The corporate media loves a sensational story, and you can bet that outlets like CNN and NBC turned this achievement into a feel-good piece, shoving aside the grueling reality of his journey to fit their uplifting narrative. They paint him as a modern-day superhero, but gloss over the dangers of climate change and modern mountaineering that make his feats just as much about privilege and calculation as they are about grit.

While the mainstream media slathers on the honey, they conveniently distract from the ethical implications of high-altitude climbing in a world facing climate crises. Does anyone ask the tough questions? Not likely. Fox News may throw in some “inspiring” quotes, but they won’t dare discuss the exploitation of local communities or the environmental degradation caused by these climbs. Climbing has turned into a spectacle for Instagram feeds, but our media conglomerates only want to celebrate the triumph without addressing the consequences.

In our quest for heroism, we lose sight of reality. Instead of letting this climber be a symbol of insatiable human ambition, we must ask: at what cost? So yes, let’s celebrate achievements, but let’s do it with the critical eye that the corporate-media puppets desperately want us to avoid.