Depicting, and Respecting, the Dead: Responses to Photos From Mount Everest

The writers wrote a touching and thoroughly researched article. The topic itself was morbid, so understandably some sensitive souls were disturbed, but these were some of the best visuals I have ever seen. I don’t wish to summit Everest, so I found it hard to understand what pushed these climbers to do so (especially since they couldn’t afford it). However, the views from the snowy mountainside made me feel I was there. I felt the spirit of awe and adventure. I thus appreciated what motivated these climbers. The photographs were shown in a respectful manner, and the families agreed, so I don’t see what’s the issue. Dying on Everest is a public thing. After reading the article, I googled and got loads of photos of dead people. It’s morbid, but informative too. It is a somber lesson on losing one’s life through such endeavours. I admit being slightly shocked seeing one of the bodies dragged, but I understand - it’s frozen solid, and the men are putting themselves at risk just by retrieving it. I felt sad for the climbers and their families, especially the son of the crippled tailor. There is little comfort, but at least they got the bodies of their loved ones. I applauded the heroic British climber who abandoned his summit attempt to rescue one of the others. It is an excellent article, supplemented by tasteful and effective photos.

This story is primarily about death and retrieval of dead bodies under extreme conditions. Therefore the pictures are appropriate and have contributed immensely to the impact of the story. I do hope however, that The New York Times compensated the families adequately for the use of these imageries, but that such compensation if any, did not influence the families in giving their assent.

The article was absolutely awesome. I cannot personally understand at all why some people want to do things like climb Everest, but it expands my world to learn about them and their motivations and to even try (unsuccessfully) to understand why they would risk their very lives to do so. As to the pictures, I do realize that others' mileage varies on this, and that it has to be carefully considered that representing dead bodies of non-white, non-Americans registers differently, I personally thought the images were crucial to fully viscerally understanding the story, and they were not really particularly graphic. I could understand if a family member was upset by the pictures, however. I appreciate that the Times obviously gives these matters thoughtful consideration.

I do not believe this piece could have been as brilliant and powerful, without these images. However, I was also left with the realizations that, 1) It is true, there is a double standard in how photographs of non-western bodies are depicted. As a South Asian, I wonder if culturally, developing countries just don't consider images of the dead as jarring or offensive? Which could explain why the family, in fact, encouraged the journalists to be present and share their story. 2) The inequity between the climbers from the two worlds; the disparities were mind-boggling and the original piece did a wonderful job of elaborating on that. These kinds of aspirations, to summit Mount Everest, are better suited for the privileged, rich, people with means to buy the right climbing gear. Not for people who sew their own gear. 3) I am haunted by the realization, for these climbers, turning back was not an option. They had spent too long, sacrificed too much, collecting for this moment. The opportunity cost was too high for these climbers, and their decision to risk it all is fascinating, considering the conditions of those left behind. I am grateful for this work of journalism and appreciate the discussions that arise around the depiction of corpses. Is it because death is so uncommon, so refined and hush-hush in the West? Or that in the South Asian and Eastern parts of the world, it is merely another factor of life, so that photographs of the dead do not have the same shock effect?

The climbing of Everest has become a pathtic and deadly joke. The fact, as noted in the article, of abandon bodies all over the mountain should be enough to further serious curtailment of climbing Everest. For years people with money could buy their way up, that is not the spirit of Alpine Climbing. Limit the climbing to those who have experience at climbing peaks of 8,000 meters, let the rest stick to the Matterhorn.

What is it about the Times and corpses in India? A kind of macabre American voyeurism seems to be at work. Michael Slackman, your international editor, wrote that a story in your paper about unclaimed dead bodies in Delhi was "like poetry" and revealed "the complicated nature of life in a developing country. I think this is what New York Times foreign correspondents are meant to do – take our readers somewhere else and help them understand what life is like there." I am hard put to think of another instance of such brazen cultural reductionism, cultural shorthand that is deeply ingrained in the DNA of postwar American reporting of Asian and African countries. What do the unclaimed dead of your city say about life of the American poor whose lives are also nasty, brutish and short? Remarkably, no Indian foreign correspondent in the US files this kind of story for their papers in India. Your Times Documentary "When a President Says I'll Kill You" is a procession of lurid images of the dead and mourners keening for the dead in the Philippines. It reminded me of the stock imagery you furnished of the weeping families of the Indian climbers. The next time a Galaxy flies into Dover AFB with its hold full of dead bodies from foreign battles, or there is another disaster on Everest like the one recorded by Krakauer, I will be watching to see how many charred and blackened bodies you photograph. Maybe you can see what you have done in context, though I am not optimistic.

While I liked the article and found the pictures an interesting document, I believe mine and others' comments are hardly representative of the reaction of the public. It's probable that most of those disapproving or repelled by the subject decide not to comment, while those who have a more positive reaction are more likely to comment.

Interestingly enough, this subject has always fascinated me. Since a child, I’ve been drawn to the macabre. That said, this expansive article & it’s photos were hardly disrespectful. It exposed the true desire of a climber to surmount the challenge of Everest. And the determination to reclaim that life when things don’t go as planned. A moving tribute from beginning to end.

It was sheer empathy for the deceased that informed the tone of the entire article. The photographs and stories of the climbers help to memorialize them and their efforts instead of consigning them as simply faceless numbers.

The images and videos of the deceased are simply documentation. As a high altitude mountain guide, I feel that anyone going up that high, or reading about it, needs to understand the reality of life and death in an extremely inhospitable environment. If you find it disturbing, please do not look at the photos/videos.

What better way to represent the consequences of these climbers actions than photographs of their frozen corpses?

The article was very informative. As much as it was done with the prior knowledge and approval of the families involved, I don't agree with sentimental objection of other readers. I do wish the Nepal Government insists on Body Retrieval Insurance for every one who wants to climb the Everest, and the Insurance Fund used to retrieve the bodies. If such a thing already exists, it should be made mandatory. The Himalayas are the source of drinking water for millions, and I don't think our future generations appreciate the way we are tampering with their pristine nature.

I did not find the images disrespectful or disturbing in any way, and more importantly neither did the families. I appreciate that not everyone will share my sensibilities. I do not see how this article could have had the same impact without them. I also want to thank everyone involved in this effort for a job extremely well done.

This was an outstanding article on Everest climbing and my compliments to the Times for their work. We always hear about Everest triumphs in the media but rarely this side of climbing. The Times handled the photos of the dead just right. If we had seen autotopsy photos that would be disrespectful.

I thought the piece was well done and the images were fine, they presented the reality of the situation but I didn't feel they were intrusive or in poor taste.

I really enjoyed the articles and the pictures and would not have minded more pictures, even graphic ones. That’s me and I realize that others may not agree with me. I thought the pictures were tastefully selected.