Youtuber Who Visits ‘Most Dangerous Places’ on Earth Has Been Captured by Taliban
Story by Kathleen JoyceNo place on earth is without its share of problems, and many popular travel destination across the globe have a dangerous side. However, there are certain areas that are unquestionably dangerous, and should not be visited for frivolous reasons. Doing so is playing with fire, and can have drastic consequences.
News network @viceworldnews reported on a disturbing situation out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. YouTuber Miles Routledge, a self-described "danger tourist," is one of three UK nationals currently being held captive by Taliban secret police.
Posting videos as "Lord Miles" on YouTube, Routledge sensationalizes his travel by visiting the most dangerous areas in the world "for fun." Many of his videos involve him traveling through destabilized or wartorn regions such as Ukraine, Kenya, and of course, Afghanistan, where he previously made a narrow escape from.
Routledge is one of a number of popular YouTube personalities who engage in "war tourism," a form of "dark tourism" where travelers recreationally visit active conflict zones. The practice of war tourism is a controversial one, and while some say it can be done ethically and help support locals within the destabilized areas, it also has many critics. These critics decry these types of tourists for exploiting human suffering, being voyeuristic, and for willingly putting themselves and those associating with them in harm's way.
VICE viewers were frustrated at the risky behavior Routledge continuously exhibited throughout his content. "Everyone makes mistakes, but when you do the same thing repeatedly, it's no longer a mistake," mused @theswampwitch504. "I hope It's not going to be like Otto [Warmbier] who got locked up in North Korea, I think we all know what happened when he could finally leave..." worried @chiita_lee.
The situation facing these three men is deeply concerning, but for Routledge's part, it's also very frustrating. His story echoes many other similar cases of warzone tourists who have been held hostage or killed while traveling in conflict zones and even directly engaging in dangerous activities. Some dangers are simply not worth running the risk, at least not for recreational reasons.
Hopefully, all three men will be released safely and soon. In the meantime, Routledge's capture by the Taliban has again opened up the conversation around extreme types of dark tourism- and the irresponsibilities of engaging in it.
Update: Allegedly, he is a racist supporter.
Source:https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/ne...p&cvid=159cc0f9245d4822bb7dad13a42e7a37&ei=12
