Ben Fogle interview: ‘There is an assumption that if you are privileged you are immune to suffering’
by TheTelegraph
Ben Fogle interview: ‘There is an assumption that if you are privileged you are immune to suffering’
by TheTelegraph
19 comments
***From The Telegraph’s Susan Gray:***
Ben Fogle became a household name in 2000 as one of the participants in reality television show Castaway 2000, where a group were marooned for a year on remote Scottish island of Taransay. He has since rowed the Atlantic, climbed Everest and completed a race to the South Pole. He is the presenter on Channel 5’s New Lives in the Wild and has appeared on BBC’s Springwatch and Countryfile. He is married to Marina Hunt, and they live in Buckinghamshire with their two children Ludovic and Iona.
**Best childhood memory?**
My childhood memories revolve around being out in Canada, where I spent all of my summers with my late grandparents. My happiest memories were being out in the Canadian wilderness. It wasn’t deep wilderness, but it was a rural lake with a cottage my late grandfather Morris had built by hand. It wasn’t entirely off-grid, we had electricity, but everything was rudimentary. It was very basic. I loved the canoe my grandfather had made himself. It was a very hands-on experience. I absolutely loved it. I remember being so sad when it was the end of the summer, when I had to come back to London.
**What was the best day of your life?**
In January 2006, the day that James Cracknell and I arrived in Antigua after rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. We pulled in at two in the morning, at the end of a very tough, emotional few months at sea, which I thought would never end. I didn’t think we’d cross the finish line. I didn’t think we’d survive. So it was the culmination of many emotions. I thought my family thought we were dead. So to arrive in the harbour and for all our family to be there – we didn’t know they’d all be there, as we had no communication. It was a mix of satisfaction and relief – I don’t think I’ve ever had all those emotions in one single experience. And I don’t think I’ll ever have the same feelings again. I hugged my family first, and my then girlfriend Marina. I proposed to her then, she was there with my parents and my sisters and my best friends. We weren’t in great shape. We were physically and mentally exhausted. And James was very sick. I was in better condition than he was. But we couldn’t walk or sit down properly for a couple of days. We’d lost a huge amount of weight. But the overriding memory was just one of complete relief. Never again was the overriding sentiment: I’ve been there, I’ve done that. I don’t need to do it again. But now of course that’s changed, and I’d love to do it again. But it’s taken 20 years.
**Best experience with a pet?**
Meeting my wife was the most life-changing of moments. It’s how my parents met, through their dogs. It’s a Fogle family tradition, that’s how we meet our partners. I met Marina walking in Hyde Park. She was walking her brown Labrador Magi, sadly now passed, and I had my late black Labrador Inca. She was running with her dog in the more hilly centre of the park near the police station. I was having a leisurely walk, with a cup of coffee, and spotted her over the course of a few weeks, but was far too shy to go up and chat. Eventually I did. We married less than a year later. The dogs didn’t come to our wedding, we got married in Portugal, but we had two little marzipan figurines made of the dogs that sat atop our wedding cake.
**Best decision?**
To go on the reality show Castaway. In 1999 I was working for Tatler magazine, and I saw the advert and wanted some adventure, so I applied for that show. No one could understand why I’d be giving up a good job and central London, and giving up all my friends, for a year. It changed my life, it is where I became an environmentalist. I believe we should be very careful about not wasting anything. A lot of that was born through my experience on Taransay – nothing went to waste, we only had a finite amount of food.
**Best part of performing live?**
I’ve done theatre tours for a number of years now. I’m up to nearly 200 venues. So I’ve performed to around 200,000 people. And I find it terrifying, but also completely exciting. Most of my work life is spent in remote places like I am now, on Great Blasket Island in Ireland with a very small team. But to then be on a stage in front of thousands of people at impressive theatres is terrifying, but I find it incredibly exciting as well. I love the diversity in my life that I do go from one extreme to the other. The highs are getting that immediate reaction, especially when people really enjoy the show, and I get a standing ovation or rousing applause at the end. It’s obviously very satisfying. The nerves beforehand are difficult, and the feeling that I’m going to do something wrong or I’m going to freeze or forget the stories I’m telling, or just look stupid. I’ve often struggled with self doubt. It’s hard to completely get rid of it. I’ve been able to reduce the volume of that inner voice of doubt, but it’s still there. But you just work with your shortcomings. Rather than trying to avoid them, I confront the things I’m fearful of.
**Best advice?**
I would like to be liked by everyone. But it was the late Terry Wogan who said that the more some people like you, the more other people will absolutely despise you. It was a very astute piece of advice because it’s true. And it’s impossible to please all the people all of the time.
**Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2024/01/01/ben-fogle-interview/**
No… no… there really isnt…
Suffering from what exactly? Sleep apnea? Treatable. Mental illness? Cancer? Potentially treatable and depending on your privilege your level of care may vary.
I thought the English took pride in suffering. What’s this tosser have, seasonal depression? Poor guy.
People who are privileged can suffer, but they have resources or the safety-net to to help alleviate that suffering.
just buy another ferrari… problem solved
Is there though?
Not immune. But if you’re trying to garner sympathy from people who have to live with daily psychological warfare from one thing going wrong, get fucked. You have NO idea what earthly suffering is about.
People who are born rich have no concept of the bone crushing misery and oppression of poverty. There’s no way out of it, every hardship is much worse because there’s no access to escape, it is crushingly neverending.
Of course they suffer! When their charmed life isn’t exactly perfect it affects them as if something bad really happened. I used to house sit for a rich family in Newport Beach CA. They bought their daughter a Bentley for her sweet sixteen. She threw a tantrum and ended her party because it wasn’t the exact one she wanted. She stayed in her room for days and acted depressed for weeks. True suffering.
u/TheTelegraph
Thank you for actually making posts unlike some companies here just dumping ads.
Oooh please Ben.
The upper class privilege of getting jobs, regardless have zero talent or experience – it pays to be linked to the upper echelons.
The man is fortunate enough to be able to get help bevause he HAS THE MEANS, 70% of the country – actually more don’t.
So no, boo hoo Ben.
I remember the other contestants on Castaway saying the whole show was distorted to hype Ben Fogle. He was pretty much in the background not doing much but whenever the cameras turned up the director would push Fogle to the front and he’d start acting like he was in charge and doing loads more of the work. He ended up getting a broadcasting career from it. I suspect a relative of privately educated nepo-baby Fogle had friends at the production company.
No one assumes that.
“Watch me mischaracterize a legitimate complaint about wealth inequality using disingenuous logic for my own selfish needs.”
I’ve been sick with the flu when we could barely afford rent on a shitty apartment.
I’ve been sick with the flu when I retired at 33.
The second situation was just chill and eat some soup, no biggie. Zero stress and recovered in under a week I think. Zoomed my doctor halfway through so they could make sure I seemed alright.
The first was filled with constant stress as I burned through my last couple sick days, then had to take leave without pay for a week. Took me weeks to feel sort of normal and took ~4 months to get our emergency savings back up. Also, couldn’t afford to see a doctor back then, so who knows if it was just the flu?
So yeah Fogle, you can feel pain and suffering if you’re richer/luckier/more privileged than others.
But it’s completely different and nowhere near relatable beyond “thank fucking god my efforts paid off and I don’t have to panic when I get sick or have issues.”
I don’t think they are immune but their privilege affords them ways to cope and work past the suffering far easier than those beneath them
Being rich doesn’t alleviate suffering, but it’s easier to cry, in the rain, behind the steering wheel of your Mercedes-Benz than on a bicycle seat.
Funny. I haven’t seen any privileged people homeless and starving. I think their idea of suffering and mine are very, very different.