# Down's Syndrome kid "Climbs Everest"!!! No he didn't. Fark you, People Magazine and daddy. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 31, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452 "2013-03-31T18:54:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/81 "2013-04-01T20:58:12Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > What’s stupid is puffing up the (legitimate, for a child) accomplishment with lies and misrepresentations. That’s actually quite insulting. Right, so where is the evidence that his father inflated anything? This is all on the reporters, not Dad or the kid. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/82 "2013-04-01T21:38:48Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > He isn’t pitting the kid - he is pitting the reporting - which IS misleading - climbing Everest is usually synonymous with summitting. And he is pitting Daddy - who has made “news” out of an amazing moment (and honestly, getting even as far as Everest Base Camp is pretty amazing as vacations go) that can be had by anyone with sufficient dollars and takes no specialized skill to do. There isn’t any reason why a kid with Down Syndrome couldn’t make the climb up to base camp, as long as his health (particularly his heart, which I understand can be compromised) is in good enough shape. Well, I could no longer do it, unless I can take a [palanquin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litter_%28vehicle%29) up, but I do agree. The headline is very misleading, and annoying to real climbers who try to get all the way to the top [or to a specific location which is just as valid.] ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/83 "2013-04-01T21:50:19Z")
In any case, it certainly does not cost 15k to get to base camp. My 10 day your of Tibet drove right up to the North base camp and the whole think was something like $900. Nepal may be a little more expensive and you cant drive it, but even the high end REI tours are around 3k. Base camp is damn high. As a healthy young person who had acclimated in Lhasa for a week, even rolling over in bed at camp could leave me winded. A short flat walk of about a half mile with non pack was rough. Doing 20 miles at an incline is an actual accomplishment. Yes, most healthy people can probably do it, but that doesn’t mean it is easy. Anyway, the reporter inflated things, but who really cares about a cute human interest story? What the boy did was pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/84 "2013-04-01T22:53:50Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > The preferred term these days is Down Syndrome, not Down’s Syndrome. I thought it was People Who Are Uptually Challenged. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/85 "2013-04-02T01:41:10Z")
> [@Snow\_Pea](#): > > Not even this reporter, who headlined his article "_ **US teen with Down Syndrome scales Mount Everest"** _ , then leads the article with this extremely misleading paragraph?: > > _ **New York: A 15-year-old US boy has possibly become one of the first person ever with Down Syndrome to have scaled the Mount Everest - the world’s tallest mountain. Eli Reimer is also possibly the first American teen with the Syndrome - to have made the exceptional ascent last month, when he reached a staggering 17,600 feet after nearly two weeks of walking.** _ > > It’s not till the third paragraph is it finally admitted that he only made it to one of the base camps. ‘Scaled’? Sheesh. You scale cliffs, walls, _vertical_ stuff. This kid was _hiking._ He wasn’t even _climbing_, let alone _scaling_ anything. Yes, it was a high-altitude hike. But that’s the extent of it. Nothing against the kid, just against everyone who made it sound like he did WAY more than he actually did. And the fact that he did this on “Mount Everest - the world’s tallest mountain” means nothing if he didn’t get anywhere near the top. In fact, it’s even more misleading than my saying, “Hey, I swam the Pacific Ocean, the world’s widest ocean!” because people actually DO climb to the top of Everest, but nobody swims across the Pacific. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/86 "2013-04-02T01:57:40Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Low muscle tone is one of the defining characteristics of Down Syndrome. Reaching the base camp may well have been a huge accomplishment for this kid. Is this true? I ask because I grew up with a neighbor with down syndrome. Family friends and all that, and he was a year older than me. Anyhoo, he was the strongest person I ever met that never worked out or lifted any weights. He was actually dangerous if he got into a fight because (im guessing here) he didn’t seem to know his own strength or how much damage he caused. His brother, who was a year or two younger if i recall correctly, was on the receiving end of a barrage that would have made Tyson proud. That’s all I have for this topic, except: “what has down’s must go up” is a great headline. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/87 "2013-04-02T18:17:13Z")
If the subject of the article were a less sympathetic person (ie, someone without Down’s Syndrome), I think there would be no lack of “rolleyes” for the exaggerated reporting of this story. While I think the OP’s implied issues with the father’s feelings are wrong, there is no reason to defend reporters’ choice of phrases like “_scales Mount Everest_” and pretend that they are anything other than sensationalism bordering on lying meant to sell more papers/magazines/ads to people who are suckers for feel-good stories. **ETA:** I think the story is great, and the kid’s accomplishment is indeed an accomplishment. It’s a shame that the author of the story couldn’t find more accurate language. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/88 "2013-04-02T18:52:20Z")
You know how you properly report this story? You don’t. Because it’s a non-story. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/89 "2013-04-02T18:56:08Z")
You know how you properly post a post? You don’t. Because you’re retarded and so is your stupid post. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/90 "2013-04-02T18:59:34Z")
That wasn’t a very uplifting comment. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/91 "2013-04-02T19:10:34Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > You know how you properly report this story? You don’t. Because it’s a non-story. Eh. There are plenty of non-stories out there. In fact, I’m willing to bet that most unique articles that get published qualify as ‘non-stories’. You can’t get your panties in a twist every time someone prints something that isn’t important or relevant to you. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/92 "2013-04-02T19:18:01Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > You know how you properly report this story? You don’t. Because it’s a non-story. Granted, it’s no “Lindsay’s sideboob,” but surely it’s _slightly_ newsworthy… ---
**Author:** ![Tollhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@Tollhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tollhouse)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/93 "2013-04-03T01:33:19Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I would have more sympathy for the OP if it was better focused on the media reaction, and maybe gave more praise for the kid, who still made it 17,000 feet. IN that regard the OP is a fail for me. Yes,…this is the reason so many take issue at the way the OP framed this. The bitter comments on how much money the father paid for his child to do this (so what? and why is op bitter about the fact the father paid his son’s way? don’t most parents pay their childs way? everytng about this post seemed to be more about bitterness towards the child, then about the way reporters wrote the headline ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/94 "2013-04-03T02:36:33Z")
> [@Tollhouse](#): > > Yes,…this is the reason so many take issue at the way the OP framed this. The bitter comments on how much money the father paid for his child to do this (so what? and why is op bitter about the fact the father paid his son’s way? don’t most parents pay their childs way? everytng about this post seemed to be more about bitterness towards the child, then about the way reporters wrote the headline Fuck, you’ve made about a dozen posts in this thread bitching about the OP since **GO** made that post, and you’ve even responded once already to THAT post, but now it’s time to dig back in the thread and see if there’s any missed opportunities to find another post to quote and bitch about? Here’s one, from the OP: > [@Snow Pea](#): > > Of course it’s nice that a Down’s Syndrome kid got to have a adventure, albeit a very expensive one most of us can not afford. But the parents and the media inflating stories like this make me stabby. That’s all. Props to the kid, not the reporting. Another: > [@Snow Pea](#): > > No one is saying it wasn’t an accomplishment that the kid should be proud of. The pitting is for the outrageously misleading headlines and the Dad for turning this into a media circus. Props to the kid, not the reporting. May I have another?: > [@Snow Pea](#): > > On re-read I agree that my OP could have been better written. It certainly was not meant to sound bitter or hateful toward the child. I was just disgusted by the idiotic, misleading media coverage Props to the kid, not the reporting. Not done yet?: > [@Snow Pea](#): > > I actually feel kinda bad for this kid - he did accomplish something to be proud of, but his Dad and the media have pimped him out with these shameful exaggerations. Props to the kid, not the reporting. Please go back and read the entire thread again, there might be some scrap or crumb of outrage you’ve overlooked and might need to reply to. Oh BTW, the kid didn’t climb Everest. He hiked to Base Camp. Correction, one of the two Base Camps. Also, with all the posts you’ve made expressing such disgust with the OP, not once did YOU point out that the father/son team raised $85,000 for The Elisha Foundation. Take a look [Elisha Reimer, 15-Year-Old, Becomes First Person With Down Syndrome To Arrive At Mount Everest Base Camp](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/25/elisha-reimer-15-year-old_n_2949492.html) to see not only a properly worded headline, but also a mention of the money raised. Props to the kid, and the reporting. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/95 "2013-04-03T02:52:12Z")
> [@Tollhouse](#): > > Yes,…this is the reason so many take issue at the way the OP framed this. The bitter comments on how much money the father paid for his child to do this (so what? and why is op bitter about the fact the father paid his son’s way? don’t most parents pay their childs way? everytng about this post seemed to be more about bitterness towards the child, then about the way reporters wrote the headline Why is it that whenever someone isn’t impressed and swooning over the cute kid du jour, it must be because they are bitter? Bitter about what? Do you assume that the OP has a burning desire to walk up to base camp? Or to have Downs? The OP was all about the media coverage, with a side dish of how the father was involved in that, and you can only see that he isn’t ignoring the falsehoods in the story so that everyone can revel in - what? A kid walked up a hill. And the father thought that was cool. The story was so mundane that the press had to embellish it to the point of lies. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/96 "2013-04-03T03:23:57Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > The OP was all about the media coverage, No, it wasn’t. About a dozen people have pointed that out. He might have had a point, but he tried to make it with his pants around his ankles. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/97 "2013-04-03T03:33:39Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_Rat](#): > > So “Duke Had Sex with Scarlett Johansson!” Did you go Down on her? ---
**Author:** ![Tollhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@Tollhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tollhouse)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/98 "2013-04-03T05:02:20Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Why is it that whenever someone isn’t impressed and swooning over the cute kid du jour, it must be because they are bitter? Bitter about what? Do you assume that the OP has a burning desire to walk up to base camp? Or to have Downs? > > The OP was all about the media coverage. I cannot say WHY the op is so bitter, leave that to his shrink or a close friend who knows him well enough to speak to that…all I know is that the op did, in act, comeoff as very embittered and contemptful towards the dad and the child..bitterly ranting about how "most people have to work for the money to go on that trek, but the boy was just “handed it”, and a host of other faults he found such as whining about how the boy should not have gone there if he couldnt climb the whole damm thing, rather than giving him credit for what he did and as for the op being all about the media coverage, Labrador deceiver is right, there were plenty of posts that felt otherwise It seems more like the op used the manner in which the media entitled the headline as a smokescreen excuse to belittle the boy and his dad Otherwise, as another poster pointed out, if it really was just a concern aout how the media worded it, the op would not have gone out of his way to put down what the boy did ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/99 "2013-04-03T05:13:53Z")
> [@Tollhouse](#): > > I cannot say WHY the op is so bitter, leave that to his shrink or a close friend who knows him well enough to speak to that…all I know is that the op did, in act, comeoff as very embittered and contemptful towards the dad and the child..bitterly ranting about how "most people have to work for the money to go on that trek, but the boy was just “handed it”, You miss the point - the OP isn’t “bitter”. What I don’t get is why people like you say he “must be bitter” when all he has done is not swoon over an overly inflated story about some kid. If you weren’t hypersensitive to this for some reason, you’d be able to see that his post wasn’t bitter or full of contempt towards anyone who didn’t deserve it - the press and to some extent, the dad. Why do you read things in there that aren’t there, and that the OP has said he didn’t intend to be there? > [@](#): > > and a host of other faults he found such as whining about how the boy should not have gone there if he couldnt climb the whole damm thing, rather than giving him credit for what he did The hell? Where did he say that the boy shouldn’t have gone there if he couldn’t climb to the top? > [@](#): > > and as for the op being all about the media coverage, Labrador deceiver is right, there were plenty of posts that felt otherwise Oh, don’t think you are alone - there are plenty of people who cannot see anything in that story other than poo’ widdle disabled kid climbed the highest mt in the world. There were also several posters who understood what the OP was getting at, so it isn’t like your view is the only one. Its just for some reason you think it’s the only right one _and_ you seem to think anyone who doesn’t agree with you must be bitter. It’s just weird. > [@](#): > > Otherwise, as another poster pointed out, if it really was just a concern aout how the media worded it, the op would not have gone out of his way to put down what the boy did He didn’t, he put down the fact that the boy didn’t climb Mt Everest, as it was reported in the media. Unless you think walking on a guided hike is worthy of all of this hoopla, then yes the OP did “put the boy down” by stating what the boy actually did, and not what the media reported. ---
**Author:** ![splatterpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@splatterpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splatterpunk)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/100 "2013-04-03T05:25:55Z")
> [@Tollhouse](#): > > I cannot say WHY the op is so bitter, leave that to his shrink or a close friend who knows him well enough to speak to that…all I know is that the op did, in act, comeoff as very embittered and contemptful towards the dad and the child..bitterly ranting about how "most people have to work for the money to go on that trek, but the boy was just “handed it”, and a host of other faults he found such as whining about how the boy should not have gone there if he couldnt climb the whole damm thing, rather than giving him credit for what he did > > and as for the op being all about the media coverage, Labrador deceiver is right, there were plenty of posts that felt otherwise > > It seems more like the op used the manner in which the media entitled the headline as a smokescreen excuse to belittle the boy and his dad > > Otherwise, as another poster pointed out, if it really was just a concern aout how the media worded it, the op would not have gone out of his way to put down what the boy did HEY, OVER HERE! LOOK AT ME!! l’M TROLLHOUSE LOOKATME! LOOKATME! OVER HERE EVERYONE!!! LOOK AT ME!!! I WON’T BE IGNORED LOOKATME LOOKATME LOOKATME DAMMIT LOOKATMEEEEE!!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452.md?page=6)