Then: "<Insert activity> is really dangerous. Very few people have done it. It requires a lot of capital, and your health and life may be in danger"

Adventurers, explorers, inventors: "The risk is worth the reward. We must push the boundaries of human reach and understanding further"

Now: "<Same activity> is really dangerous. Very few people have done it. It requires a lot of capital, and your health and life may be in danger. But not because the activity itself is dangerous or novel anymore - that's been solved and perfected decades ago. No, because the only people that still do this activity are doing it for ego not for humanity, are overfunded, but underprepared, and the sheer volume of them doing the activity at the same time creates an environment more dangerous than it naturally needs to be."

Rich conceited assholes: "The risk is worth the reward. I'm going to get to drop in 'You know, this reminds me of the time I climbed Mount Everest' into every soiree, pitch meeting, and networking event I'll be at for the rest of my life."