Our Azure Heroes
"Oh America, how often have you taken necessities from the masses to give luxuries to the classes… God never intended for one group of people to live in superfluous inordinate wealth, while others live in abject deadening poverty." – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
So. Jeff Bezos—our shining, scalp-polished prophet of late-stage capitalism—has done it again. This time? He launched an all-female crew of rich celebrities into space. For girl power. For representation. For… reasons.
While most of the internet has (rightfully) been clowning on the passengers—yes, Katy Perry was on board, because of course she was—I want to take a second to zoom out. Because this isn’t just about a handful of fame-drunk millionaires hopping aboard a billionaire’s vanity rocket. This is about what it represents—and spoiler alert: it’s nothing good.
I can’t say for sure what Bezos or his glittering guest list thought the public reaction would be. Maybe they imagined we’d all gather around our tiny, overpriced TVs in our crumbling apartments and whisper, “Wow… how inspiring. Thank you, Mother Katy, for showing us that women, too, can be rich enough to buy a seat on a rocket while the rest of us ration eggs and wonder if our medication will be covered next month.”
But I’m guessing they didn’t expect the collective middle finger they’re getting instead. Or maybe they did. Maybe they don’t care. Either way—here we are.
Because what this whole little space escapade looks like from down here on Earth is not empowerment. It’s not hope. It’s not feminism. It’s a goddamn space cotillion for the ultra-rich, dressed up in the language of progress. It's rich people cosplaying as pioneers while the rest of us are stuck trying to figure out if we can afford rent and food this month.
It’s grotesque. It’s insulting. It’s everything wrong with this system, shot up into the stratosphere with a smug little flame trail behind it.
Meanwhile, the planet is literally on fire. People can’t afford insulin. Entire communities are underwater. And Jeff Bezos—who could fund universal healthcare in multiple countries just from the change in his couch cushions—chooses instead to funnel obscene amounts of money into glorified joyrides for people who already have everything.
Let’s be clear: this is not progress. It’s propaganda. It’s a PR stunt with a side of “Lean In” feminism and a fresh coat of glitter.
And I’m supposed to feel grateful?
No. I’m not clapping. I’m not inspired. I’m nauseated.
Dr. King didn’t mince words when he called out this exact kind of economic violence—taking from the many to give to the few, worshiping wealth while poverty eats people alive. And now, we’re watching that same wealth literally launch itself into the heavens while we pick through the ashes down here.
So to Bezos and crew: enjoy your orbit. Enjoy your zero-gravity selfies. Just know that the rest of us are watching—and we see right through it.