I can understand not having much sympathy for people who chose to make a very expensive decision to undergo a risky adventure.
I can even understand some of the memes, though, as I have said before, they didn't sit right with me.
What I found both fascinating and disturbing was how quickly people were to share memes about literally sending the rich to their death.
I mean I know we all despise Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, but I wonder, when people share memes about hoping a bunch of rich folks will end up as fish food, do they really mean every rich person.
Do they want to throw Oprah to the orcas? She has a net worth of $2.5 billion.
https://www.marketwatch.com/picks/oprah-winfrey-now-worth-an-estimated-2-5-billion-says-you-should-spend-your-money-like-this-and-the-genius-of-it-is-that-for-some-of-you-its-a-simple-trick-to-save-more-01673559413
What about Rihanna? Surely we don't want to chuck her into the ocean. Yet, the singer and mogul is worth $1.4 billion.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/super-bowl-2023-lvii-half-time-show-rihanna-performs-net-worth-fenty-beauty/
And speaking of recording artists, Taylor Swift, who is already worth more than $500 million is on track to hit billionaire status. You Swifties ready to chuck her overboard?
https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/taylor-swift-net-worth-2023-eras-tour-could-make-her-a-billionaire/
Now he's not quite a billionaire, but with a net worth of $400 million, Tom Hanks is definitely rich. You telling me he should be disposed of as well?
I won't even get into the countless TikTok darlings and YouTube bros raking it in for doing the most asinine things.
Now you may think the difference between some wealthy people and others that some exploit people and resources and others do not. I get that, and I do believe some wealthy people try their best to be fair and as ethical as possible.
Yet not one of these people listed would have achieved their status without the help of consumerism. Whether they earned it from ads and sponsorships, album sales and concert tickets, or box office sales and royalties, the people listed here as well as countless other beloved well-heeled celebrities got that way thanks to an endless supply of willing consumers.
People were spending thousands for just one Eras tour ticket, yet I am unaware of anyone going after Taylor Swift for being greedy. Sure, she may have little control over the resale market, but I am sure someone as savvy as her could have found a way to keep prices down. Let's be real, she wants the money, and I don't begrudge her. But let's not act like she has some extreme moral superiority over other wealthy people simply because she sings some catchy tunes.
So when people say things like, “eat the rich,” I wonder, do they mean ALL THE RICH?
(Eat The Rich! meme. Credit unknown)
If there are no ethical billionaires and all wealthy people are problematic, why do some rich get a pass?
Is it more palpable for us to accept the financial gains of some and not others? Are certain rich folk just more “loveable?”
And furthermore, what is considered rich anyway? How far are we going here? Are we going to lump anyone earning more than six figures into the mix? Because for some, that's considered pretty well off.
And let's not act many of us would welcome much of the luxuries wealth provide. You prepared to sacrifice yourself to Poseidon should you soundly find yourself in a higher income bracket?
I am not here to condone capitalism or shame anyone critical of the system. From environmental damage to workers exploitation, our economic system has contributed to many societal ills. I am also not here to defend anyone.
Like most things on life, capitalism isn't an absolute and neither are those who have gamed the system.
There are some terrible, awful billionaires who got that way through mistreatment and cruelty. There are others who got there by creating products that benefit humanity. There are some who have done both. And there are others who got rich without creating a single thing.
We have a wealth disparity problem in much of the world, which is growing more apparent here in the U.S.
The answer, however isn't callous memes that fail to acknowledge the scope of the rich.
The answer is pushing for meaningful change and working towards creating a more equitable society where everyone has a fair chance to achieve and the wealthiest contribute their fair share toward a better existence for all.