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CULTURE + PRIVILEGE
Billionaire Jeff Bezos Is Whitey On The Moon — Here's Why We Should Care
The privatized space race reveals the values of the wealthy will never change
In 1970, Gil Scott-Heron wrote a poem — “Whitey on the Moon.” His lyrics recently resurfaced, providing an evergreen depiction of how America’s space race impacts Black people. Sometimes it feels like we’re frozen in time. According to The Washington Post, the racial, economic gap remains as wide as in1968.
His poem adds to our national conversation on pride, privilege, and prejudice.
I can’t pay no doctor bill.
(but Whitey’s on the moon)
Ten years from now I’ll be payin’ still.
(while Whitey’s on the moon) — Gil Scott-Heron
Jeff Bezos, the wealthiest man in the world, left Earth’s orbit on the New Shepard rocket ship, leaving the world and all its problems behind. Wouldn’t it be nice if that were the end of the story? Just kidding. But seriously, he has a lot of power, and I’ll just say what we’re all thinking. Bezos is unwilling to use his money to change the world for the better. To say he doesn’t care would be an understatement. So the question becomes, should we care? I would argue yes, we should. Here’s why.
