In a world where every event is spun into a cause célèbre, Jeff Bezos’s latest space venture was no exception. Picture this: a rocket resembling an oversized space toy blasting off from Earth, bound for the last frontier. This time, the headlines were ablaze with excitement about its “historic all-female crew.” But a closer look reveals a different story beneath the glittering façade.
The attention-grabbing mission touted an all-women passenger list, supposedly ushering in a new era of female empowerment in space. Yet, the women onboard didn’t design the rocket. They didn’t pilot it. Instead, they were likened to passengers along for the zero-gravity ride, having as much technical control over the mission as a tourist on a sightseeing bus. Interestingly, the rocket itself was funded, engineered, and launched by men. The real brains behind this galactic venture remained in the shadows while the media spotlight shone brightly on the female flyers. It’s funny how these narratives are carefully crafted to fit a certain mold.
This spectacle provides a perfect example of selective outrage. There’s an ongoing saga of picking and choosing which stories will stir emotions and which will be conveniently labeled as progress. Consider, for example, the contrasting responses to different comic acts. Jimmy Kimmel dons blackface and it’s met with justified backlash, while Dave Chappelle’s whiteface sketches fly under the radar. The critiques seemed inconsistent and more driven by who delivers the punchline than the act itself.
Turning back to the space adventure, it raises a fascinating question about identity. Recall the furor over the Supreme Court nomination when it was crucial to appoint a “black female justice.” There’s a genuine curiosity over what might have happened if a candidate were a black trans man. Would the same level of zeal and endorsement occur, or would it become a footnote in political theater? It seems, at times, definitions are pliable depending on the day’s narrative needs.
In the end, Bezos’s venture isn’t really about who was in space but about how the story is framed on Earth. It is telling of a broader tendency: championing narratives that fit a particular agenda while ignoring those that don’t. One could argue that moments like these reflect a carefully curated picture of progress, painted not with broad strokes of truth, but with the meticulous precision of selective storytelling.
