Is this really "empowering" to women, or is it infantilizing them?

[Anonymous]

A week ago 6 women were given a ride to space on Jeff Bezos' rocket. The entire ride lasted 10 minutes, and the women were in space only 3-4 minutes.

It's been billed as a milestone in women's empowerment, but is it really? How is it empowering for these women when they literally did nothing but take a free ride and get used as part of a publicity stunt for Jeff Bezos? How is it empowering to be given a free 10 minute ride on an automated, unmanned penis shaped rocket, all of which was made possible by a man. The only thing the women had to do is buckle and unbuckle their seatbelts. The training they were given was on how to buckle their seatbelts, get into their suits, step in and out of the capsule, and use the communication equipment. That's it.

Some called themselves "astronauts" and behaved as if it was a big accomplishment, for which they have since been mercilessly mocked? One of them, Gayle King, made things worse with her indignant response complaining about people minimizing her accomplishment and telling them to stop calling it a "ride". She essentially said "no one calls it a "ride" when a man goes into space". That's because no man has ever gone on a ride to spend only 3-4 minutes in space and all he did to prepare was learn how to buckle a seatbelt and use a walkie talkie.

There have been many great female astronauts who deserve just as much respect and admiration as male astronauts. But these 6 women are not among them. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had to make an official statement that they do not meet the FAA astronaut criteria.

Women who do such things are not empowering themselves or any other women. They make a joke of the notion of female empowerment and encourage the infantilization of western women. Women are amazing and do great things every day, and for that they should be (and are) celebrated. But please, stop taking credit for things you didn't earn in the name of "female empowerment". It's a bad look and it sets women back.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

The flight was for Amanda Nguyen and in honor of her as a passenger. She was originally planning to be an astronaut until she got sexually assaulted in college and found out that it was perfectly legal for the evidence against her rapist to be destroyed after a period of 6 months. She put that dream aside to pursue creating laws protecting rape victims and preserving that evidence for the next 10 years and completely giving up her dreams to be an astronaut. Bezos was giving her that flight as a reward for her work and to further her own research studying how plants function in the vacuum of space, hence the flowers that were on board. Everyone else on that flight was there to honor her and her efforts in championing women’s rights, including the celebrities and Bezos’s wife.

[Asker]

And yet that was not the focus of the press coverage, at all! The press focused on how it was empowering to women and a huge accomplishment for these six women, which of course is total nonsense.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

No it didn’t, it focused on Katy Perry because she’s really easy to hate

[Asker]

Yes, there's been a lot of focus on Katy Perry, but unless you haven't been paying attention you'll know there has been a ton of focus on a lot more than that. But none on Amanda Nguyen for the reasons you stated. And that's because the whole thing was a giant publicity stunt, handled poorly by Bezos, the press, and the six female passengers, which is all they were. It was spun as female empowering and as some accomplishment by women. It was neither, and everyone involved deserves all the criticism they've been getting.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Amanda is the female empowerment. While poorly marketed, she still got to experience space like she always wanted to.

[Asker]

How was Amanda or any other women empowered by a man using her for his publicity stunt while not celebrating her past accomplishments? She made no accomplishments on the ride last week. At best it was a gift from Bezos to her.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Yeah, she’s not allowed to enjoy her gift just because it benefits him too?

[Asker]

You apparently don't understand the difference between a gift and an accomplishment.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

The accomplishment was Amanda Nguyen’s legal work

[Asker]

Again, while I agree, that's not what the purpose of this flight was. It was a publicity stunt and Amanda's accomplishments were neither the purpose nor the focus, pre or post flight. That was the problem in a nutshell.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

According to whatever news sources you found, not necessarily the description of it from Bezos himself. And so what if it was a publicity stunt?

[Irritatedyet]

It sure didn't make me feel more empowered, though I didn't feel I needed to be empowered. What did this empower women to do? This was no more empowering than if they'd gone to an amusement park and rode a roller coaster, which is not at all.

[Asker]

Hah, well said.

[Spencer10]

This was a joy ride. A stunt. I do not think it empowered women in any way. If you want something to cheer about Google Eileen Collins. Shuttle Commander. A real Astronaut. A real role model for both genders. She definitely did not go on joy rides...

[Asker]

Yes, exactly. Eileen Collins earned and is worthy of all the respect and appreciation he has received and is a great role model. And unlike these six women, Collins acted with dignity and humility.

[Asker]

*she has received

[Spencer10]

Yup. Nothing like piloting a vehicle that has only one chance at a safe landing vs being spam in a can just along for the ride of only 11 minutes. Collins has the "Right Stuff"

[Spencer10]

Oh and Collins wore a pressure suit... not some kind of skin tight made for TV outfit...

[exitseven]

William Shatner took one of these amusement park rides and he did not think that it was anything else than what it was. A big publicity stunt. I an sure Shatner knew that having Captain Kirk aboard would generate a lot of interest.

[Asker]

Yeah, I remember that. It was covered by the press but not at all in the way this one was.

Seriously, I love women and care about their welfare and success, but things like this do a lot more harm than good for their cause. I wish they would just stop.

[MzAsh]

It’s silly. It would be cool to joyride into space. But I don’t consider this the breakthrough they’re trying to pitch it as.

[Asker]

Yep, agreed. Silly is a good word for it.

[goaded]

I believe that all the women have made major contributions to society, but the flight wasn't one of them. If Bezos can afford to pay for that, he can afford to pay more taxes and treat his employees better.

[Asker]

I agree with all of that, but I'll also add that Bezos has contributed more to society than all those women combined.

[goaded]

As a monopolist?

[Asker]

Amazon has brought a lot of value to virtually every American, and he also built a space travel platform and technology that, unlike the 10 minute "mission" last week, will benefit mankind immeasurably for many years to come.

Regarding his "monopoly", what exactly would you have had him do different? Offer less value so other companies can be more competitive? I don't see how Amazon has done anything but benefit Americans.

[goaded]

What would I have him do different? Not doing this: "Amazon violates the law not because it is big, but because it engages in a course of exclusionary conduct that prevents current competitors from growing and new competitors from emerging. By stifling competition on price, product selection, quality, and by preventing its current or future rivals from attracting a critical mass of shoppers and sellers, Amazon ensures that no current or future rival can threaten its dominance. Amazon’s far-reaching schemes impact hundreds of billions of dollars in retail sales every year, touch hundreds of thousands of products sold by businesses big and small and affect over a hundred million shoppers."
www.ftc.gov/.../ftc-sues-amazon-illegally-maintaining-monopoly-power

So, now Bezos "donated" a million to Trump's inauguration, stopped his Washington Post from endorsing Harris before the election, and is now forcing it to only report right wing priorities, what do you think will happen to the lawsuit?

By the way, I was wrong earlier, I didn't realise one of the women was just Bezo's girlfriend. His ex-wife is doing good things, though.

[Asker]

Ah, that's it, Bezos donated a $ million to Trump. That explains your seething hatred for him. Say no more.

[goaded]

You totally ignored the lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission and 17 state attorneys general.

I don't like monopolies because they always end up like that, which is why anti-trust legislation was invented.

The bribes to Trump are just the way Bezos is going to get away with it.

[Asker]

And the outcome of that lawsuit?

[goaded]

Ongoing, as far as I know.

[Asker]

Exactly, which is why I ignored it, as you should have too. If Amazon is guilty as charged, then you can use it as evidence. Until then, it's meaningless.

[goaded]

No, it's not "meaningless", it's a powerful indication that Amazon has been engaging in anti-competitive behaviour.

[Anonymous]

This has turned into such a fiasco for those women and Jeff Bezos. I hate when women do this sort of thing. It makes me embarrassed as a woman.

[Asker]

Agreed. I've talked with other women about it it and every one of them said pretty much the same thing you did.

[Douglas1180]

Were there any gay black people on Jeff Bezos' rocket, or do we get to joyfully await the first gay black female phallic ride into space?

[Asker]

Nope. And after this fiasco, I doubt gays and blacks will ever get the same offer for a free ride into space.

[DrPepper12]

Allow me to speak for ALL of humanity when I say IDGAF

[Asker]

ALL of humanity? LMAO, stop projecting. It's been viral for more than a week and a lot of high profile people are talking about it.

[Anonymous]

celebrities never empowered shit

[Asker]

Yup.

[Opinion Owner]

yay.

[Ariesman81]

Are we sure Bezos wasn't actually crossing his fingers when it launched?

[Dargil]

It was a fun publicity stunt.