Women's Rights are Now Restored
Katy Perry Went to Space!!
My hyper focused interest today is Katy Perry and Lauren Sanchez going to space. Me and my 2 friends have been texting about it all day.
So since I don’t have more friends to talk about it why not talk about it in the greatest group chat ever: this Substack.
I’ll go over my fascination with this today. When I usually do not bat an eye at what other famous and/or rich people are doing. And my overall rant on this trip when observing the 1% versus us. And then I’ll go into some fun positive stuff.
And I’m also not going to use and editor for this Substack. So welcome to the unfiltered version.
A Few Reactions First:
Emrata’s jaws on the floor:
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I like her take.
I made something funny, too
I also made a video that I will not be posting on social media that is just Katy Perry going to space with ET by Katy Perry playing in the background. We love a manifestation/foreshadowing moment!!
Enjoy the Substack-exclusive below.
Oprah is crying more than we saw her cry for the Maui fires
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My Take
I hope this is the epitome of letting famous people and billionaires lead social movements. What I think Lauren Sanchez, Katy Perry, and their other friends were going for today was some empowering, “women can do whatever man can”, etc… social movement today. When in reality it’s just billionaires and millionaires going up to space in a dystopian reality and flexing on all us common folk. And they need to find a good angle so we don’t revolut.
I got the ick from this performance very quickly as a consumer.
Mostly because why do we become fans of public figures and then at some point, when we see fit, put them on the purity test stand of progressive values. These public figures did not originally receive their fame being a thought leader in progressive values. They’re actually just entertainers. They have no idea what social movements are and how they’re actually perceived. Why? Because they own multiple high value properties in discrete areas with other people like them. Or are at resorts away from people because it causes a scene when they’re in public and they don’t want to be bothered by us when they’re traveling. Yes they talk to some normal people sometimes if they’re ordering themselves food or something. But even when regular people are talking to them, the regular person is a fan, so they’re overly nice to these entertainers which furthers the unrelatable echo chamber feedback loop they sit in all day. These public figures are not genuine convos with regular people where they’re learning about the affordability and job security issues of today from us. There is barely any genuine exposure to lower socioeconomic issues happening. They may have family that are still regular people if they even still talk to them or are not already supporting them financially. It’s very relatable life.
At the same time, I don’t think every elite person is inherently evil or rude. Some of them are yes. There are some really nice and caring one’s out there. But it’s overall silly to expect them to cosplay as a regular adult and understand regular people problems for our own validity and comfort. We do not need them to validate our issues. Just let them go to space and scream in a metal structure. We don’t need also package this into a manufactured solidarity for women.
But then we want them at some point to be relatable again….
And they we freak out because Kim Kardashian didn’t post to raise awareness for the genocide in Palestine. She’s actually not a geopolitical strategist. She doesn’t specify in international diplomacy. She is lifestyle influencer. And I’m sorry but she doesn’t gain anything financially in discussing criticisms of the Israeli government. And everything these people do in the public to be strategic for their brands and finances.
And I understand that some people have the concept that “if you have a platform you should use it for good”. But I disagree because
1. Good is subjective.
Example: you and I may think I use my platform for good. (Not that I am mega famous. Just using myself a relatable example for this) At the same time there’s millions of people and many famous commentators who have spoken publicly to say I am ruining my future using my platform the way I do.
So as someone who does have a little bit of a platform now who has gone through my own gambit of international feedback regarding my content, you can’t ever win. Yes we should operate from a good moral compass and I try to at all times. But A list celebrities are not here to fire up the tiktok or instagram story and start parroting the social movement of the month. It’s disingenuous and that’s not what they’re famous for.
I really don’t care to bring in hollywood and corporate america into social issues
Going back to my criticisms of DEI i’ve talked about. DEI started initially to create more inclusive convos within hiring process and management teams. I love it and did love it. I was working as an RA for my college, Colorado State University in 2017-2019 when these initiatives were originally being implemented. It was awesome and I got to learn about my biases and other people’s biases in an inclusive environment and gained a lot from it.
How it ended? Every team rolling back their DEI because, like all things in major corporate america, it got copted by disingenuous corporate quotas that inherently exist in corporate america. I don’t think placing a token hire somewhere and flaunting it and being like “women are so empowered now because we have a majority female exec team”. Oh okay cool. Are they paid well? Do they feel seen and heard? Can they ethically balance the working conditions of their role alongside childcare?
I don’t care about quotas and aesthetics, tbh.
And then we have people like Meghan Markle launching a podcast called Female Founder where she cosplays as a 2010 girlboss. Her first episode, she pretends to have relatable issues with picking out her products packaging. When the product more than likely was designed by a separate team, agency, VC/private equity company, or something alike that. And now she has to make a go-to market strategy to sell these cheaply made products back to us by pretending to a boots on the ground, humble founder. She’s British royalty…? She is not our “big career sis”.
And going back DEI: so you’re telling me corporations are going to admit to us that these same corporations were once filled with prejudice and bias. Which then resulted in us all not having an equal opportunity in work. And then were going to let the same corporations spearhead the solutions to these issues? Because by the time that it was 2020-2021, the height of social justice in corporate america, large banks like Goldman Sachs and Chase and McKinsey and the four other major consulting firms (that direct all other Fortune 500 companies on how to conduct their business which then creates a ripple effect as all other businesses follow suit) - You’re telling me these same corporations that said they were once racist and sexist are now not just going to racist? And we just have to follow whatever solutions they give to us? And just be happy and take it? And if we criticize it at ALL we’re not an alley by whatever definition of alley these corporations create?
Obviously I am a little bit more crazy and jaded with this stuff than the average person. I’m aware lol. But I’m sorry but if the social movement includes anything in it that benefits the other person it’s not genuine. Radical change happens within. And we do'’t have to wait for a famous person or a corporation to tell us when it’s okay to imagine a better life for ourselves.
Fortune 500 companies were not heroes for implementing DEI. They were saving their butts at a public relations level and creating more social distractions for us to argue about. While they continue to increase shareholder value. And while their big daddy’s, who really run the ship behind the scenes, BlackRock and Vanguard, continue to buy every asset you can imagine and further a feudal system that decreases affordability and abundance for you.
Google put a gay pride flag on their logo for Pride month and then fired employees that were protesting the development of their Project Nimbus which was a surveillance system to better destroy Gaza. I’ve wrote about this in the past which you can read here. It’s all optics. I do not have a parasocial relationship with ANY politician, public figure, billionaire, company, etc….
Influencers are not brave for going live on TikTok and telling us what marginalized group of people they stand for today. They were more than likely directed by their huge management team to parrot the take of the today for better brand perception to land bigger brand deals soon. There is not a lot of altruism in social politics when you’re in those tax brackets, it’s a manipulation tool.
Lauren Sanchez and Katy Perry are not girlbosses beating the patriarchy today because they went into orbit (I don’t think they actually went in to space, by my TikTok research today it looks like they just went up and then down again).
Conclusion
Now that we’re done being super complain-y and ranty, I would like to share with you how I create impact in my life without waiting on the direction of corporations and billionaires.
I buy local foods as much as possible. I really love this time of year as it’s easier to buy local produce where I live.
In general, beyond just food, I try to buy local as much as possible. But it’s hard…I mean my Amazon packages are still flowing. Idk where else to get Elf setting spray, I apologize I am a mere human. But I buy a lot of books and records from small businesses. If I am in a small business, but I am not going to buy anything, I smile at the business owner and compliment their store. I ask them stuff like what inspired them to create this business. Sometimes I grab their contact info and try to connect them with someone I know who could amplify their efforts and compliment the business goals. Small stuff like that goes a long way. Being a small business is super hard and just recognizing people for what they’ve created can fuel their motivation for the next few days.
I don’t watch anything I don’t want to. I don’t watch celebrities I don’t care about. I am not giving them views. If I disagree with something I just swipe away, I don’t comment a full argument giving them another engagement point for their engagement farm. I watch some independent creators content, I read some substack I like, I like stand up comedy specials on Netflix. And that’s about it. Otherwise I’m reading fantasy romance novels or historical nonfiction.
I do boycott stuff, but I don’t feel like sharing who specifically and why. Again, I don’t feel like virtue signaling to yall. I want you to do the stuff you want to not because I want to. Influencing is so stupid sometimes. I’d rather just talk about our relationship with work.
I do donate but I don’t share it unless it’s something that benefits you all, like my scholarship for college students I made a couple years ago. But I don’t really need to show what I donate to for likes. If there’s big stuff I know you all would really be happy and excited to celebrate with me than I will. but you won’t see me sending receipts of non profits I support. I want you to just support what you want to without my persuasion. Also, some causes I donate to are personal and I don’t want to share why it’s important to me for public commentary.
I go to a lot of local events. Local events are huge where I live so I try to donate.
I talk to a lot of people I do not agree with kind of all the time. I try to have a hard convo at least once a week with someone. I find humanity and stillness in those moments. And it’s priceless, there’s no flaunt of wealth or competition in those moments. I feel free from capitalism when I’m holding space for someone. I really don’t agree with “wrongly platforming” anyone. I am 100% free speacher, everyone should be able to talk to whoever they want about whatever they want if the topic is mutually consensual from both parties.
I try to end a lot of toxic generational cycles in my family. It’s taken a lot of money in therapy, a lot of support group attendance, a lot of scary but really important moments of courage in my life. It’s met with a lot of friction in my family life. And that’s as best as I can describe it without making a whole other rant about my family life and sharing details that aren’t mine to share.
I try to be the best version of myself so in the future I can be the best mom and chose the best dad for my future kids. I really want to leave this world better than I left it. And yes I am very grateful for my platform and content creation I do with you all. But I know in a few years I will want children and so I try to audit my current life to my it’s ultimate potential all the time.
I try to make critical thinking cool. Obviously I start with our relationship with work, because my strategy with that is we spend so much time at work and thinking about work why not start there? But I really think critical thinking should come back. And we are allowed to agree on stuff and not agree on stuff together as a population. The more that we ask ourselves and people around us the hard questions, the better our lives change. And we don’t need celebrities to go to space for us to believe in ourselves and know that we matter.