Neo-feudalism

In the run-up to the American national holiday on July 4, the media spent weeks commenting on the scant details that had leaked out about the wedding of the year, the decade or even the century – pop queen Taylor Swift married American football star Travis Kelcey.

T & T, as they are now known, jointly donated 26 million dollars to several charitable organisations on this occasion – something the pair already do regularly, albeit in smaller amounts. Impressive? It amounts to one per cent of their combined wealth. By biblical standards, and they both claim to are Christians, it should have been ten times that amount, especially as this wealth is growing exponentially.

I don’t think Taylor Swift and her husband need to commercialise their wedding photos. Why should they? But the whole affair does give off a bit of a neo-feudal vibe: a thousand chosen many in one of the world’s most famous arenas, Paul McCartney and Stevie Nicks alongside a host of younger stars on stage, a forest of trees and bushes to put New York’s cordoned-off Madison Square Garden into perspective – right in the heart of the city, yet shielded from the outside world. Taylor didn’t try to outdo Jeff Bezos. Rumour has it she deliberately stole the show from her hater in the White House. In terms of media coverage, his 4th of July parade was a mere trifle compared to her wedding. The spectacle is likely to have brought in a tidy sum for many New Yorkers through a wealth of commissions.

As a counterpoint, we have Elon Musk: a figure equally talented in his field, yet a controversial one compared to with the radiance of T & T. Elon Musk wants to network his satellites in such a way that they can be powered by solar energy. This is a new take on Nicola Tesla’s old idea of solar sails in space. He says he needs this energy to be able to reach and colonise Mars. Neo-feudalism that takes us forward whilst simultaneously controlling and dominating us?

On the left, we have Taylor & Travis as standard-bearers for a sense of responsibility towards society and nature; on the right, Elon Musk doesn’t seem particularly concerned about the fate of the common man or the Earth. What is the matter with him? Where does this resentment, or indifference, come from? What does the richest man on earth hold against us, the people? That we exist? We do know that his use of ketamine leads to delusions of omnipotence, commonly known as grandeur.

In any case, I find the newlyweds more likeable, even if their critics say they splashed out for selfish reasons, only to divorce again after two years. How can anyone ever be happy with this kind of thinking? When you achieve the level of success of T & T, there are many people to whom you are indebted. The pair demonstrated this with their celebration. By then, they’d put the essentials behind them. We wish them the best of luck.

Hottest regards ever!
Susanne

P.S.The next Psychedelic Salon, on 17 September, features a visiting legend: Dr. Luis Eduardo Luna! Don’t miss it!
P.S.S. WIDE OPEN BOOKS – the gaiamedia collection remains closed n August except by appointment @ Villa Mare, Neumünsterallee 21, 8008 Zürich. New opening hours and further events to be announced.