Columnist Adrian Lee critiques the ineffectiveness of popular culture's satire and snideness against extreme wealth, exemplified by Jeff Bezos's 'gaudy' $63-million wedding in Venice. Despite widespread mockery of such displays (like the Bezos wedding or shows like 'The White Lotus'), Lee argues that this ridicule fails to impact the wealthy, who appear immune to shame, and instead often fuels the very luxury it lampoons. The article questions the purpose and impact of modern satire when reality is often more absurd and the wealthy remain unaffected.
Eating the rich? We’re barely tweaking the rich
Culture
AI Summary
TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Columnist Adrian Lee critiques the ineffectiveness of popular culture's satire and snideness against extreme wealth, exemplified by Jeff Bezos's 'gaudy' $63-million wedding in Venice. Despite widespread mockery of such displays (like the Bezos wedding or shows like 'The White Lotus'), Lee argues that this ridicule fails to impact the wealthy, who appear immune to shame, and instead often fuels the very luxury it lampoons. The article questions the purpose and impact of modern satire when reality is often more absurd and the wealthy remain unaffected.
Trending- 1 1993: David Foster Wallace interview cited
- 2 June 28-29, 2025: Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's wedding in Venice
- Satire and mockery of the wealthy are seen as ineffective
- Popular culture critiques may inadvertently promote luxury tourism
- A call for more impactful and less facile critiques of wealth
What: An analysis arguing that contemporary satire and popular culture's critiques of extreme wealth, exemplified by Jeff Bezos's lavish wedding, are largely ineffective and fail to challenge the powerful.
When: This weekend (implied June 28-29, 2025), referring to the Bezos wedding. David Foster Wallace's 1993 interview is cited.
Where: Venice, Italy (for the Bezos wedding). General discussion of popular culture in North America (Canada, Silicon Valley).
Why: The author argues that satire has become an 'impotent response' because the wealthy are 'immunized themselves from shame,' and the critiques often serve as 'smugness generators' for the already-converted rather than prompting real change or discomfort.
How: The article uses Jeff Bezos's recent wedding as a prime example of 'nouveau riche gaudiness' that was widely mocked but had no apparent impact on the wealthy. It references various TV shows ('The White Lotus', 'Succession', 'Mountainhead') and media figures (Stephen Colbert, The Onion) to illustrate the trend of ineffective satire.