Thread by @RBReich

I remember as a kid talking with other kids my age about becoming an astronaut. At the time, astronauts came from middle-class and blue-collar families. They’d gone to public schools.

It was something any of us could aspire to.

Today’s space race could not be more different.

We used the term “we” to describe being the first to land on the moon. Bezos and Branson aren’t “we.” There's no common good in their achievement. They symbolize the extreme apex of wealth, much of it gained by paying workers low wages, dodging taxes and shutting out competitors.

If Branson and Bezos are advancing anything or anyone, it’s the prospect of making boatloads of money by selling future seats to other people able and willing to pay huge sums for the thrill. It's hardly impressive or heroic.

If some kids today are inspired by Branson, Bezos, and Musk, the inspiration is more about accumulating money and power than propelling America or the world.

We’ve privatized almost everything else, but no one can privatize heroism.