Richard Branson’s Edge of Space Flight - Begrudgery in Action?

Dr. Bre · 18-07-2021 11:20pm

Stay at home Richard

magicbastarder · 18-07-2021 11:31pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117624439#Comment_117624439

first paragraph, i don't think anyone is disputing that.

second paragraph, you don't know that.

and also, it's like saying 'you can't have an opinion on an epidemic of gun crime unless you can field strip an M-16'. what he's doing is helping to feed the egos of the ultra rich.

JupiterKid · 19-07-2021 10:22am

Looks like many on this forum share the same opinions of those who responded to my post on FB last week. There always has been, and always will be the politics of envy. Some people always see the negative in everything and have little good to say about anything and anyone.

The rich and the famous get a lot of criticism and flak for doing things in a public way - some of it perhaps deserved, some not IMO like Branson's flight. I recall years ago an interviewer asking Elton John about the 'outrageous' bill for fresh flowers he'd had delivered to his UK home - it had been all over the red top tabloids that were screaming indignation. He came straight back that he could spend his money how he pleased but those sneering should remember that his £500K kept a lotof florists and gardeners busy

Building an ocean going yacht a metre longer than your nearest rival billionaire keeps a lot of people in work, and they are mostly good jobs. Yes, the planet is in a pickle entirely of our own making - but how many of those Branson naysayers could genuinely claim to never ever be frivolous with their disposable income?

Hypocrites methinks.

magicbastarder · 19-07-2021 10:24am

classic irish response - when others disagree with you, claim it's begrudgery.

whisky_galore · 19-07-2021 10:34am

Not begrudgery, I'm sure there's far more worthy things you could be doing with a sh1t ton of money than a boys-with-toys dick measuring contest and opening up space to (of course) the super-rich.

silverharp · 19-07-2021 12:02pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117631192#Comment_117631192

you mean like the first commercial airlines in the 20's and 30's

Mr_Muffin · 19-07-2021 12:05pm

His money. He can do what he pleases with it.

magicbastarder · 19-07-2021 12:13pm

"Virgin Galactic moved into its facilities in New Mexico in May 2019 after years of delay. The glitzy building, called Spaceport America, was paid for with more than $200 million in mostly taxpayer money"

branson seems to have form in making money from the public purse. (the article below is not the one containing the quote above, which was posted earlier in the thread)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/10/truth-richard-branson-virgin-rail-profits

Capt'n Midnight · 19-07-2021 12:26pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117630001#Comment_117630001

Outer space ?

Dennis Tito went to the ISS for 8 days of weightlessness back on April 28, 2001. Sub orbital flights with a few minutes zero gravity don't really count.

breezy1985 · 19-07-2021 12:31pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117631142#Comment_117631142

I really don't have a problem with Branson or John or whoever spending money how they like.

What I find really weird is how people like yourself obsess and idolise these billionaires. The worst at the moment is Musk the way some people fawn over everything he says and does but the craziest one of all was Jobs. The hero worship of Jobs was essentially a cult with his special uniform people swallowing every word especially at those big church cult press releases he used do

JupiterKid · 19-07-2021 12:38pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117631720#Comment_117631720

No, I don't fawn over Richard Branson, Elon Musk or any other billionaire space adventurers. They are flawed individuals just like you and me. But unlike you or me, being rich, they have the means to follow their ambitious dreams. The sheer extent of their wealth does bother me as the gap between the ultra-rich and everyone else widens further - but that is neo-libersal capitalism and how it works. I just think that they don't deserve all the scorn and criticism they get from naysayers - they are trying to do something that will ultimately be beneficial for humankind.

And I'm pretty sick and tired of that old chestnut "we shouldn't explore space, under the oceans etc. because of all the problems on Earth etc." - if we all held that view, nothing much would progress and we'd stay in our caves, fearing our own shadows.

magicbastarder · 19-07-2021 12:43pm

i don't think anyone has made that argument here. and i don't think anyone here will be saying the same thing about, say, the launch of the james webb telescope when that goes ahead (hopefully later this year), as they are saying about branson.

the aim of what branson is doing is to facilitate space tourism; it's not about exploration, not about science or knowledge. it's about giving the ultra rich an opportunity to spend a literal shed load of money so they can have a nice view.

breezy1985 · 19-07-2021 12:45pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117631770#Comment_117631770

I don't know you seem to be getting pretty bothered about any criticism of him. It comes across as being beyond just disagreeing about his endeavors.

As for space flight I have been crazy about it ever since I was a child and watch all the actual exploration done by the likes of Cassini, Rosetta and the Mars rovers.

What Branson done was not exploration as he did not explore anything or go anywhere new. Its like saying I should be praised on high for going to Paris for a weekend. Ide probably do what he done if I had the money but why you or anyone else gets so excited and reverential about it I'll never understand

Drexel_3 · 19-07-2021 1:07pm

I look at it this way. The more people / companies flying to space the more accessible it will become.

Macy0161 · 19-07-2021 1:15pm

Most of the criticism of Branson I've seen has been pointing out that he was funding this, while calling* for State Aid for various other parts of his "empire". Bezos gets the same regarding the tax avoidance/ tax position his company takes. I personally wouldn't call either begrudgery, more calling out the juxtaposition/ hypocrisy.

*which he did from his Private Caribbean Island.

JP Liz V1 · 19-07-2021 1:17pm

Space Monkeys

Ultimate Gowlbag · 19-07-2021 3:28pm

I havent seen the begrudgery others might have,but i was more amused by the fact that it seemed nobody actually cared about the whole thing.....he done this supposedly amazing thing and it seems the world just said "meh"!

breezy1985 · 19-07-2021 4:20pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117632909#Comment_117632909

Because it was "meh" compared to actually amazing stuff in the 21st century like landing a robot on a fast moving asteroid

Shebean · 19-07-2021 4:29pm

Proof that there is such a thing as too much money. His business of course but when you look at it from a moral perspective it's a disgusting vanity project.

The Amazon Rainforest is giving off more CO2 than it takes in. Up to 10 times more in some regions. We have people living and dying on the streets and starving to death. Not Branson's responsibility I know.

There should be a cap on personal profit with allowances or exceptions made on charity and social projects. Excess should be used to help the most vulnerable and tackle climate change. Between his airline and if this becomes a regular thing, how much damage to the environment was required for this?

Branson is doing this for ego and profit. He does not deserve a pat on the head.

BattleCorp · 19-07-2021 5:18pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117622793#Comment_117622793

I'd agree with you on many things but not this. It's Branson's money paying for it so why shouldn't he spend his money as he sees fit.

BattleCorp · 19-07-2021 5:20pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117622826#Comment_117622826

Did his company not develop a vehicle to put him up in space? That's boundary pushing there. Not Star Trek boundary pushing but it's progress nonetheless.

19-07-2021 5:22pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117633521#Comment_117633521

Check out how much of "his money" was subsidised by tax payers.

19-07-2021 5:23pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117633534#Comment_117633534

There already are vehicles that could have done the same job. It was nothing more than a vanity project.

magicbastarder · 19-07-2021 5:27pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117631935#Comment_117631935

accessible to what end? it'll be a pretty **** holiday, albeit one with a nice view.

i wonder if the tour guides will point out the massive fires, without any trace of irony.

BattleCorp · 19-07-2021 5:39pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117633553#Comment_117633553

Yep, there are vehicles that could have done the same job but not many of them. Branson's vehicle is a step up from about 99% (my guess on the percentage obviously) of other vehicles that can fly so I'd call that progress.

I'm not an expert on Branson's finance but I've read the link earlier that mentioned private money that went to Virgin Rail. It pretty much says that all train barons are subsidised by the taxpayer. Branson did a good deal (for himself) with the Government. I wouldn't criticise him for that.

By the way, do you know why they are subsidised? Because there'd be fcukall trains if they weren't subsidised. We do the same here with bus routes. Without subsidies, many people would be on the side of the road with no transport to where they need to go.

Yeah, it might have an element of vanity or a mickey waving exercise but it gives jobs to lots of people and I'm of the opinion that it's his money that he made legally (unless someone can prove otherwise) so it's up to him to spend it as he sees fit.

Padre_Pio · 19-07-2021 5:51pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117633553#Comment_117633553

Sure, and the motor car was built over 100 years ago. Why bother improving it.

Branson is a d*ckhead, I watched parts of the live stream, he had Stephen Colbert and a host of other celebrities and bands cheering on his flight to space. Very tacky affair altogether.

I definitely appreciate any endeavour to push engineering to the limit.

For anyone complaining about poverty, hunger, climate change etc, there's plenty of other companies adn groups looking at this, and really, it's political inaction more than private inaction that is the cause for this .

20-07-2021 9:36am

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117633633#Comment_117633633

Fair points. I personally don't think this endeavour or today's bezos' "space" jaunt are doing anything to further society, engineering or space exploration and are nothing but vulgar displays of wealth, but I agree, it's their money.

I just don't like it but that's a "me" problem.

breezy1985 · 21-07-2021 12:37am

Bezos really upped the ante in the mickey waving contest yesterday by actually launching what looks like a giant mickey into space

Dr. Bre · 21-07-2021 12:41am

So they are flying to Space while we stay at home..

Yurt2 · 21-07-2021 12:54am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI5w2QwdYik

Richard Branson’s Edge of Space Flight - Begrudgery in Action?

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