My Take | Rich guys’ ostentatious weddings are reflection of human condition
Amazon boss Jeff Bezos’ US$55 million nuptials in the Italian city of Venice say as much about the 1 per cent as the world we live in today
It was Jean-Jacques Rousseau who wrote, “The extreme inequality of our ways of life, the excess of idleness among some and the excess of toil among others, the ease of stimulating and gratifying our appetites and our senses, the over-elaborate foods of the rich … These are the fatal proofs that most of our ills are of our own making.”
If you were a Martian who landed in Venice last week, you might think Rousseau was a contemporary writer complaining about a city overrun by rich tourists.
The world’s occasionally wealthiest man, Jeff Bezos, and former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez reportedly splashed out US$55 million for their nuptials, which effectively allowed the couple and their 200 rich and famous guests to take over half the city.
No wonder many locals and eat-the-rich types were up in arms.
The Venice Marco Polo airport was jammed by private jets. Local caterers and servers were made to sign non-disclosure agreements, barring them from discussing publicly whatever they witnessed at those parties. An army of private security guards was deployed.
The couple originally chose the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a Renaissance landmark and cultural hub, to hold the main event. But there were so many complaints and protests that a minor concession was made to move everyone to the more secluded Arsenale Di Venezia, protected by a moat and a drawbridge, better to shield them from the rabble.
It was perhaps poor timing that the wedding was held amid anti-tourism rallies in multiple European cities. Bezos and his better-or-worse half helped the protesters make their point.