10 ms·

Might just be me, but Shatner is attempting to communicate something profound that has altered him and Bezos just seems to want to party. Might just be differen

Might just be me, but Shatner is attempting to communicate something profound that has altered him and Bezos just seems to want to party. Might just be different world views, Shatner is much older and has less time.

UseStrict 5y ago
For Shatner it seemed like he had a profound life-enhancing experience. For everyone else it looked like they were celebrating after some sort of extreme sport, or a roller coaster. It's hard to judge just by outward appearances, and the adrenalin rush must be intense, but no one else, even Bezos, seemed to really appreciate the enormity of the experience.
- davidw 5y ago
  Towards the end of the clip, Bezos looks like he's calculating how much William Shatner Space Merchandise he could sell with this great video they're getting of a profoundly moved man.
  - solarkraft 5y ago
    “Man, this will be such good PR”
    - nefitty 5y ago
      "Hug me! The cameras are pointed at us!"
stuart78 5y ago
I thought that when he interrupted for champagne showers, but after that he seems more present in the conversation and really listening. I have to say that listening to Shatner's description made me more intrigued than the other stories I've heard from the recent visitors. His emotion, the voice, the particular idea he is trying to express of that change in perspective really captured the intensity of the experience in a way that made me want to know it as well.
- wonderwonder 5y ago
  He struck me as a man nearing the end of his life that is struggling with mortality and had an experience that upended everything. Really personal, life changing experience that many don't get to see happen to others. Definitely made me want to go to space. Could just be that Shatner was the moment and Bezos interrupted it. I probably should not judge him for it after all he made it happen.
  - cronix 5y ago
    > He struck me as a man nearing the end of his life that is struggling with mortality and had an experience that upended everything. It could be, but I think it's more general. > Really personal, life changing experience that many don't get to see happen to others. That's how I saw it. I'm not nearly as old as Shatner, but I know I would have the exact same reaction he did. In fact, I did just listening to him struggle for the words to describe it because words we ascribe to "the best of things" like "awesome" just doesn't compare on that scale when we also use the same word to describe our favorite ice cream flavor. I think it's more of a major, major smack to your reality and life-long accumulated perspective when you personally witness, and feel, just how small we are, Earth is, compared to the vastness of space and what a special, unique place this is. Not on a 2 dimensional TV/Movie screen of a fixed size, but all encompassing. We haven't found anything like it so far, and there's a lot to choose from out there. If you're a deeply introspective person, that experience is almost akin to seeing God and I'm not sure age really figures in. Just a deep understanding - like I don't think a child would appreciate the experience nearly as much as an adult. In that part, maybe age has something to do with it...or maybe better labeled as "the longer you've been on Earth having your perception of reality programmed bound by the laws and your personal experiences of Earth," and then suddenly, completely and totally step outside of it kind of like waking up from a dream. You were in one reality one second with everything you have ever known, and now you're in a completely foreign place the next where absolutely nothing is like where you came from or have ever known.
    - dTal 5y ago
      >struggle for the words to describe it because words we ascribe to "the best of things" like "awesome" just doesn't compare on that scale when we also use the same word to describe our favorite ice cream flavor. Mandatory Eddie Izzard bit on exactly this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tVqN0prMro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tVqN0prMro
Ericson2314 5y ago
Well yeah, Bezos has been on a Musk-envy mid-life crisis the last few years.
- Ericson2314 5y ago
  I should make clear that I don't think Musk is good or anything, just that Bezos was jealous of the constant press and fan club. Once narcissist infects spreads it to another, if anything.
  - WalterBright 5y ago
    > I should make clear that I don't think Musk is good or anything Why are you concerned others might think you think Musk is good? I think Musk is good.
    - JasonFruit 5y ago
      I don't care if Musk is good; I think he does worthwhile, cool stuff. His moral standing is no more interesting to me than yours.
    - Ericson2314 5y ago
      I'm not concerned what other people think I think in this case, I just want to remind other non-worshipers that they are not alone.
- WalterBright 5y ago
  Envy has driven much of mankind's progress. Evolution provides us with these emotions because they work.
  - snowwindwaves 5y ago
    what else have envy and greed driven? What would the world look like without those inate human emotions? It might be a simpler place but potentially the worst of history could have been avoided.
tw04 5y ago
It wasn't just you. Shatner was talking to Bezos and Bezos just couldn't have cared less and wasn't paying attention, he was more interested in finding champagne. Eventually when his girlfriend decided she needed some camera time, he finally pretended to care what Shatner had to say.
- DaveExeter 5y ago
  The woman with the amazing rack that hugs Bill is Bezos' girlfriend?
  - dustintrex 5y ago
    If you're referring to the accomplished news anchor, yes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_S%C3%A1nchez https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_S%C3%A1nchez
    - DaveExeter 5y ago
      Well, that accomplished news anchor has a nice rack. [1] And she is 51 years old! Had no idea. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDBT0ZIRxaI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDBT0ZIRxaI
Willish42 5y ago
Yeah that was pretty jarring. Even Bezos's responses were weirdly hollow. It's sad to see that Bezos's own talking-points-filled spiel after going to space (others have compared his statements before and after to show he kinda already had an angle planned for how he'd "react" to the overview effect) really reflects how pragmatic and matter-of-fact he feels about space. He couldn't even manage to sympathize with one of his childhood heroes speaking so poetically about how the trip affected him, despite being a man who dedicated most of his life to achieving the spacefaring future he saw on TV. Giving him a bit more credit, there could be some benign reason like maybe he's antsy/jealous about wanting to go to space again, or was nervous or relieved the flight didn't go wrong or something. I'm not even trying to make an "OMG Bezos is so evil" post or anything, it's just really sad to see him seem so uninspired, like he's become disillusioned after all the success he's had.
- javajosh 5y ago
  I agree one shouldn't be too hard on Bezos in contrast to Shatner. Shatner is an actor, an artist, clearly in touch with his emotions and open to the experience in ways that an engineer/industrialist is not. If anything, I think Bezos should get extra credit for having the good sense to invite Shatner up there. It's like what Jodie Foster said in Contact - "they should have sent a poet." And now, they did.
  - eurasiantiger 5y ago
    It’s like watching a developer party with the managers.
    - snowwindwaves 5y ago
      You'll be a manager one day
  - Willish42 5y ago
    While Bezos certainly has a different mindset as an engineer/industrialist, space is obviously a pretty big deal to him. Reading more about his background (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/11/what-jeff-bezos-wants/598363/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/11/what-je... is a really great read IMO) and contrasting that with how he acts around Shatner in the video really shows how uninspired his portrayal today seems by comparison.
ptkd 5y ago
Okay, wow -- I had no idea Shatner was 90. He looks fantastic for his age
- nefitty 5y ago
  It's insane! Add to that that his mind is still churning. How much work did he do or how lucky did he get to accomplish that amount of health...
irrational 5y ago
> Shatner is much older and has less time. When Shatner was talking about “is this death?”, I was wondering if, as a 90 year old, he has had this subject on his mind.
- wonderwonder 5y ago
  Very much struck me as a man suddenly confronting his own mortality and his place in the universe.
Brendinooo 5y ago
I'm very pro-Shatner here, I loved what he had to say. But I think other people were ready to party, and Bezos wanted to split the difference. Can't ignore the guys who spent over a million dollars each to be there, y'know?
- Rapzid 5y ago
  I feel the same way.. Don't actually have a super strong opinion on Bezos either way, so reading a lot of the comments here.. They seem painted with loathing for him. He's just a dude and was caught up for seconds with the party atmosphere while an old man was getting his words together. Yeah it was obvious to everyone watching he left Bill hanging, but he also seemed self conscious about that and came back to him.. Also, I call Bill an "old man" because he is. He's also one of the most present 90 year olds I'm aware of and is incredibly smart and with it. I would feel lucky if I was half as with it at 60-70, much less 90.
  - snowwindwaves 5y ago
    like you I hope I'm as present in my senior years! Female friends have entertaining stories about encounters with him from 17 years ago when he was 77!
bothandeach 5y ago
.. has less time. Think so. I'm there also
BurningFrog 5y ago
Shatner has devoted his life to commanding a stage. Of course he will come out looking best in that setting.

UseStrict 5y ago

For Shatner it seemed like he had a profound life-enhancing experience. For everyone else it looked like they were celebrating after some sort of extreme sport, or a roller coaster. It's hard to judge just by outward appearances, and the adrenalin rush must be intense, but no one else, even Bezos, seemed to really appreciate the enormity of the experience.

davidw 5y ago
Towards the end of the clip, Bezos looks like he's calculating how much William Shatner Space Merchandise he could sell with this great video they're getting of a profoundly moved man.
- solarkraft 5y ago
  “Man, this will be such good PR”
  - nefitty 5y ago
    "Hug me! The cameras are pointed at us!"

stuart78 5y ago

I thought that when he interrupted for champagne showers, but after that he seems more present in the conversation and really listening. I have to say that listening to Shatner's description made me more intrigued than the other stories I've heard from the recent visitors. His emotion, the voice, the particular idea he is trying to express of that change in perspective really captured the intensity of the experience in a way that made me want to know it as well.

wonderwonder 5y ago
He struck me as a man nearing the end of his life that is struggling with mortality and had an experience that upended everything. Really personal, life changing experience that many don't get to see happen to others. Definitely made me want to go to space. Could just be that Shatner was the moment and Bezos interrupted it. I probably should not judge him for it after all he made it happen.
- cronix 5y ago
  > He struck me as a man nearing the end of his life that is struggling with mortality and had an experience that upended everything. It could be, but I think it's more general. > Really personal, life changing experience that many don't get to see happen to others. That's how I saw it. I'm not nearly as old as Shatner, but I know I would have the exact same reaction he did. In fact, I did just listening to him struggle for the words to describe it because words we ascribe to "the best of things" like "awesome" just doesn't compare on that scale when we also use the same word to describe our favorite ice cream flavor. I think it's more of a major, major smack to your reality and life-long accumulated perspective when you personally witness, and feel, just how small we are, Earth is, compared to the vastness of space and what a special, unique place this is. Not on a 2 dimensional TV/Movie screen of a fixed size, but all encompassing. We haven't found anything like it so far, and there's a lot to choose from out there. If you're a deeply introspective person, that experience is almost akin to seeing God and I'm not sure age really figures in. Just a deep understanding - like I don't think a child would appreciate the experience nearly as much as an adult. In that part, maybe age has something to do with it...or maybe better labeled as "the longer you've been on Earth having your perception of reality programmed bound by the laws and your personal experiences of Earth," and then suddenly, completely and totally step outside of it kind of like waking up from a dream. You were in one reality one second with everything you have ever known, and now you're in a completely foreign place the next where absolutely nothing is like where you came from or have ever known.
  - dTal 5y ago
    >struggle for the words to describe it because words we ascribe to "the best of things" like "awesome" just doesn't compare on that scale when we also use the same word to describe our favorite ice cream flavor. Mandatory Eddie Izzard bit on exactly this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tVqN0prMro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tVqN0prMro

Ericson2314 5y ago

Well yeah, Bezos has been on a Musk-envy mid-life crisis the last few years.

Ericson2314 5y ago
I should make clear that I don't think Musk is good or anything, just that Bezos was jealous of the constant press and fan club. Once narcissist infects spreads it to another, if anything.
- WalterBright 5y ago
  > I should make clear that I don't think Musk is good or anything Why are you concerned others might think you think Musk is good? I think Musk is good.
  - JasonFruit 5y ago
    I don't care if Musk is good; I think he does worthwhile, cool stuff. His moral standing is no more interesting to me than yours.
  - Ericson2314 5y ago
    I'm not concerned what other people think I think in this case, I just want to remind other non-worshipers that they are not alone.
WalterBright 5y ago
Envy has driven much of mankind's progress. Evolution provides us with these emotions because they work.
- snowwindwaves 5y ago
  what else have envy and greed driven? What would the world look like without those inate human emotions? It might be a simpler place but potentially the worst of history could have been avoided.

tw04 5y ago

It wasn't just you. Shatner was talking to Bezos and Bezos just couldn't have cared less and wasn't paying attention, he was more interested in finding champagne. Eventually when his girlfriend decided she needed some camera time, he finally pretended to care what Shatner had to say.

DaveExeter 5y ago
The woman with the amazing rack that hugs Bill is Bezos' girlfriend?
- dustintrex 5y ago
  If you're referring to the accomplished news anchor, yes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_S%C3%A1nchez https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_S%C3%A1nchez
  - DaveExeter 5y ago
    Well, that accomplished news anchor has a nice rack. [1] And she is 51 years old! Had no idea. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDBT0ZIRxaI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDBT0ZIRxaI

Willish42 5y ago

Yeah that was pretty jarring. Even Bezos's responses were weirdly hollow. It's sad to see that Bezos's own talking-points-filled spiel after going to space (others have compared his statements before and after to show he kinda already had an angle planned for how he'd "react" to the overview effect) really reflects how pragmatic and matter-of-fact he feels about space. He couldn't even manage to sympathize with one of his childhood heroes speaking so poetically about how the trip affected him, despite being a man who dedicated most of his life to achieving the spacefaring future he saw on TV. Giving him a bit more credit, there could be some benign reason like maybe he's antsy/jealous about wanting to go to space again, or was nervous or relieved the flight didn't go wrong or something. I'm not even trying to make an "OMG Bezos is so evil" post or anything, it's just really sad to see him seem so uninspired, like he's become disillusioned after all the success he's had.

javajosh 5y ago
I agree one shouldn't be too hard on Bezos in contrast to Shatner. Shatner is an actor, an artist, clearly in touch with his emotions and open to the experience in ways that an engineer/industrialist is not. If anything, I think Bezos should get extra credit for having the good sense to invite Shatner up there. It's like what Jodie Foster said in Contact - "they should have sent a poet." And now, they did.
- eurasiantiger 5y ago
  It’s like watching a developer party with the managers.
  - snowwindwaves 5y ago
    You'll be a manager one day
- Willish42 5y ago
  While Bezos certainly has a different mindset as an engineer/industrialist, space is obviously a pretty big deal to him. Reading more about his background (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/11/what-jeff-bezos-wants/598363/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/11/what-je... is a really great read IMO) and contrasting that with how he acts around Shatner in the video really shows how uninspired his portrayal today seems by comparison.

ptkd 5y ago

Okay, wow -- I had no idea Shatner was 90. He looks fantastic for his age

nefitty 5y ago
It's insane! Add to that that his mind is still churning. How much work did he do or how lucky did he get to accomplish that amount of health...

irrational 5y ago

> Shatner is much older and has less time. When Shatner was talking about “is this death?”, I was wondering if, as a 90 year old, he has had this subject on his mind.

wonderwonder 5y ago
Very much struck me as a man suddenly confronting his own mortality and his place in the universe.

Brendinooo 5y ago

I'm very pro-Shatner here, I loved what he had to say. But I think other people were ready to party, and Bezos wanted to split the difference. Can't ignore the guys who spent over a million dollars each to be there, y'know?

Rapzid 5y ago
I feel the same way.. Don't actually have a super strong opinion on Bezos either way, so reading a lot of the comments here.. They seem painted with loathing for him. He's just a dude and was caught up for seconds with the party atmosphere while an old man was getting his words together. Yeah it was obvious to everyone watching he left Bill hanging, but he also seemed self conscious about that and came back to him.. Also, I call Bill an "old man" because he is. He's also one of the most present 90 year olds I'm aware of and is incredibly smart and with it. I would feel lucky if I was half as with it at 60-70, much less 90.
- snowwindwaves 5y ago
  like you I hope I'm as present in my senior years! Female friends have entertaining stories about encounters with him from 17 years ago when he was 77!

bothandeach 5y ago

.. has less time. Think so. I'm there also

BurningFrog 5y ago

Shatner has devoted his life to commanding a stage. Of course he will come out looking best in that setting.