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Jeff Bezos' $500M Yacht Hits the Open Ocean for the First Time
- thrownzaway 4y agoIt is distressing to learn that Bezos has chosen the name "Koru", having no connection to the country of its origin. For many New Zealanders who have grown up surrounded by native ferns, the koru is a symbol of the bush's unfurling fronds and unique landscape, the unfolding of new life. It is a lifelong symbol that we feel connected to, embedded in uncountless human artefacts going back hundreds of years, in both Māori and Pakeha culture. It raises the question of how Bezos came to choose this name. Was it a picture he saw in a magazine during one of his private jet trips or was it recommended by one of his staff? How he could have any meaningful connection to the koru? My immediate reaction is that this feels like cultural appropriation, and I almost never have this reaction. For me, it's the fact that it's a gigantic ship that screams privilege and environmental damage. If it were a small fleet of electric bicycles maybe I'd be fine with it. I wonder how other New Zealanders respond to this. Doesn't Seattle have forests and fronds, to take a name from?
- tjpnz 4y agoProbably flew Air NZ once and stole it from the magazine.