it's amazing, but I'll refer you to Gil Scott-Heron for my feelings on the matter

  A rat done bit my sister Nell
  With whitey on the moon
  Her face and arms began to swell
  And whitey's on the moon
  I can't pay no doctor bills
  But whitey's on the moon
  Ten years from now I'll be payin' still
  While whitey's on the moon
  The man just upped my rent last night
  Cause whitey's on the moon
  No hot water, no toilets, no lights
  But whitey's on the moon
  I wonder why he's upping me?
  Cause whitey's on the moon?
  Well I was already giving him fifty a week
  With whitey on the moon
  Taxes taking my whole damn check
  Junkies making me a nervous wreck
  The price of food is going up
  And as if all that shit wasn't enough:
  A rat done bit my sister Nell
  With whitey on the moon
  Her face and arm began to swell
  And whitey's on the moon
  Was all that money I made last year
  For whitey on the moon?
  How come I ain't got no money here?
  Hmm! Whitey's on the moon
  Y'know I just 'bout had my fill
  Of whitey on the moon
  I think I'll send these doctor bills
  Airmail special
  To whitey on the moon

I just came across this poem a few days ago and had the opportunity to think about it.

It’s a valuable perspective to hear. As someone prone to getting caught up in the breathless excitement about science, progress, human achievement, etc., it is a hard truth that these things are abstract and not relevant for people who are struggling with day-to-day life, particularly when those struggles are a result of the same government that is executing this mission.

However, the older I get, the less I bind to the idea of a single, correct truth. This perspective doesn’t invalidate the perspective that the mission is valuable. The complexity of the system in which this is taking place means that these things (moon missions and affordable healthcare) aren’t fungible for one another; his poverty wasn’t the result of the moon mission, it was the result of EVERYTHING that had happened over the 100 years prior.

So it’s useful to hear. It’s a sharp, valid reality check for those of us who like to think in big, abstract concepts. And, it’s one perspective among myriad valid perspectives.

The author of this poem went to great lengths to show his racism. It reminds me of a post, probably on Reddit, of a similar racist nature. Just when it's going in the other direction it's clearer.

The post was by a man, supposedly white, who had to pull his child or children from private school because he could not pay for it. His frustration was based on the fact that his taxes were higher than the school tuition, and that another student at the school, a black student, was having his tuition paid by the government. He implied that he was paying for another person's education, and could not afford his own child's education. He saw the same dichotomy as that expressed in the poem, in the other direction.

I get the general frustration there, but it's weird to focus on NASA's budget when it's such a teeny tiny fraction of the total.

Yes, there's a lot of government waste, but NASA ain't it.

And I would suggest that the billionaire class and unfettered capitalism are far more responsible for the modern day version of Scott-Heron's woes than the good ol' government scapegoat.

Interesting. For all of Gil Scott-Heron's brilliance, this is by far my least favorite work of his.

Great share, thank you!

It's fine to not be interested, but this time one of the astronauts is black

Yes, I remember that nihilistic piece of race rage bait and I remember it well. Now that 'non-whitey' is gliding past the moon and has shown he is past all that race-rage baiting by stating that [1] this is just — this is human history ... It’s the story of humanity — not black history, not women’s history I hope that the like of Scott-Heron and those who like to push this type of narrative are willing to finally take that hammer to ram down that nail into the coffin of the 'systemic racism narrative'.

No, I'm not holding my breath, the narrative if far too profitable for far too many people [2] to be put to rest.

[1] https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-black-astronaut-on-arte...

[2] https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/11151740-racism-is-not-dead...