There are millions of affluent people in the world, but thankfully most of them do not feel the need to flaunt their wealth on social media or openly turn their noses up at the choices of ordinary people.
Few of them would do what an Australian man named Jake Bass did recently. Bass, who claims to be a CEO, posted photos of himself enjoying a luxurious first-class pod aboard an Emirates Airlines flight to Dubai. He wrote that he was taking his dad on the flight and had spent $50,000 on tickets, adding that the flight had 470 passengers, but “only 2 in First Class—us.”
“I sat there thinking—what made our journey so different from the 468 behind us?” he wrote on Instagram. “Then I saw the pilot adjust our course by just 1° to avoid turbulence. Barely noticeable… But hours later, we were far off the original path. That’s when it clicked: Just a slight change in direction … changes everything.”
If you’re confused about the point he’s making, here’s my interpretation: He's saying that he once made a slight change in his life and it has gradually led him to become, after many years, a first-class jackass.
Bass told the New York Post that he used ChatGPT to write his post and help it go viral. “It’s the algorithm that makes me sound like a douche,” he said, as though anyone would believe that he needed any help.
He doesn’t regret his post, despite receiving an avalanche of criticism online. "To be completely honest, I don't think what I said was wrong at all,” he said. “I shared a perspective—one that challenges people to reflect on their own choices, and that makes a lot of people uncomfortable. That's really what this is about: most people don't want to be reminded that they've settled.”
Most people, he implies, settle for economy seats when they should be aspiring to fly first-class. But why is Bass settling for first-class on a commercial airline when he can fly around in a private jet? Why doesn’t he own a $72 million Embraer ERJ-190 like Travis Scott? Also, why doesn’t he have his own rap album?
Truth is, even people who can afford first-class tickets often choose to fly economy. As one person responded to Bass: “The difference between you and the 468 behind you is that they didn’t waste $50,000 on something as temporary as a seat on a plane.”
Other people responded far more harshly to Bass, calling him “insufferable” and “greedy.” What’s obvious to me is this: Sitting in first class does not make you a first-class person.
When Bass uses the word “perspective,” I wonder if he realizes that flying itself is a privilege. Millions of people around the world have never been on a plane. I’m an infrequent flier myself, partly because I prefer being on the ground. Whenever I board a plane, I’m not thinking, “I wish I could sit in first-class.” No, I’m thinking, “It’s safer in the back." Mostly, I’m thrilled to be traveling somewhere with my family, enjoying their company and not Bass’s.
Even if I could afford a first-class ticket, I wouldn’t do it. If I’m going to spend that much on a ticket, I’d rather get a front-row seat at a Rihanna concert. Spending $50,000 might even get me a backstage pass to meet her backup singers.
Most of us aren’t privileged enough to throw our money at everything. We have to make choices. Some people choose to live frugally, but donate generously to charity. Some drive fancy cars, but share apartments with roommates. Some make annual visits to Paris, but only biannual visits to the dentist.
Whatever you do with your money, don’t do it just to impress other people or feel superior. Don’t make a Bass out of yourself.
