On Being Jeff Bezos
Okay, this has serious Dad Bod/GenX/Get-off-my-lawn vibes, for sure. But stay with me. There is a point.
Years ago, when I was pastor at Augusta Heights Baptist in Greenville, SC, our wonderful little band of faithful folks faced a long list of problems. One of these problems was money. It was a far cry from the only problem. But we struggled to figure out how to sustain ourselves, along with a building that was far larger than what we needed.
With all of that, as pastor, I wanted to make the point that money does not fix everything. I certainly wanted us to think about the reality that, in a Christ-centered context, money could not be our primary focus! As such, I decided to make a point of this in a sermon one Sunday.
“What if someone won the lottery and donated $10 million to our church. Would that solve all of our problems? Would that ‘fix’ everything?”
As the majority of the crowd shook their heads “No,” Mr. Ken Frazier (99 years old and still driving to church) decided to speak. “Maybe not but it SURE WOULD HELP!”
“Point granted, Mr. Ken!” I mean, what else can you say to that?
Mr. Ken’s comment came to mind this week as I listened to the words of one Mr. Jeff Bezos responding to questions about taxes. (Full interview here). Certainly, he makes some comments with which I agree. He also makes a number of comments that demonstrate ZERO awareness, understanding, or humility towards what average Americans experience. Not to mention plenty of self-aggrandizing statements about his “value” to society.
Bezos says in the interview, “Don’t pretend that’s going to solve the problem. You could double the taxes I pay, and it’s not going to help that teacher in Queens.”
Maybe not. But to quote Mr. Ken: it sure would help.
The notion that multi-billionaires should have absurdly low tax rates because his billions will not help is obscene enough. Perhaps I should just quit paying my taxes because my thousands are not going to solve the problem? Of course, I cannot get away with that because I cannot hire enough lawyers to find the loopholes. And yes, I DO think my small portion/high percentage helps that teacher in Allendale, SC. Or that senior adult who needs health care in Cherokee County. Or that family that needs public transit in Greenville because housing costs make it too expensive to own a car.
Therefore, I am not opposed to paying my fair share. I just want it to go to help other people rather than UFC Fights and Golden Ballrooms and Book Ban legal battles and making more bombs or giving body armor to ICE agents or supporting private religious schools rather than public schools.
When a billionaire talks freely about his “right” to enjoy a 1-2% tax rate while Americans on average have a 14.5% tax rate, then a change of conversation is in order. If money is not important and would not make a difference, then why are billionaires in our country so unwilling to give up any of their money to help others?
Another portion of this interview reveals the truth about Jeff Bezos, his billionaire buddies, and perhaps about us as a society. Bezos says that, “If I do my job right, the value to society and civilization from my for-profit companies will be much, much larger than the good that I do with my charitable giving…people forget or they don’t see that when you create something like Amazon…people can see what an essential service we provide to them.”
And there it is. Bezos is “too big to fail.” Too important to pay taxes or give to charities. Too valuable to be questioned. And why? Because he gets products to us quickly and easily and conveniently, despite having a mass of underpaid, un-unionized workers who have to pee in bottles to keep their job. Or delivery drivers who rent vehicles to make sure they get your deliveries out on time.
I’m sorry, but did we not survive as a society when we had to go to the mall? (Perish the thought, but we DID survive it). We went to Wal-Mart and the grocery store and all kinds of places; and somehow, we lived to tell about it.
Okay, this has serious Dad Bod/GenX/Get-off-my-lawn vibes, for sure. But stay with me. There is a point.
I am as much of an Amazon Addict as anyone out there. (Honestly, do we not all need a 12-step program for this?). They have essentially cornered the market on what you can buy or find in a retail store or other online options. Good for them. They made us believe that we cannot live without them; and their pseudo-monopoly means that we cannot live without them.
But think about this: what “value” does that add to humanity? To society? Jeff Bezos gives us ease and convenience. He also gives us temptation, to buy more and get more and have more. He gives us job opportunities that he is ready/willing/able to take away with the use of Artificial Intelligence and drone technology–all in the name of making sure we have more stuff to fill our closets and cabinets.
When we grant “value” to convenience and massive wealth, we have lost the narrative. Maybe there is something “Christian” in this, as this term long ago lost the narrative of Jesus in many corners of American society. As for the idea of following Jesus Christ, becoming a disciple, or sacrificing for the good of those who need the love of the Lord, convenience and wealth are a long way from holding true “value” to us or society.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s analysis of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7 for those who tend to skip this part), is instructive. We are all prone to overvalue ourselves as we chase immediate recognition of our “extraordinary” acts, for Christ or others or society. When we say, “Look at me–I’ve done more than my fair share,” we look past Jesus’ call to go beyond ourselves in what we do for others. Championing our accomplishments as justification is “cheap grace.” Looking deeply at what more we could do is the costly grace of discipleship (Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship).
I have no idea if Jeff Bezos claims to be a Christian. But he certainly leans into notions of “cultural Christianity” advocated by his contemporaries in the new Gilded Age of the “Epstein Class.” He has no problem aligning with Christian Nationalist notions if it increases his wealth and power. We do hear him in many aspects claiming to be an essential part of humanity by claiming that he is already doing his “fair share.” Unwillingness to give up the Golden Calf because, “Well, what are those people going to do with it anyway?” is a convenient avoidance of the most basic needs of those attempting to live out basic humanity.
A little accountability could go a long way, while reminding us that the values of the Epstein Class are far from what Jesus calls us to do and who He calls us to be. We cannot wait expectantly for the Epstein Class to fix society, with their money or their entrepreneurial zeal. This would only inflate their already overblown sense of importance. Nor will their financial contributions fix all of our problems.
But it sure would help.
May we act accordingly, no matter how “large” or “small” our contributions to others might be.