We don’t see Mars as a beautiful planet in its own right. We don’t see Mars as something that has existed alongside our planet for longer than life has existed. We don’t see Mars as worthy of preserving.

Zach Alexander, Terraforming Mars

Really appreciated Zach’s quick scratch-below-the-surface to reveal the ideology of a bunch of Mars related videogames (spoiler: it’s capitalism and colonialism all the way down).

True story! I’ve spent a lot of effort over the years in carefully curating a complete ignorance of celebrities and the rich (as Prowsey once wrote, “as far as I’m concerned, the rich should not even be spoken to”) so I’d successfully managed to avoid finding out what an Elon Musk even was for absolute ages.

The first I’d really registered the dude as even existing came on a day where a bunch of people were sharing a video of him banging on about sending people to Mars and they were all “pick me, Space Karen” about it. Except it was abundantly clear he was pretty much talking about sending people off to go and do the lugging for the rich and the lucky chosen folk would likely die into the bargain. (Not that he was talking anything feasible or realistic that could lead to a bunch of people being popped on a rocket to Mars to be slaves to billionaires but like that’s ever stopped anyone on the internet from getting excited).

Obviously after all these years I’m now used to how weird people get over Space Karen and fully aware that there’s a bunch of folk who’d sit in a burning Tesla being ejected into the sun if they thought it might ensure Space Karen might notice them for a second. At the time though I was really confused. Like, why? Why are you like this? This is not a good deal, you know?

In fairness, I still don’t know why they’re like this but I have come to terms with the fact that some people just are.

Anyway. Mars! Go read Zach and see if you can fit in some Scarlet Traces afterwards.