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The question of "What is the ultimate show of wealth?" has many answers, but one such answer is "owning a giant yacht"—a floating mansion you can use for parties or other gatherings, fully staffed and constantly having to pay either mooring/docking fees or pay to rent space to store it.
So of course billionaire Jeff Bezos, Amazon's creator and soon-to-be former CEO, owns one of these so-called superyachts.
But Bezos' show of wealth will go beyond owning the yacht itself, after it's completed.
In order to leave its manufacturing spot in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands, a 144-year-old bridge will need to be dismantled.
"Amazon founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos will foot the bill to temporarily tear down a historic bridge in the Dutch city of Rotterdam to make way for his enormous yacht."\n\nThere's just something about that sentence...https://dailycaller.com/2022/02/03/jeff-bezos-yacht-bridge-rotterdam/\u00a0\u2026— Elliot Dordick (@Elliot Dordick) 1643899880
Jeff bezos\u2019s yacht is too big to fit passed a bridge in Rotterdam so he\u2019s paying to have it disassembled for a day. How fucking small does your dick have to bepic.twitter.com/fbX7g4lRKu— vangelina \ud83d\udc7d (@vangelina \ud83d\udc7d) 1643840470
Bezos will pay to dismantle a public bridge in a major city so his supersized yacht can get to the sea. In contrast, 100 years ago steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie used his wealth to fund 1,689 public libraries across America. We need a yacht (wealth) tax!https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/02/rotterdam-to-partly-dismantle-historic-bridge-for-jeff-bezoss-superyacht\u00a0\u2026— Bengs for US Senate (@Bengs for US Senate) 1643844385
.@JeffBezos has a brand new $540 Million Yacht. \n\nHe paid a tax rate of less than 1% between 2014 and 2018. \n\nDuring this period, his wealth increased $99 billion.\n \n#WheresMyYacht \n#FreshWords— Jason Dogwood \u2122\ufe0f\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83d\udd4a (@Jason Dogwood \u2122\ufe0f\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83d\udd4a) 1643897508
The Konigshaven bridge, also known as "De Hef" by locals, stands at 131 feet high.
Bezos' yacht, at 130 feet, will not fit under the bridge and make it out to sea upon completion.
Rotterdam local council agreed to allow Oceano, the manufacturer of the superyacht, to take the craft through a small section of the bridge to be removed to get the craft out to sea.
"It's the only route to the sea," said a spokesperson for Rotterdam's mayoral office.
Oh, ffs.\nThis is why nobody likes Americans. Even Americans.https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2022/02/rotterdam-bridge-to-be-dismantled-so-jeff-bezos-yacht-can-pass-through/\u00a0\u2026— Kaz Weida (@Kaz Weida) 1643850841
Jeff Bezos to dismantle historic Dutch bridge to allow for his massive $450 million yacht to pass.\n\nIn other words, accommodating a Capitalist King's small penis insecurity.\n\nTo hell with these disgusting, vain, egomaniac, gratuitous billionaires.\n\nSeriously. \n\nWhat a douchebag.https://twitter.com/BreezyScroll/status/1489223086855520265\u00a0\u2026— Peter Joseph (@Peter Joseph) 1643927359
Government: We're going to have to balance saving the lives of disabled people and saving the economy.\n\nThe economy:https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/jeff-bezos-dismantle-dutch-bridge-yacht\u00a0\u2026— Andre Damon (@Andre Damon) 1643858591
Tearing down a historic bridge so a billionaire can get his yacht out. What are your thoughts about that?https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10467811/amp/Historic-Dutch-bridge-DISMANTLED-allow-Jeff-Bezoss-newly-built-400m-superyacht-pass.html\u00a0\u2026— KIRK Radio! \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2 (@KIRK Radio! \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2) 1643911908
The bridge, which was once part of a railway, has undergone several renovations. In the 1940s, the bridge had to be rebuilt as it was bombed and destroyed by Nazi Germany.
The city will not be paying for the job. Oceano and Jeff Bezos will pay for both the dismantlement and reconstruction of the bridge.
“As a city, this is a great way to take some of his [Jeff Bezos'] money,” said Dennis Tak, a member of the Labour party and city councillor for Rotterdam.
Another candidate for most dystopian headline of 2022"\n"Jeff Bezos to dismantle 1927 Dutch bridge to let his $500-million super-yacht pass."— PostSecret (@PostSecret) 1643928687
"The enormity of the yacht\u2019s sails will make it unsafe to land a helicopter onboard, so Bezos has commissioned a support yacht equipped with a helipad to trail alongside."\n\n12 million children in the U.S. are food insecure, meanwhile Jeff Bezos's yacht has its own yacht.https://twitter.com/jodikantor/status/1489304278430883847\u00a0\u2026— OrcishLibrarian (@OrcishLibrarian) 1643922440
The distinction between reality and satire has been dismantled to make room for Jeff Bezos' yacht.— Shoujo (@Shoujo) 1643925502
In the Netherlands they're dismantling historical bridges so that Jeff Bezos Yacht can pass through. Millions of people are falling for a scam like NFT.\n\nAnd you a**holes tryna tell me that this ain't late stage capitalism. That simply cannot last long anymore without collapse.— Mother Fianna \u2692\ufe0f\ud83c\udf39 (@Mother Fianna \u2692\ufe0f\ud83c\udf39) 1643917684
However, people across the world are upset at Bezos' perceived entitlement.
More than 600 people have vowed, via a Facebook event, to gather by the bridge and throw eggs at the yacht as it passes by.
“I think that’s why there is so much turmoil about Jeff Bezos and his boat,” said Tak.
“People say, ‘Why this guy?’ It’s a working-class town, and they all know that Jeff Bezos, of course, he exploits his workers, so people say, ‘Why should this guy be able to demolish the bridge for his boat?’”
The city has not yet officially greenlit the dismantling of the bridge.