A strange tale from the high seas is captivating imaginations all over the planet. Orcas off the Iberian coast have taken to attacking boats, sinking at least three.
A scientist who’s studied the attacks theorizes that the motive may be revenge, according to Live Science. The marine biologist believes that a female orca may have suffered a “critical moment of agony” in an incident with a boat that led her to view seagoing vessels as enemies and attack them. They think she’s now taught other orcas to follow suit.
The internet is fascinated by the phenomenon. And they have an idea for whose boat the killer whales should attack next: Jeff Bezos’ brand new yacht.
The billionaire Amazon founder recently set sail on his superyacht, which cost $500 million and took five years to build. Last week, Page Six reported that Bezos and his fiancée were making their way along the Spanish coast. Three orcas sunk a yacht off that coast on May 4.
The proximity of Bezos to the orcas, coupled with loathing for him specifically and billionaires generally, has inspired a bit of a meme.
People really, really want those orcas to attack his superyacht, the Koru.
One person wrote, “The orcas have prepared the army. Rudder attack at dawn.”
“How do we communicate to orcas and politely explain to them all the benefits of destroying Jeff Bezos’ yacht while he and his closest and richest friends are on it and in the middle of the ocean without any access to help,” wondered @NormalArabGirl.
While the memes about the killer whales sinking the Koru are most likely in jest, the sentiment behind them is real.
Wealth disparity has increased significantly in recent years, concentrating resources in the hands of a tiny fraction of the world’s population. Perhaps counterintuitively, this disparity accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, Inequality.org reported that America’s roughly 700 billionaires—including Bezos—cumulatively controlled four times more wealth than the 165 million poorest people in the country. “In 1990, the situation was reversed—billionaires were worth $240 billion and the bottom 50% had $380 billion in combined wealth,” Inequality.org added.
This disparity has contributed to the growing resentment of billionaires, many of whom pay a far smaller share of their income in taxes than the average American.
The orca attacks have inspired people to vent their frustration at billionaires by suggesting the sea creatures target Bezos.
“I just hope the orcas find Jeff Bezos’ super yacht and get to find out how the rich taste,” a Twitter user commented.
“I will join the revolution if the Orcas take down the Bezos Yacht,” @vanweezer tweeted.
Similar suggestions are all over the web.
A BlueSky user even renamed their account “Orcas Eat the Rich.”
The odds of the orcas attacking Bezos’ superyacht are extremely low. But some people’s hopes remain high.
