New York’s resident socialist wants to tax the rich, but only after she parties with them.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez showed up to the Met Gala, the most elite and extravagant event of the year, wearing an exclusive designer dress that read, “Tax the rich,” in bold, bright red letters. A better picture of irony could not be found, since tickets to attend the gala cost more than $30,000 each, and tables go for $300,000. The dress itself likely cost Ocasio-Cortez, or her designer, a few thousand dollars.
The congresswoman defended her decision to attend the event, claiming it was part of her responsibility “in overseeing and supporting [New York City’s] cultural institutions for the public.”
Someone should ask Ocasio-Cortez how, exactly, the Met Gala benefits the city’s culture. All of the proceeds from the event go toward a costume exhibit in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which patrons have to pay $25 to see. Most of the celebrities who are asked to co-chair the event aren’t even from New York. Indeed, the event is little more than an opportunity for Hollywood’s biggest celebrities to strut down a red carpet and show off the over-the-top couture outfits that cost them more than the average person’s yearly salary.
Of course, it is possible to enjoy the Met Gala’s extravagance and fashion. I certainly do. But I also recognize the gala for what it is: a celebration of wealth and luxury that excludes everyone but the top 1%.
So, I don’t blame Ocasio-Cortez for attending the event. The problem is that she showed up wearing a message that was so contradictory to not only the nature of the Met Gala, but to her own self-indulgence. She wanted to fit in with the celebrities, to wear the fancy dress, and pose for the cameras. She gladly accepted the invitation to be a part of the 1%, and in doing so, she lost the right to complain about it.
