Sounds suspiciously like a certain Orange Goblin.
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I do remember that comment. Part of the reason it was so ignorant* is because working people need mobile phones to live and work (and, if they’re lucky, get health insurance) in the neoliberal gig/part-timer/precariat economy that Chaffetz and his cronies have fostered. A mobile phone, like health insurance, is something that the vast majority of Americans – wealthy or not – use every day. The same can’t be said of a pricey ticket that promises that the buyer will feel like an ultra-wealthy jet-setter for a couple of days.
In terms of saving up for a $4000 ticket (which seems to be the middle-tier package from what I’m reading) keep in mind that this supposedly once-in-a-lifetime event wasn’t years in the making – it was slapped together (not completely, obviously) in the last 6 months or so. That’s a lot of money for most Americans to save up in that period for a special treat.
Again, this doesn’t make the Fyre Festival any less of a scam, it doesn’t make the circumstances any less disturbing (even if some of the victims over-reacted), and it doesn’t make Ja Rule and co. any less bent.
Your point about the event’s line staff is worth highlighting. It doesn’t sound like there were enough of them, but those that there were (likely including some locals) are going to get stiffed, abused, and vilified.
[* beyond Chaffetz not understanding the difference in annual costs between an on-contract iPhone upgrade and health insurance]
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And seriously, what the fuck has Ja Rule done … ever, other than have feuds with far better rappers, and 50 cent too.
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Didn’t read that far, I’m at work so I’m only skimming right now.
Unearned sense of entitlement and/or over-inflated self importance aside, it sounds like a full on shit show.
He almost ruined one of my most favorite Stevie Wonder songs, for starters.
Unfuck that guy.
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As much as I can’t stand 50 cent, this particular diss toward Ja Rule makes me laugh every time:
I’m back in the game, shawty, to rule and conquer
You sing for hoes and sound like the cookie monster
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I cannot explain how or why the bros running this festival ignored every warning sign they were given along the way. The writing was on the wall. I saw it firsthand six weeks ago. They overlooked so many very basic things. And baby, they forgot to make me sign an NDA.
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That’s an insult to Cookie Monster, frankly.
Don’t even get me started on pretty much every ‘artist’ involved with Murder Inc; after Puffy, I credit them with helping over-commercialize hip hop until nearly all the soul and creativity was sucked out of it.
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Late to the party/festival but this is just beautiful. A lovely start to the bank holiday weekend!
This always crosses my mind when people are vilifying extravagantly expensive leisure things. There is always a small percentage of normal income folk for whom that thing is the one thing they are passionate about and will sacrifice all other spending for.
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‘MILF Island?’
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And to anyone stranded there who claimed that keeping green card holders out of the country during the travel ban was “not a big deal” (and I have a feeling it was a lot of you) I’d like to donate an extra thirty seconds of laughter in your direction.
EDIT: I should clarify, this special laughter is directed at those still stranded specifically
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That’s the kind of extremely privileged lifestyle I never want to be rich enough to enjoy … 
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Was Trump involved in this?
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Boo hoo. Poor little rich kids.
Given that tickets reportedly went up to a quarter-million-dollars in price, I think some of the attendees were in that kind of privilege bracket.
You may laugh, but I would totally sign up for that.
Sandals was fully booked, as the Regatta was in town.
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I mean, “once owned by Pablo Escobar”. Squeeeeee!
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Someone who was hired to help produce the festival (six weeks ahead of time), and wisely quit after four days, has written an article in New York Magazine about her experience; key bit:
Meanwhile the event planners were holed up indoors putting together a game plan and a budget. With so little having been prepared ahead of time, the official verdict was that it would take $50 million to pull off. Planners also warned that it would be not be up to the standard they had advertised. The best idea, they said, would be to roll everyone’s tickets over to 2018 and start planning for the next year immediately. They had a meeting with the Fyre execs to deliver the news. A guy from the marketing team said, “Let’s just do it and be legends, man.”
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