There's a famous video, or should I say infamous video, where the ex-president of Argentina, Menem, explains to children how Argentinians will soon be able to travel to Japan in under an hour with the creation of these stratospheric flying rockets.

Yes, it's very true.

This video aged like soup, as you would imagine, and today it's seen as a meme before its time.

I'm thinking about this video, but not because Menem is back, or even because the political situation in Argentina is dire, at best. It's more because I think I recognize something clearly. The show, the red herring, the disconnection.

The thing is, it's hard to talk about these things with people. Why? Because binary thinking gets in the way. I do not think technological advancements are a bad thing. Of course I don't. But I also don't think the ideas we're being sold are necessarily coming from an honest place.

This past week, as most people know, Elon revealed the new Roadster. A car, mind you, that people have been waiting for for nearly a decade. It was November 2017 when it was announced, and not too long after that when pre-orders began.

The reasons why the release of the Roadster has been delayed are plentiful, and some have more to do with the limitations of our current battery technology. But that's not even something I need to touch on for too long, because there's plenty of drama surrounding the disappointed customers of this would-be competitor to the Bugatti.

It flies.

So, of course, in our hyper-political environment, this means capitalism wins and the leftoid commies lose. Again.

This was the overall message being shared on social media, and the propaganda machine was in full effect.

Of course, as predicted, polarization did its thing, and everyone began losing sight of the facts. You see, facts are not things we need to argue about. They are just facts.

Without much effort, I can list some facts about Elon and, more broadly, his beloved car company. I don't have to like Elon to accept that Tesla cars are impressive, and that thanks to his involvement in this field, electric cars are slowly becoming the kind of thing people need and want. I can celebrate that fact and also ask myself: Why does the Roadster need to fly?

There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of memes on the matter, and I could spend a few hours hunting them all down, but I'm sure most of you have seen them by now. That said, some of the memes really expose the unanswered questions.

Are these insurable? When will I need to jump a semi-truck with my thrusters? Who is the target audience for this?

That last question is the one that intrigues me the most.

Who is going to be able to afford to buy one of these Speed Racer-inspired wonders?

People trying to afford their groceries, trying to keep up with mortgage payments, are certainly not part of the plan. Am I being fair? I think I'm being quite realistic.

Yes, of course this is about PR, and it worked. Look, I'm even writing about it, and I've tried to stay away from political things for months. But there's something in the back of my mind that I can't scratch.

The timing is weird. And the coordinated messaging from the influencers is more than sus, as the kids say.

Which brings me back to Menem, the Argentine president.

Is this simply a matter of the elites being disconnected from the common folk, or are we just releasing a bunch of squirrels into the backyard?

MenO