Manhattan's Upper East Side routinely ranks as the wealthiest enclave in an already exclusive city.
A long-established Facebook group, Moms of the Upper East Side (MUES), often makes headlines for its members' out-of-touch posts, but as The Independent reported, an anonymous member's recent post "has set the internet ablaze."
The unidentified woman explained that her son joined a travel soccer team, a topic that wasn't necessarily uncommon in parenting groups. But the devil was in the details.
"He has never flown commercial, and I haven't flown commercial in a while," the poster continued. "Would it be wrong of me to fly private while my son flies with the team in coach?"
One of the reasons the Moms of the Upper East Side group so regularly winds up in the news is the presence of posts exactly like this one, in which traveling solely by private jet is considered a relatable norm, and "commercial" airlines are the unrelatable exception.
The post appeared at a time when private jet usage was unfortunately on the rise — and as social media users increasingly criticized them as wasteful and detrimental to the environment.
A study published in late 2024 found that private jet travel had increased by 46% over the previous five years, exacerbating its immense environmental impact and emissions.
On Oct. 28, anti-poverty and pro-environment organization Oxfam warned that an individual in the wealthiest 0.1% emitted more carbon than "a person in the world's poorest 10% emits in 11 years."
Moreover, the organization asserted that 50 of the world's richest people create more emissions in a 90-minute span than the average person would in the course of their entire lives.
"The margin for action is razor-thin, yet the super-rich continue to squander humanity's chances with their lavish lifestyles … This is theft — pure and simple ― a tiny few robbing billions of people of their future to feed their insatiable greed," said Oxfam's Nafkote Dabi.
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Absolutely 💯 TikTok user Bryce (@brycegruber) shared a screenshot of the Moms of the Upper East Side post, and commenters were frustrated by it.
@brycegruber Replying to @Stylininteriors I also surrender. So, there's that. Wealth FB in NYC private school circles seem mild compared to #wealthtok #greenscreen ♬ original sound - brycegruber
"I can't, so out of touch," one user remarked.
"May these problems come find me," a second commenter joked, but not everyone was in a humorous mood.
"Meanwhile, I just posted on my [Facebook] mom's group asking for used snow clothes for my kindergarten class. Recess at 0 degrees for 30 min gets VERY cold with no winter coat, snow pants or even gloves," another understandably griped.
"Seriously????? TAX THE MILLIONAIRES!!!!!!" a fourth wrote.
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