Most of the benefits of manned space exploration are fake, yes. The incentives of the people doing it though aren't to be honest about it. NASA talks about how critical a constant human presence on the ISS is for ‘science’; never once have I heard them even try to justify $100B spend as more than a keyword.

There are a few real things a manned space program does: showing force in rocket technologies, serving as inspiration in STEM fields, and taking an early step to humans flourishing throughout the universe. There are also real but bad reasons, like NASA bloat is seen as a way to buy voters.