I'd say the best discussion of the complexities and trade-offs of our HCS today is a recent podcast of The Drive with Peter Attia. I'd link to it but for the paywall though 45 minutes are 'free': #327 – Choices, costs, and challenges in US healthcare: insurance intricacies, drug pricing, economic impacts, and potential reforms | Saum Sutaria, M.D. - 'insurance' isn't what we think it is. No one should lose their life over a civilian job.
Y’know, this kinda makes me think of the French Revolution and why that all kicked off. Maybe it’s time for us all to actually stand up and take the control back.
Knowingly engaging in evil and harmful actions is all too human. So nobody is 'dehumanizing' anyone here. Naming the evil and harm and willfulness, yes, assigning responsibility and liability, yes. Dehumanizing, no.
Thank you for this. It expresses the internal struggle I’ve been feeling. It is reprehensible to take the life of another human. The assassin and his actions are vile. But to suggest that anyone working for an insurance company at this level is innocent is equally vile. The latter doesn’t justify the former.
Accurately describing a person's occupation through mockery isn't dehumanization, it's the logical end result of that person having the free will not to do bad things but doing them anyway. For money. "But he was just following orders" (the system's) is not a defense of this person's humanity.
If we(4) are feeling that not feeling sympathy for Thompson is somehow wrong but are finding it impossible to feel anything for Thompson despite him allegedly being a human being… that is millions of levels of empathy and self-awareness than Thompson had on his best day as an alleged human being. I don’t think it is dehumanizing Thompson and other insurance executives and shareholders. They did that to themselves. Of the dozens, hundreds or even thousands of choices they could have made to live their lives, they chose to become inhuman humans, dedicated to extracting life from as many other humans as they could. They chose to other the rest of us. 🤷♂️
Oh, and the meeting started on time despite Thompson being scooped up into a body bag like inconvenient bio waste. Almost nobody in the building cared… let’s start with how even the people who got rich because of Thompson othered him. He was their beard.
Not just one, no. But enough pour encourager les autres? Well, sir, people doing something like this is the only reason that common people like you or I have ever been anything more than slaves.
I don't know what to think about all this. No, yes, I do. The CEO that was murdered was a great guy, a great father, will be missed by all, etc. etc...
But he was all this because he could afford to be. The nice home, the good schools, the wife that probably didn't deserve this, but she still had the best life money could buy.
Jon, I'm old and I wouldn't wish this tragedy on anyone. I'm sorry for the loss of a loving father. His death is not justified. But neither is the job he did justified. The system he worked for dehumanized him, and he paid for it.
Obviously premeditated murder is wrong. But United has been infamous for denying needs medical care for many years. They have also been well known for rewarding themselves handsomely. Perhaps it is time to discuss the unconscionable thievery of these corporations, an issue rarely raised even in the so called liberal media. For starters let’s look at the incredible ripoff of Medicare Advantage plans. They cost us billions annually but nary a word about their routine denial of treatment. Does this result in unnecessary loss of life? Of course it does.
Yup! So it's important we understand how people who walk amongst us and aren't otherwise monstrous can run the systems that do this. We need to dismantle both those systems AND the cultural narratives that gave rise to them.
And hold individuals who hold key positions accountable. Not with assassination obviously, but nobody forced this person into the health insurance CEO role. I don't think it's hard at all to 'understand' how people end up in these roles. I also don't care about his non-monstrous extra-curricular activities. The framing is more than a little strange to me.
It's okay not to be sad! I'm not apologizing for him. Didn't know him, have no idea what he was like as a human being. I just want the focus to be on ending the system that gives rise to him.
I'd say the best discussion of the complexities and trade-offs of our HCS today is a recent podcast of The Drive with Peter Attia. I'd link to it but for the paywall though 45 minutes are 'free': #327 – Choices, costs, and challenges in US healthcare: insurance intricacies, drug pricing, economic impacts, and potential reforms | Saum Sutaria, M.D. - 'insurance' isn't what we think it is. No one should lose their life over a civilian job.
Y’know, this kinda makes me think of the French Revolution and why that all kicked off. Maybe it’s time for us all to actually stand up and take the control back.
Knowingly engaging in evil and harmful actions is all too human. So nobody is 'dehumanizing' anyone here. Naming the evil and harm and willfulness, yes, assigning responsibility and liability, yes. Dehumanizing, no.
Thank you for this. It expresses the internal struggle I’ve been feeling. It is reprehensible to take the life of another human. The assassin and his actions are vile. But to suggest that anyone working for an insurance company at this level is innocent is equally vile. The latter doesn’t justify the former.
UNC has the highest denial of claims in the industry.
Accurately describing a person's occupation through mockery isn't dehumanization, it's the logical end result of that person having the free will not to do bad things but doing them anyway. For money. "But he was just following orders" (the system's) is not a defense of this person's humanity.
Maybe the journalists were a little blasé about death threats because they, too, receive them daily.
Why must we talk about this? Too soon, too soon! Silent thoughts and prayers now, please!
Typical NRA post
If we(4) are feeling that not feeling sympathy for Thompson is somehow wrong but are finding it impossible to feel anything for Thompson despite him allegedly being a human being… that is millions of levels of empathy and self-awareness than Thompson had on his best day as an alleged human being. I don’t think it is dehumanizing Thompson and other insurance executives and shareholders. They did that to themselves. Of the dozens, hundreds or even thousands of choices they could have made to live their lives, they chose to become inhuman humans, dedicated to extracting life from as many other humans as they could. They chose to other the rest of us. 🤷♂️
Oh, and the meeting started on time despite Thompson being scooped up into a body bag like inconvenient bio waste. Almost nobody in the building cared… let’s start with how even the people who got rich because of Thompson othered him. He was their beard.
(4) not you, obvi
Love your footnotes 😂
Excellent post. I really appreciated your pov here
Thank you, Lisa!
I cannot disagree with this more. This is the pendulum of Justice swinging as it always has.
Conspiracy to murder tens of millions of people to obtain generational wealth is immoral and deserves the highest degree of punishment.
I agree! My point is that shooting the execs doesn't change this.
Not just one, no. But enough pour encourager les autres? Well, sir, people doing something like this is the only reason that common people like you or I have ever been anything more than slaves.
I think your point was quite a lot broader than that.
I'd agree that shooting executives is unlikely to change systems.
I don't know what to think about all this. No, yes, I do. The CEO that was murdered was a great guy, a great father, will be missed by all, etc. etc...
But he was all this because he could afford to be. The nice home, the good schools, the wife that probably didn't deserve this, but she still had the best life money could buy.
Jon, I'm old and I wouldn't wish this tragedy on anyone. I'm sorry for the loss of a loving father. His death is not justified. But neither is the job he did justified. The system he worked for dehumanized him, and he paid for it.
Well said. Thank you.
Obviously premeditated murder is wrong. But United has been infamous for denying needs medical care for many years. They have also been well known for rewarding themselves handsomely. Perhaps it is time to discuss the unconscionable thievery of these corporations, an issue rarely raised even in the so called liberal media. For starters let’s look at the incredible ripoff of Medicare Advantage plans. They cost us billions annually but nary a word about their routine denial of treatment. Does this result in unnecessary loss of life? Of course it does.
Yup! So it's important we understand how people who walk amongst us and aren't otherwise monstrous can run the systems that do this. We need to dismantle both those systems AND the cultural narratives that gave rise to them.
And hold individuals who hold key positions accountable. Not with assassination obviously, but nobody forced this person into the health insurance CEO role. I don't think it's hard at all to 'understand' how people end up in these roles. I also don't care about his non-monstrous extra-curricular activities. The framing is more than a little strange to me.
Is the job to deliver health care or to prevent health care?
You won’t get health threats for delivering health care. You might get threats for preventing health care.
Tell that to all of the medical professionals who provide gender-affirming care and reproductive healthcare for people with uteruses.
Your apology for him notwithstanding, I’m not sad.
Some of us try to do better.
It's okay not to be sad! I'm not apologizing for him. Didn't know him, have no idea what he was like as a human being. I just want the focus to be on ending the system that gives rise to him.