Billionaire CEO of most hated Healthcare Insurance company shot like dog in the streets in broad daylight in downtown Manhattan, New York City and America rejoices while Corporate News clutches pearls at "brazen" attack of rich white guy. Film at 11:00. I read about 400 of the 900+ Reddit comments and there was NOT A SINGLE PERSON CONDEMNING the shooter. Everyone was like "yeah...******** that guy." It's been quite cathartic as someone who had to fight insurance companies for MY health and while watching my mother die of cancer under the willowing callousness of insurance coverage denial. https://www.reddit.com/r/newyork/comments/1h6ifru/united_healthcare_ceo_brian_thompson_fatally_shot/ https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/health-insurance-murder-reactions-1235192490/
If only they were black people, libertarians would be celebrating a killer killing a killer, and then blaming the rest of the people of the same color for all their ills.
I am opposed to people being gunned down in the streets. Period. I hope the perpetrator is caught and brought to justice. I also hope the disgusting insurance industry change their ways about denying claims. Of course, what I really hope for is Medicare for All and no more billionaire health insurance executives (or billionaires at all). Oh, and I hope for the Fire to Win both MLS Cup 2025 and whatever version of the Leagues Cup® happens in 2025 (plus, I want a pony). Maybe one of these things could happen.
As a pacifist, I don’t actively cheer for violence, but I do understand why people would be happy to see what happened. Hell, if it brings ‘completely unrelated I am so sure’ results like the announcement today that BCBS will not implement caps on anesthesia in CT, I might be convinced to grab some pompoms. Denying people care is an act of violence, as are a lot of things we don’t consider acts of violence because the -immediate- result isn’t death or injury. I know that the CEO himself wasn’t personally denying people’s claims, but I do believe he is responsible for those violent acts that underlings in his company performed in order to increase profits. I certainly am not mourning his loss, and don’t feel very conflicted about it.
Is it possible to understand why someone may be driven to murder while not celebrating that murder? What, if any difference is there between the act of this as yet unknown gunman, and Kyle Rittenhouse? Food for though. Our answers may not be uniform.
Some may see Rittenhouse leaving the house and traveling into a tense situation with a gun as provocative, but he didn't kill in a premeditate manner. I get why the 2A crowd backed his actions, those of a stupid kid who panicked. I have trouble with why many of the same people who condemned the actions of Rittenhouse seem to be perfectly happy with the fact a corporate CEO was murdered in broad daylight in one of the world's most densely populated areas.
Turns out flashing a gun at people of any color can create fear in them. If the killing of the CEO had an impact on the decision to NOT limit anesthesia then more good than harm will come of this murder.
Why? I don’t have trouble with that, as they are two completely different situations with two completely different sets of facts related to them. We don’t really have many facts about the CEOs murder yet and it is still really, really easy to say that it was a completely different situation.
A person could argue this was a case of the "Fourth Box of Liberty" (aka, Soap Box, Ballot Box, Jury Box and Ammo Box). Obamacare ACA was gutted by politicians making it ineffective while corrupt judges deem it illegal. Bernie was running on Medicare for All and was submarined by the corporate wing of the Democratic Party. People have been peacefully lobbying, raising awareness, trying to organize for reform while these crooked greedy corporations are NEVER held accountable in court and get off with a slap on the wrist for the VERY REAL VIOLENCE of killing Americans with their tactics to deny lifesaving healthcare to law abiding citizens who pay their taxes and work hard for a living trying to scrimp and save to afford to retire only to have their health go bad, unable to afford medical care and end up in medical bankruptcy ending up homeless and penniless with a big FU after a lifetime of work and contribution while this gangster capitalist cabal of medical mafia middlemen buy 3 yachts, summer homes up North and winter homes down south, a fleet of automobiles and the finest the 1% can afford. While the actual motive of the working class hero still remains to be seen this guy has done more to raise awareness with this one direct action than ALL the stuff listed in the first paragraph. If the rabble and serfs are threatening violence MAYBE THEN something will be done to correct the inequity and unfairness we currently experience in a system that puts profits over people? Mainstream media want to frame this as: "Brazen attack kills upstanding CEO of Healthcare Company" while the average working class views this as "Medial Mafia Don who preys upon sick and elderly terminated." One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. The man on the run has killed one man while the CEO and his policies are responsible for killing LITERALLY THOUSANDS. One thing that *SHOULD* be perfectly clear to those in power is that this is a watershed moment.
My comment has more to do with Rittenhouse, who had poor judgement, but likely committed no crime. The CEO's murder may have brought about needed change, but it was murder.
There will certainly be an uptick in CEOs understanding of how their bottom line can decisions play out for them in real life. Some will do the right thing and consider their customer's well being, while others will only invest in more personal security.
My morals don’t give much weight to what is legal (especially considering how racist many laws have historically been and still are - among other issues) or not, so whether someone committed a crime or not doesn’t factor in but I appreciate the clarification.
Oh, don't get me wrong. If every single health insurance executive suddenly died, I would be more than okay with that. I just don't call for people killing them.