Dated: 2024-12-05. Added: 2024-12-05. Alternate title: “After UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Killing, Americans Express Frustration With Health Insurance Industry”.

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    64
    ·
    edit-2
    6 days ago

    But that did not stop social media commenters from leaping to conclusions and from showing a blatant lack of sympathy over the death of a man who was a husband and father of two children.

    Don’t be clueless, NYT. Similar to the blatant lack of sympathy shown by corporate execs over the damages their policies cause in the pursuit of infinite increases to the bottom line? I mean, after a few tens of thousands of collective years of life lost I guess human suffering is just a statistic… The C-suite is well paid enough to not waste too much concern over it. In fact, they probably get paid more for less money spent on those liabilities. All those people denied care were wives, husbands, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, daughters, sons…you get the idea. His life is NOT worth more than those he traded for shareholder approval.

      • M0oP0o@mander.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        5 days ago

        Well to be fair, the advertisers have always been the real customers. Most media loses money in distribution.

    • Disaster@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      5 days ago

      I more or less stopped paying attention to NYT in 2002-2003 when they so gleefully cheerlead the Iraq2 campaign. And I feel dumb it took me that long. They don’t exist to do anything except manufacture consent.

      • supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        5 days ago

        I will never forgive their complicity in the Iraq war and I treat anyone who reads the NYT without simultaneously harboring a constant distaste for it as fundamentally unserious in their practice of educating themselves about reality.

  • blindbunny
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    233
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    7 days ago

    This assassin has created more solidarity over working class issues then the Democrats could, even with 1.5 billion dollars. Fascinating

      • jatone@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        79
        arrow-down
        5
        ·
        7 days ago

        biden should pardon him; whats one more pardon for a criminal with a gun after the first one?

        • taiyang@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          49
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          7 days ago

          It won’t happen but that’d be such a fucking what the entire establishment would melt.

          I’d pardon him for the lols, at Bidens age you gotta live a little.

              • jatone@lemmy.dbzer0.com
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                5
                arrow-down
                2
                ·
                edit-2
                6 days ago

                think you’re confusing federal prosecution with federal crimes. I assure you the gunman definitely violated multiple federal laws during the shooting for which biden could pardon him. now stfu and enjoy the joke and stop analyzing everything to death. you’re no fun at parties im sure.

                • Cornelius_Wangenheim@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  4
                  arrow-down
                  3
                  ·
                  6 days ago

                  I’m pointing it out because shit like this is why Trump got elected. People keep expecting the Democrats do things they don’t have the ability to do because they don’t understand how the government works.

      • Comment105@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        20
        ·
        7 days ago

        Millions of Americans have trained to do this.

        The training was abhorrently bad, very easy, completely unrealistic and provided no real skills.

        But they have trained.

        • lightnsfw@reddthat.com
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          12
          ·
          6 days ago

          If these CEOs couldn’t walk down the street without some moron in an assassin creed costume showing up. I would be so happy. They don’t need to actually get harmed but they should live in a state of constant paranoia. It’s the least they deserve.

          • samus12345@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            8
            ·
            6 days ago

            They don’t need to actually get harmed

            As long as they continue to perpetuate suffering, yes, they do.

      • Revan343@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        29
        ·
        6 days ago

        The assassin is the one who did the shooting. The one who got shot is the mass-murderer

      • Bronzebeard@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        5 days ago

        Assassination implies a targeted strike.

        Systematic Mass killers are not assassins.

      • samus12345@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        6 days ago

        No, he didn’t assassinate anyone, just caused them to die. He would have had to know who they were and cared enough to specifically target them for it to be assassinations.

  • anarchrist@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    193
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    7 days ago

    C’mon man, the hate was obviously there before the killing, it’s just that it took a murder to get the hacks at the NYT to cover it.

    • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      47
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      7 days ago

      That’s not true.

      I hated the insurance companies yesterday, but I wasn’t posting about actually killing anyone.

      People have been talking about guillotines in the abstract. Now they are talking about it in concrete terms.

      • granolabar@kbin.melroy.org
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        23
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        7 days ago

        No way to tell why the working class would feel this way.

        Just no way to know what compells normal citizens to thrist for blood.

          • bizarroland@fedia.io
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            20
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            7 days ago

            One thing I’ve learned is that abusers don’t see themselves as abusers.

            They’re “Doing what is necessary”, the abuse “hurts them more than it hurts you”.

            They can’t hear your cries, your pleas fall on hearts of stone.

            And most of all they absolutely cannot understand why you are still upset about it.

            There was a time when I had a pickaxe in my hands and my abusive stepdad turned his back to me. For a moment I knew I could murder him, I could bury that pickaxe in his skull and he couldn’t stop me.

            I felt at that moment that nothing that would happen to me as a consequence of doing that would be worse than the abuse I was going through at that time.

            I don’t know what stopped me. I had to live with the abuse for another full year after that moment.

            To this day, my mom has no idea how close I came to becoming a murderer.

            If you knew me, the idea of me wanting to pop a man’s head like a rotten coconut would seem cartoonish and comical.

            But I was close.

            If I knew I was dying and I met the man responsible for it, I could cross that line.

            I’ve been close before.

      • friend_of_satan@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        7 days ago

        Ex US attorney Preet Bharara says that an important boundary is when a fantasy “graduates”, going from protected free speech to credible threat.

        • granolabar@kbin.melroy.org
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          23
          ·
          7 days ago

          It seem socials are very clear on this line… it aint a crime to cheer.

          Also, this has been so effective that media is unable to provide a coherent rebuttal within the oligarch framework. This guy was not an owner but he was a topish officer within their system responsible for a division within a strategic sector. They need this guy to be a martyr but public rejected that narrative and just meme the death with some heavy social commentary on the current conditions within health industry and broader economy.

            • granolabar@kbin.melroy.org
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              6
              ·
              7 days ago

              Well, a lot of mods just journalist in the news sub. So this is classic, check who you can’t criticize test.

              They won’t permit you to provide any counter narrative.

        • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          7 days ago

          Which is very elastic.

          Think of it this way; no one is threatened by the sight of Al Yankovic coming down the street in a tank. People run for cover when Joe Pesci walks into a store and asks how much for a chainsaw.

        • inv3r510n@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          5 days ago

          Thought crimes don’t exist. One has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the thought crimer is taking actions to carry out real crimes.

        • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          edit-2
          6 days ago

          Here’s the thing. The French and Russian governments were unprepared for massive civil unrest.

          Here in America we have companies like Blackwater [or whatever they are calling themselves this week] Staffed by ex-CIA hotshots with access to a massive data base and lots and lots of money.

          I’d bet anything that they are already planning to capitalize on this attack.

          • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            6 days ago

            I’d bet anything that they are already planning to capitalize on this attack.

            My guess is they’re currently consulting their legal teams and politicians, trying to figure out how to get the public to pay for their own private Secret Service for corporate executives.

            • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              5 days ago

              I have another comment in this thread. I said that 9/11 gave us the Patriot Act and that this attack will probably lead to something worse.

                • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  ·
                  5 days ago

                  Which is why people need to vote in every election.

                  AOC and Omar didn’t magically appear. They did old fashioned political work.

          • kmaismith@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            3
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            6 days ago

            This whole story-arc gives first move advantage to the opposition, the oligarchs are being forced to react instead of execute plans as they wish

            • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              5
              ·
              6 days ago

              No.

              This is a blip on the radar. Gamestop didn’t destroy the stock markets and this isn’t going to do anything but get people riled up.

              9/11/2001 gave us the Patriot Act. You can bet that Trump will push through a law letting any CEOs body guards shoot at will.

          • inv3r510n@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            5 days ago

            Some of us have nothing left to lose. Fuck the private military contractors. Guns and drones are the great equalizer. They’ve waged war on us for decades it’s about time we fight back.

        • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          6 days ago

          Read up on what happened in France after the guillotines… Maybe not the best idea to repeat that error.

  • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    47
    ·
    6 days ago

    Good. We pay more for healthcare than any other nation on the planet and the quality is lower than in many other nations. That’s a proven fact.

    I hope they’re scared. They should be.

  • sudo@programming.dev
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    17
    ·
    5 days ago

    This guys roughly as popular as Bernie Sanders was in 2015 and the NY Times somehow can’t connect the dots.

      • uis@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        14
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        6 days ago

        Probably something provided in Europe for free. At least for citizens. I heard americans have to pay even for cast when they break bones.

        • AFaithfulNihilist@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          11
          ·
          6 days ago

          I had a hernia and spent a third of my income on health insurance but still has to shell out 16000 from my own pocket for non emergency hernia surgery.

          I hope the copycats make the job of “C-Suite executive at HMO” an unfillable position, but more likely this will finally get the GOP interested in gun control.

          • uis@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            7
            ·
            6 days ago

            In Russian it’s called “расстрельная должность”, which means position, where firing squad eventually visits you.

            • Disaster@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              5 days ago

              Generally in English they’d usually be called “A Patsy” or “Strawman” - someone disposable to do the unpleasant work, whom nobody will particularly miss.

              • uis@lemm.ee
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                edit-2
                5 days ago

                That’s not what I meant. Position, not person, which everyone leaves by being killed(in soviet times) or imprisoned(now).

                EDIT: or falling out of window

  • inv3r510n@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    27
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    6 days ago

    I have a blatant lack of sympathy for the smug liberal elite at the NYT when the guillotine takes off their heads too

    • HasturInYellow@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      5 days ago

      I do not understand this phrase. All elites are authoritarians. Explain what a liberal elite is…? Truly what do you mean by that?

      • sudo@programming.dev
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        5 days ago

        The Bourgeoisie are the elite in liberal democracies, and liberalism is their ideology. Hence the name “liberal elite”.

        Do not confuse liberalism with progressivism or leftism. It’s dead centrist at the moment.

        • crashoverride@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          5 days ago

          There’s no such thing as liberal elite. If you’re a liberal and you don’t believe in anyone who is elite, it goes against the ideology.

          • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            5 days ago

            You should try explaining this to the liberal elite. They absolutely believe in it.

            Just look at how they talk about people who live in rural areas.

          • ohitsbreadley@discuss.tchncs.de
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            5 days ago

            Citizen: can we get universal health care?

            GOP: no Dems: no #BLM #LGBTQIA+rights ✊🏻✊🏽✊🏿🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

            Basically this.

            • Doom@ttrpg.network
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              5 days ago

              I mean I agree with you that happened but also you know there are people in the democratic party who try/are trying. What you’re saying is funny and easy to say but in this conversation it’s just not true.

          • sudo@programming.dev
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            5 days ago

            Ahistorical nonsense. They don’t believe in a nobility by birth, but they absolutely believe that some people “are just better than others” and who should rule. Its so foundational to the ideology that its written into the US Constitution. Anyone who believes that capitalism is a meritocracy (ie Liberals) believes there should be a liberal elite.

      • inv3r510n@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        4
        ·
        edit-2
        5 days ago

        The NYT leans heavily liberal. As does most of the pearly clutching mainstream media.

        Also, slightly unrelated, let’s not forget who published known lies leading to the Iraq war, cheerleaded it and slandered anyone who questioned the WMD narrative. They’ve got ~200k lives on their hands.

        Would be a shame if someone deny delay desposed their CEO.

        • teamevil@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          5 days ago

          The billionaire owned media…yeah the only thing liberal about the media is the right wing owners screaming about it. There’s no liberal media

          • inv3r510n@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            7
            arrow-down
            3
            ·
            edit-2
            5 days ago

            Liberals love capitalism. They love dropping bombs with rainbow and BLM flags on them. They’re fine with imperialism so long as it’s the first black Indian woman president doing the bombing.

            The NYT is overwhelmingly liberal. They have some conservatives in their editorial staff but the majority are liberals. Most of the MSM is. But all the MSM protect their class interests.

            They protect their socioeconomic class at the expense of the working class. They are the servants of the billionaires. The republicans are no better, that goes without saying.

            Liberalism is a right wing ideology. You’ve almost got the point.

            • Doom@ttrpg.network
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              6
              arrow-down
              7
              ·
              5 days ago

              You are extremely twisted up.

              Liberalism is not right wing, and what you’re talking about is neoliberalism. Which is different.

              • JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                4
                ·
                5 days ago

                Overton window around here is so far right you think you’re the one correcting him… Fuck damn.

                Compared to monarchy/fascism, liberalism is farther towards the center but it does not often cross that line.

                • Doom@ttrpg.network
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  arrow-down
                  4
                  ·
                  5 days ago

                  Hahaha imagine being this arrogant and immediately shooting yourself in the foot.

                  No Liberalism is left leaning. It is a center ideology 100% but liberalism is left leaning. The concept of liberalism literally became in existence opposite of a monarchy right wing style, placing it to the left.

                  Now since then the term liberalism has been abused especially in the US but you live in a world that was ruled by kings and still is in many ways. But you think globally that means liberals are right leaning?? Outside of your mind.

              • inv3r510n@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                4
                arrow-down
                2
                ·
                5 days ago

                No. You’re completely wrong. Liberalism is a right wing ideology. Neoliberalism is even further right. The entire US political spectrum save for a tiny handful of elected officials (Bernie and the squad, most of whom are centrists at best) are right wing to fascist.

                • Doom@ttrpg.network
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  arrow-down
                  3
                  ·
                  5 days ago

                  Nope. You completely don’t understand classic liberalism and modern liberalism or neoliberalism

          • sudo@programming.dev
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            5 days ago

            You seem to have some completely backwards idea that liberals are anti-billionaire socialists when liberalism is pro-capitalism by definition. NY Times is the mouthpiece of american liberalism.

  • lightnsfw@reddthat.com
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    36
    ·
    6 days ago

    That hatred has always been there. Media is just focusing on it because someone actually did something about it.

  • BigMacHole@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    15
    ·
    6 days ago

    I live in SORROW at this Father and Husband being MURDERED! WHY couldn’t they just Murder a Bunch of Children Instead! Or a POOR Father and Husband instead! Then I WOULDNT have cared!

  • metaStatic@kbin.earth
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    59
    ·
    7 days ago

    Messages that law enforcement officials say were found on bullet casings at the scene of the shooting in front of a Midtown hotel — “delay” and “deny”

    That’s next level

  • unphazed@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    5 days ago

    Got no hate. Just zero sympathy. Live life at the expense of others, but don’t be surprised if they fail to care for you in return.

  • FahrenheitGhost@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    46
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    7 days ago

    The hate for our abusive and predatory “healthcare” system has been omnipresent for a very long time. This just gave us all a shared focal point to collect around. I hope this keeps building steam. This one act could lead to collective actions to make these companies scared. These CEOs, politicians, and billionaires NEED to know they are not untouchable. I supported a girlfriend through terminal cancer and saw how “selective” insurance companies can be on what diagnostics and treatments they’ll allow. That shit radicalized me permanently.

    • nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      5 days ago

      Most of the media seems committed to ensuring that this focus on abusive health insurance companies evaporates as soon as possible.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      6 days ago

      These CEOs, politicians, and billionaires NEED to know they are not untouchable

      My guess is that this catalyst will do nothing except cause them to make sure they’re untouchable, and will probably figure out a way to use taxpayer money to do it.

  • pjwestin@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    25
    ·
    7 days ago

    A longtime employee of UnitedHealthcare said that workers at the company had been aware for years that members were unhappy. Mr. Thompson was one of the few executives who wanted to do something about it, said the employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the company does not allow workers to speak publicly without permission.

    In speeches to employees, Mr. Thompson spoke about the need to change the state of health care coverage in the country and the culture of the company, topics other executives avoided, the employee said.

    The speeches:

  • atro_city@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    31
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    7 days ago

    Look at who the USAmerican people voted for despite all their hate for the health insurance industry: a bunch of crooks that make the industry profitable on the backs of their voters.

    People can’t help themselves but vote against their interests.

    • PriorityMotif@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      22
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      7 days ago

      ~20% of eligible voters voted for this.

      More people didn’t vote than voted for either candidate.

      ~150M voted with a 2M difference ~90M didn’t vote

      I’ll bet the vote count that actually matters is more like <10% of the country.

      • Mac@mander.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        16
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        7 days ago

        just as neglecting to make a decision is still a decision, neglecting to vote is still a vote.

        • PriorityMotif@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          14
          ·
          7 days ago

          You’re ignoring the many people who have been disenfranchised, their registration purged from the rolls at the last second, votes thrown out, intentionally giving certain areas only one voting location for many many people. There’s tons of reasons why someone might not vote that are out of their control.

        • atro_city@fedia.io
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          6 days ago

          Just like upgrading from eating scaps to eating fastfood, better doesn’t mean good.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      6 days ago

      Both candidates were pro-institution. Let go of the delusion that Harris was somehow a champion of the people. She is the system. The only reason she got the amount of votes she did is because she was the only viable non-trump vote possible. The DNC tried to force another neo-liberal on us, and the people stayed home.

    • alcoholicorn
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      16
      arrow-down
      5
      ·
      7 days ago

      That describes both parties. There’s a reason none of the dems are taking advantage of this moment to show the overwhelming majority that they want the same things.

  • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    22
    ·
    edit-2
    7 days ago

    A national response of apathy hatred over the cold-blooded murder of a corporate medical business leader may be a reason to take a closer look at our corporate medical system.

    • ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      17
      ·
      7 days ago

      Things will change for sure.

      First, they might wear body armor now. Next, they might rethink walking the streets alone, and instead have bodyguards.

      Since those cost money, everyone’s benefits will be cut and they’ll have to raise rates all across the board!

    • Nojustice
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      7 days ago

      I don’t think apathy is what you would call it