Chad LoderMar 9, 2023

The fact that Americans are risking their lives traveling to a region of Mexico controlled by cartels in order to obtain healthcare says a lot more about the USA than it does about Mexico.

[edit: The fact that many people carry around value hierarchies and judgment regarding other people's medical procedures is ALSO very interesting]

Show threadisotope239 🥸💻📚 🇺🇦Mar 9, 2023
@chadloder I agree with your overall statement but in this case I think the folks who were traveling were unaware of the danger and were seeking elective cosmetic surgery. This doesn't mean that thousands of US citizens don't routinely travel to Mexico for dental and necessary surgical procedures that would bankrupt them in the US: they do. It's just that this case was more of a tragic circumstance of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Show threadJohn BreenMar 9, 2023
@isotope239 @chadloder Yes, absolutely, in this case "elective cosmetic surgery." Why...
Show threadChad LoderMar 10, 2023
@jab01701mid @isotope239 Elective cosmetic surgery is healthcare.
Show threadJohn BreenMar 10, 2023
@chadloder @isotope239 No, it's not. You are taking a risk for a "cosmetic" reason, by definition. Your life is not at stake, until you decide surgery is worth the risks for "cosmetic" reasons. Different things.
Show threadChad LoderMar 10, 2023
@jab01701mid @isotope239 For many people, "cosmetic" surgery is literally life-saving. Stop this nonsense.
Show threadAngry Centrist
@chadloder @jab01701mid @isotope239 Whose life has been saved by a tummy-tuck? (that's the specific procedure in context)
Mar 10, 2023 at 12:22amWeb
Show threadJLSigmanMar 10, 2023

@dkbgeek @chadloder @jab01701mid @isotope239 She's a Black woman. If she doesn't look absolutely professional and perfect, she will be overlooked for jobs and promotions.

That is life saving.

Show threadisotope239 🥸💻📚 🇺🇦Mar 10, 2023
@jlsigman @dkbgeek @chadloder @jab01701mid Race and gender issues aside, I think there may be another element at work in this situation. Less than half of all Americans have a passport and even quite a few who do tend to think that they're in a sort of "American bubble", especially if they've never traveled outside the U.S. These folks were young and I imagine they were thinking of the trip as something fun, but didn't consider the consequences or that their citizenship wouldn't protect them.
Show threadSiderea, Sibylla BostoniensisMar 10, 2023

@isotope239

Dang, you seem *really* determined to find some reason, any reason, these (checks notes) victims of a violent crime were bad/wrong/at fault.

It's like you're working overtime to find a justification for being unsympathetic for their plight.

@jlsigman @dkbgeek @chadloder @jab01701mid

Show threadisotope239 🥸💻📚 🇺🇦Mar 10, 2023
@siderea @jlsigman @dkbgeek @chadloder @jab01701mid I wish to apologize if I gave the impression that I blamed the kidnap victims for their plight. I don't, what worries me is the medical tourism to dangerous areas. People see these online advertisements for inexpensive surgical procedures that downplay the risks. NPR has a good analysis of the problem: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/08/1161888974/medical-tourism-mexico-americans
Show threadSiderea, Sibylla BostoniensisMar 10, 2023

@isotope239

Wow, that article does *not* back up your "concern".

There are actual problems in the world to be concerned about. Maybe how Americans manage to overcome obstacles access more affordable healthcare is not one of them. Trying to foment a moral panic about medical tourism while half this country tries to criminalize healthcare is a bit something.

@jlsigman @dkbgeek @chadloder @jab01701mid

Show threadisotope239 🥸💻📚 🇺🇦Mar 10, 2023
@siderea @jlsigman @dkbgeek @chadloder @jab01701mid It's the place, not the procedure, that poses the risk, no moral panic intended. Folks who aren't that familiar with the general situation in Mexico may not be aware of the various precautions that should be taken, such as registering your vehicle so you can use Mexican license plates to lower your risk of being a target. Some Mexican medical practices also offer an escort service to safely bring a patient back and forth across the border.
Show threadChad LoderMar 10, 2023
@dkbgeek @jab01701mid @isotope239 Depends, does her appearance affect her work prospects? Just one example. Not you sitting here in judgment of Black women
Show threadAngry CentristMar 10, 2023
@chadloder @jab01701mid @isotope239 Declaring that I'm "sitting in judgment of black women" is a ludicrous, acrobatic stretch about a comment on you running wildly afield of the context, but you do you.
Show threadChad LoderMar 10, 2023
@dkbgeek @jab01701mid @isotope239 Thus proving the maxim that Every self-described centrist is a right wing asshole.
Show threadMattMar 10, 2023
@dkbgeek @chadloder @jab01701mid @isotope239 time to block this “centrist”
Show threadGurtbeef RobeMar 12, 2023
@dkbgeek I don’t know that your comment has anything to do with race, but it does show either a complete ignorance for anyone else’s issues or an arrogant judgement that only conveys that your a total asshole. I’m sure you’ve had issues that we might think are no big deal but completely took their toll on you; everyone does. You’re focused on the procedure instead of why someone would risk so much to get it done. Simply, you don’t know her struggle so don’t be a dick
Show threadAngry CentristMar 12, 2023
@twitterreject Judgmental asshole, check thy mirror.
Show threadLukakoMar 10, 2023
@dkbgeek @chadloder @jab01701mid @isotope239 Many lives have been saved by surgeries that address issues such as body dsymorphia or gender affirmation. Talk to trans people for anecdotal proof. My surgery has improved my self-image and confidence drastically while steering me away from my darkest thoughts. Mental health is just as important as physical health unless you think those who kill themselves due to dysphoria deserve it.
Show threadAngry CentristMar 10, 2023
@Lukako @jab01701mid @isotope239
Well, I guess high-minded Chad blocked me after issuing his ad-hominem screed... but of course he thinks *I* am the asshole. 🤷
Show threadGurtbeef RobeMar 12, 2023
@dkbgeek @chadloder @jab01701mid @isotope239 while it may not seem like much to you, a flat stomach may be the thing she has struggled with for years. Maybe she was gonna lose a job or needed it to get a job? It’s $5000 for that procedure here. People don’t just get plastic surgery on a whim, they typically struggle with the body problem for years and it screws with their self esteem tremendously before they get surgery. It’s a big deal and even if people choose a shitty way, it’s still big deal