Mastodawn

Michal Špondr

@aral Why would the media spread a killer's manifesto? On the contrary (and more civilized countries already do this), the name of the murderer is not mentioned, he is convicted and thrown in jail to be forgotten. Otherwise, a cult will grow up around him, like the one around Breivik. Anyone remember the mosque killer from NZ? Hardly anyone. Let's keep it the same with this one.

@michal @aral There are people for whom Luigi is just "the killer". (Setting aside the matter that he's just a _suspect_ at present, with pretty flimsy proof.) Not a human being, not anyone with a history of being wronged by the private healthcare industry, no...just "the killer". It's all they can see.

@michal @aral For these people, the manifesto is not a mirror of the sentiments of millions of people suffering similar injustice. It's just "the killer's manifesto". That's all they can see.

You, sir, are one of these people. Congratulations on focusing on the wrong thing entirely! 🎉

@michal @aral You speak of forgetting. To forget the issues that made this happen means setting the stage for more suffering and loss of life on a massive scale and continue the cycle of violence.

But I'm guessing you don't care. After all, one killing is a tragedy and a crime, but systemic killings are just good business.

@contrapunctus @aral The problem is that you already see the actions of insurance companies as "systematic killing". They don't. Not in the rule of law, which the USA still is. With that view, your opinion that it's OK to approve of killing in some cases is really irrelevant.

@contrapunctus @aral There is, of course, a systematic problem in USA health care. However, the absence of social and health insurance similar to that in Europe, and the transfer of these services to companies whose primary objective is profit, is not a problem of these companies as such, but of the Americans themselves, who avoid social solutions. In their view, public health insurance is communism... OK, let them live in capitalism with all its pros and cons, but don't legitimize murders.

@michal @aral "Rule of law" is, more often than not, "rule of the rich". Are you a stranger to how the rich can get away with anything while the others cannot?

The Americans may be held responsible...but then again, it was corporate media that got them to that state of brainwashing.

@contrapunctus @aral The extremely rich and poor were here before newspapers, it's human nature. If we want egalitarianism, let's expect the system to be abused again by the incapable, because it doesn't pay to do something extra. Are we then going to advocate shooting the useless dregs of society who suck the money out of our society?

@michal @aral And no, I don't "approve" of the killing. I prefer nonviolent solutions. I also oppose wars and the death penalty (really, I find any kind of punishment both distasteful and ineffective).

@contrapunctus @aral So what's the adoration of the killer?

The only defensible reason to use violence is when you can't change something, even if the majority society wants you to. Which is not the case in the USA. USA is a country where half the electorate will vote for an egomaniacal lying psychopath, but still no one forced them to vote otherwise. Not even the corporate media, because they haven't had that much power in the age of social media in a long time.

@michal @aral Don't know what "adoration" you're talking about. I've merely stated that -
1. The suspect has an identity beyond "the killer".
2. This identity is necessary to keep in mind, because it highlights critical issues that led to the killing (stated in the manifesto you're opposed to sharing).
3. These issues should not be hidden away or forgotten, or the cycle of violence will only continue.

@michal @aral I don't know how influential corporate media was on the US elections. But even if it had less influence, it had decades to do its damage before social media started gaining ground.

And even social media is corporate-controlled. Just look at the disinformation peddled by Elon Musk on X, or the lax enforcement against hateful content on Facebook and Instagram.

Bernie Isn't In Epstein Files Dec 13, 2024

@michal @contrapunctus @aral Those companies spend millions of dollars on keeping us from having universal healthcare, so it's very much a problem that they are directly responsible for. They are not ignorant passive beneficiaries of the system but some of the primary architects.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/leaked-video-shows-unitedhealth-ceo-saying-insurer-continue-practices-combat-unnecessary-care

Aral Balkan Dec 13, 2024

@michal You’re right, they really shouldn’t spread a killer’s manifesto like this:

Leaked video shows UnitedHealth CEO saying insurer will continue practices that combat 'unnecessary' care

UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty said in a leaked internal video that the insurance company plays an important role in guarding against "unnecessary" and "unsafe" care.

Fox Business

@aral Saying "I don't want Trump for president" does not mean "Somebody kill Trump". Same with those insurance companies. They want to optimize profits, but not purposely kill people like the killer did.