General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI'm Confused. So, When Is It OK to Shoot Someone in the Back on the Street?
I thought the answer was never. However, I seem to be seeing some people who think it's OK sometimes, at least when they agree that the person killed is a bad person.
The trouble is that different people think different people are "bad persons."
So, is it only OK when you and I agree that the dead person was a bad person, but not otherwise?
What if other people think someone else is a "bad person," but you don't think that person is a "bad person?" Is it OK if the person who thinks that person is a "bad person" shoots him or her in the back on the street? Or is that only for people you and I think are "bad persons."
It's confusing.
I think I'm just not going to shoot ANYONE in the back. Whether I like them or not. Whether I think they are bad or not. That seems to be the way the rules were all of my life, so maybe I'll just keep following those rules and not kill anyone. Yeah...that sounds like the best plan for me to follow.
Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)Let's be clear, no one here has said the murder is "okay".
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Better do more reading.
Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)....to stir up something very ugly.
Some here, myself included, have no personal connection to this man and only know that he will no longer be doing the very bad things he had been doing to many people, but I haven't seen anyone claiming that assasination is okay, or good, for any reason, in any post.
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Many people are recognizing that I'm doing exactly that.
Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)MineralMan
(147,990 posts)As long as they don't shoot me in the back somewhere.
Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)That's awful! Seems like a DU crime wave that I've totally missed!
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)I had one guy threaten to come to my house and kick my ass, though. I wrote back, "Come on by. I'll pour you a cup of coffee." Never heard from him again.
This thread is not about people attacking me, though. It's about something else. I guess I didn't make it clear enough, eh?
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)I thought it was an actual concern.
But it's just a strawman. What a relief!
Response to Scrivener7 (Reply #75)
Amanita Pantherina This message was self-deleted by its author.
ForgedCrank
(2,388 posts)just a "bit" of contradiction. It is blatant promotion of murder.
There are days when I question my affiliations.
Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)onenote
(44,805 posts)Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)...it's a very busy topic here, I imagine the instigators will show up soon too.
iamateacher
(1,104 posts)It's not
Patton French
(1,186 posts)he will no longer be doing the very bad things he had been doing to many people
jimfields33
(19,317 posts)replaced with the same laws and rules the insurance company has. So the excuse is strange.
choie
(4,705 posts)The law that they can prevent their customers from getting the care they need?
jimfields33
(19,317 posts)Directors passed and whatever the insurance bureau passed. Im sure there are ton more who gets to put in laws and regulations.
Groundhawg
(1,004 posts)MadameButterfly
(1,953 posts)i am happy this is causing such outrage and publicity of the problem. In his death this man is doing more for humanity than he did in his life.
I'll save my mourning for the victims of his crimes. I don't condone their murders either.
magicarpet
(16,974 posts)As JFK said sometime ago,...
"Those who make peaceful protest impossible, will make violent revolution inevitable."
Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)magicarpet
(16,974 posts)Also too,.. the days of bringing a plastic butter knife to a gun fight are long behind us.
These Nazis have captured full majority control of every branch of our government....
These Nazis mean business and
intend to go on a rampage of harm and violence if any effort is made to stop them.
The days of "owning the Libs" are also behind us,.. now we enter the "descimate & eliminate the Libs" phase.
thomski64
(582 posts).. if DonOld Doucebag did it on 5th Avenue...
in an official capacity of course..m
DeeDeeNY
(3,582 posts)I came here to say that also
Patton French
(1,186 posts)So theres that .
Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)"Nazis are always fair game", I didn't see any saying this guy was though.
Do we know if the dead guy was a nazi?
Patton French
(1,186 posts)Maybe you see it differently.
mcar
(43,621 posts)MustLoveBeagles
(12,694 posts)WarGamer
(15,762 posts)* for me but nor for thee...
Insurrection bad... except to keep Trump out of office.
Gun violence bad... except when it's political violence
Free speech good... except when we don't like the content
Skittles
(160,331 posts)HUH???
'
the only insurrectionist is TRUMP
multigraincracker
(34,328 posts)by someone who will make more big bucks.
always follow the money
magicarpet
(16,974 posts).... no repercussions no punishment,... go play a round of golf and enjoy yourself.
33taw
(2,922 posts)It will be interesting to know the motivation of the UCH killing. It is hard to sympathize with someone who supports insurance companies denying coverage. But, the motivation could be anything from domestic violence to corporate greed.
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Murder is ugly. Whether or not we liked the corpse when alive.
I'm against it.
Silent Type
(7,339 posts)MineralMan
(147,990 posts)I never fail to be surprised from time to time. It's hard to maintain a constant ethical standard, I guess. All those exceptions, eh?
There are only a few things I think are pretty much absolutes. But there are some.
Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)Silent Type
(7,339 posts)Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)...the death of a person who used to hurt people for money, with the way that person died. Those are two different topics.
Silent Type
(7,339 posts)laws enacted by GOPers AND Democrats.
Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)Silent Type
(7,339 posts)Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)...I don't care that this man died, but what are accusing me of?
Edit to add: Do you think I'm the shooter?
Silent Type
(7,339 posts)Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)(This is beginning to sound a lot like McCarthy's red-scare accusations)
questionseverything
(10,299 posts)Silent Type
(7,339 posts)Asa13
(43 posts)The truth is through the actions of his company he was a threat to people. With the ascension of Trump and his facist cabinet let's be honest we are in a fight they'll do it to us without shedding a tear. They've proved that through the years and that was without having people with their values in control of government
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Yes. If someone is in immediate danger of violence, then that person or someone else is justified in doing whatever is require to stop a violent act. Absolutely.
That's pretty much universally accepted by societies.
But, it is the immediacy that is the salient factor.
If the threat is diffuse, however, and not necessarily connected to an individual set on doing harm right then, shooting that person in the back on the street is not defensible. Nope.
SamuelTheThird
(179 posts)No, it actually isn't. Buddhism and Jainism, for instance, don't teach that.
So, let's just admit these are all SUBJECTIVE. So it's not very persuasive to just make declarations of right and wrong as if you're the arbiter and have some lock on objective morality.
sinkingfeeling
(53,257 posts)decisions for UnitedHealthcare by himself? He was a part of a huge corporation. Are you advocating that people murder every employee?
Asa13
(43 posts)But he was part of the people putting those policies into place that kill and injured innocent Americans who pay their hard earned dollars to these companies
Dennis Donovan
(27,458 posts)So, no matter the crime, I believe in incarceration that fits the crime, not the taking of one's life.
Callie1979
(284 posts)Raping & killing a 9yr old doesn't deserve a life sentence.
Certain crimes deserve the death penalty.
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Celerity
(46,866 posts)Our stance is not popular with many on this board, but I stand by it.
KT2000
(20,951 posts)we can understand why it happened, which is not to condone it.
Let's say a loved one dies because of denied access to medical care. The proper response is to accept it and move on. That's just the way it is. Some might see that as acquiescing to a heartless overlord and fight back. I can understand that and be grateful I have not been put into that position.
Maybe we should be looking at the root cause of this event.
Fasten your seatbelt. This country is armed to the teeth and corporations have gained a lot of power over us. Not everyone is going to take kindly to that.
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)in a care facility due to neglect and ignorance of normal precautions. That person died unnecessarily. Nobody responsible of the negligence got killed because of that, though. Instead, that care facility and the organization that ran it is now bankrupt and shut down. Relatives of the victims took legal action. A very large sum was awarded that exceeded the ability of the care facility to pay. So, that was the end of that facility and the organization.
It is the fear of that sort of consequence that keeps people doing their best to avoid such incidents.
That, of course, does nothing to easy the grief of the family of the person who died. But, that is not guaranteed. Justice, however, can be delivered.
Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)KT2000
(20,951 posts)is a different animal. Unless you can get media to cover the story, or have lots of money to spend on lawyers, the insurance company is in charge. Insurance companies are in no fear of consequences. There is no justice when the patient has died - just grief and anger.
Insurance companies are loaded with lawyers and they will fight to the death for their employers. The average person does not have a chance.
These are life and death for all involved.
The illustration provided was about a single person at a single care facility. This dude lead a company that killed thousands with their claim denials. It doesn't matter if it's a fast assault or a slow one. Death by a thousand cuts is still death, and each one of those dead patients were killed by a thousand metaphorical paper cuts.
harumph
(2,402 posts)the 'little people' are fed up with the greed and indifference of the rich.
magicarpet
(16,974 posts)... denyal of care policy.
○■○■○■○■○■○■○
Moderators Delete Reddit Thread as Doctors Torch Dead UnitedHealthcare CEO
Doctors in one of the Internets top medical communities have turned on the murdered UnitedHealthcare (UHC) CEO Brian Thompson in such brutal fashion that Reddit moderators deleted a thread on the killing.
The moderators of r/medicine closed the thread, posted Wednesday after news broke that Thompson was shot dead outside the New York Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan, after it racked up over 500 replies.
The commenters overwhelmingly criticizedand satirizedthe insurers alleged denial of coverage to sick and dying Americans in order to juice profits.
The top comment, which received hundreds of supporting upvotes from other users, mocked UHCs notorious track record for refusing to pay out insurance claims and is written as a lengthy, spoof rejection letter from the company.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/medical-subreddit-deletes-thread-unitedhealthcare-155829903.html
Coventina
(28,013 posts)One type of murder is OK.
One is not.
This creates a lot of resentment and morally ambiguous behavior.
BannonsLiver
(18,217 posts)Its just tsk tsk mourn harder.
LexVegas
(6,607 posts)BannonsLiver
(18,217 posts)Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)People are murdered every day, but I guess rich, white, male ceo's deserve sympathy and non-stop air-time. For some reason.
BannonsLiver
(18,217 posts)gab13by13
(25,412 posts)Was good for Americans but bad for the British.
Corporations like United Healthcare create monopolies, and its clients become slaves.
Would the rich slave owners have given their slaves freedom without the Civil War?
How long before a hard rains a gonna fall?
TexLaProgressive
(12,333 posts)In the back, front, side, head or legs and arms.
Response to MineralMan (Original post)
BannonsLiver This message was self-deleted by its author.
Emile
(30,803 posts)sop
(11,590 posts)the shooter will face a long prison sentence.
It's also not OK for a CEO to make million$ in compensation for hastening the death of sick policyholders by denying them coverage when they need life-saving medical care. Sadly, in this country that's not considered a crime, much less "murder,." It's considered good business.
dchill
(40,768 posts)I'm curious how it's possible to be guilt-tripped for observing some hard consequences. Consequences that, by definition, are bound to occur, statistically speaking.
Solomon
(12,490 posts)Front, side, head, whatever.
Gore1FL
(21,996 posts)No one is advocating murder. No one is saying murder is justified. People are saying they are not unhappy that the victim of the unjustified murder is someone they have issues with.
Big Fucking Difference.
Mike Nelson
(10,374 posts)... thank you. Some of the posts I see suggest otherwise. I said some. I said suggest. On a parallel line it is NEVER okay to rape someone in jail. Even if they did something horrible. Even if they are guilty. Rape is wrong.
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)Said the Little Red Hen
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)I am 100% positive no DUer is shooting anyone. Unless they're saving the lives of the innocent. This man lived in luxury heading a pretty scummy company. Don't think he should be shot, but don't really care too much either. UHC almost killed a friend.
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)through the day these days.
If I don't have any influence over it, I am not going to get in a twist over it.
If I could have stopped the shooter, would I have? Sure. But I have no influence over it. So I have little concern about it. I can only watch it from the sidelines and think, "Huh. Denzel Washington made a move about this decades ago. Surprised it didn't happen sooner."
XanaDUer2
(14,619 posts)Gambling debts. Whistleblower. Insurance money (wife?). But maybe the peons are getting fed up finally..itll be interesting.
Response to MineralMan (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
now THAT is funny
Response to Kali (Reply #137)
Name removed Message auto-removed
brush
(58,042 posts)as an official act.
Thanks, corrupt SCOTUS 6 for giving him impunity immunity.
Think. Again.
(19,114 posts)I used to post a lot that I think the immunity ruling must be overturned. No chance of that now.
brush
(58,042 posts)Last edited Thu Dec 5, 2024, 04:54 PM - Edit history (1)
with that weird voice utter the words that a president can kill if it's an k 'official act' and be. immune to punishment.
They listened, loved it and ruled that a president can kill. They granted him dictatorship, as if they knew what the outcome of the election would be.
H-m-m-m-m? I better shut up now. The DU conspiracy theory naysayers will be on my ass (I once posted some Sarah Kenzior stuff to look at, not saying I agreed with it all).
Ping Tung
(1,432 posts)wear white sheets and pointy hats.
dalton99a
(84,881 posts)MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Susan Calvin
(2,153 posts)But I'm not shedding any tears either.
ms liberty
(9,881 posts)Last edited Thu Dec 5, 2024, 04:37 PM - Edit history (1)
He was a bad man who made decisions that were just as cold blooded and murderous as the person who killed him. After the way regular people have been getting screwed by insurance companies it is surprising it hasn't happened before now.
I wouldn't do it, but it was inevitable that someone would in today's world. I'm not going to apologize for seeing reality as it is. Nor am I going to act like I'm sooo upset some uber-rich ahole paid the ultimate price for their avarice. I feel bad for his family but at least they didn't lose their loved one and then also lose everything after getting drowned in medical bills. They're still richer than the rest of us put together.
Prairie Gates
(3,570 posts)Kudos to you!
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Even when I don't want to follow them.
Prairie Gates
(3,570 posts)OK. You're such a hard and fast rules person! Kudos!
radicalleft
(510 posts)I got a chuckle out of that
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)It's quite disconcerting how everyone else is shooting up the place.
If only everyone else here would follow those same hard and fast rules as you do! If only they would quit with all the murdering!!
Aviation Pro
(13,570 posts)Only in this case it's vigilante with a gun.
This is what happens when 450,000,000 privately owned firearms collides with a healthcare system that puts profits over people.
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)We may never know. I maintain that it is wrong to do what he did, regardless.
NoRethugFriends
(3,070 posts)MineralMan
(147,990 posts)We might find out, if he is arrested alive. But, we don't know yet. We're speculating about it.
AkFemDem
(2,194 posts)"I'm not going to waste any tears on that particular meatbag."
Like, sure, arrest the killer because we are a nation of laws and as a species we're supposed to protect one another from being killed or harmed. but also, I'm not going to actually waste much time or energy actually caring about this guy. No different than when I hear a school shooter gets taken down or a drunk driver takes himself out in the process of taking out a whole family on their way home from a ball game. If you're in the business of threatening and shortening the lives of other people, one logical consequence is one of those people may take that seriously and react with violence.
sinkingfeeling
(53,257 posts)atheist, I seem to recall 99.9% of all religions say taking another's life is a moral sin.
FakeNoose
(36,011 posts)Murder is a mortal sin - Catholics are taught that. And I don't know of any other religion that doesn't teach it.
Murder is also against the 5th Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill."
..."Abraham kill me a son."
Abe said "Man, you must be puttin' me on."
God say "No."
Abe say "What?"
God say "Now Abe you can do what you want but next time you see me comin', man you better run..."
claudette
(4,671 posts)I am astounded by some of the remarks here. It is NEVER ok to kill a person like that. Its certainly not self defense. It is cowardly revenge.
Cirsium
(1,158 posts)I don't think anyone here is advocating shooting people in the back. People are saying that he is a bad actor, and that they are not shedding a tear over his death. What is your objection to that?
I guess we could debate whether or not Reinhard Heydrich was a bad person, eh? I mean after all, some people thought he was bad, and some didn't. What a dilemma! Would you have scolded people for not mourning his death? Would you have accused them of promoting murder?
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)each other and others in the back!!1!
It's a bloodbath!!!
I don't think the person is "confused" at all. Claiming to be confused is just an excuse to take cheap shots at other DUers, the DUers who are the most critical of the healthcare industry.
If a person disagrees with those who are critical of the healthcare industry they should express their disagreement in a straightforward way rather than playing games with pearl clutching and fake outrage.
Coventina
(28,013 posts)dawg
(10,775 posts)This is a harbinger, however, of the world that the oligarch class is building for itself.
Voltaire2
(14,879 posts)Or are you all set?
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)No bonfire here. It's pretty cold, though, outside. But, my furnace is in working order, so I'm staying nice and toasty.
Response to MineralMan (Reply #72)
Amanita Pantherina This message was self-deleted by its author.
Skittles
(160,331 posts)seriously
Demobrat
(9,950 posts)maxrandb
(16,004 posts)January 6, 2021 and November 5, 2024.
The American people sent the message clearly. Violence is a winning strategy.
How many people, upset about some of the callous and despicable responses to this shooting, yucked it up with and voted for a guy that joked about an 80 year old getting his skull crushed in by a hammer?
We shouldn't be surprised by the callousness. It is what we just validated to the highest office in the land.
The shooter should announce a run for president. Then prosecuting him would be dismissed as a political witch-hunt.
Society functioned in a civil manner, because man's basest deplorable instincts were unacceptable by society.
Those days are gone!
We are about to witness, first hand, "how it happened in Germany"
Skittles
(160,331 posts)thank you
Omnipresent
(6,483 posts)That wealthy CEO couldnt take a dime with him, once he died.
Woodwizard
(1,035 posts)What happened was tragic but I have as much compassion for him as I do Fred Phelps.
Many many families had needless death and bankruptcy from the actions of the company he headed while he bankrolled millions.
Let's cut the virtue signaling.
We can say it's wrong while not feeling sorry for a SOB.
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Woodwizard
(1,035 posts)There are literally thousands of people dying every day from greedy bastards whether it war or neglect. I would be awesome if they got the same ffing attention!
Orrex
(64,328 posts)For example.
Other cases may not be all right, but some are certainly less worthy of performative lamentation. Especially when compared to the de facto murder of thousands via ravenous pursuit of shareholders financial interests at the expense of all else.
That dead CEO was the direct cause of suffering for countless innocent people whose families dont have ten-figure net worth to comfort them through the tough times.
I see no reason to mourn his death, and Ill laugh in the face of anyone who presumes to scold me for it.
sarisataka
(21,284 posts)"I hope they find him and give him a medal"
https://democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=19791329
{Link posted with permission}
There are many more around DU however since it only takes one to disprove the statement, I need not bother.
To answer the question, I'm not sure yet when it is ok, but having seen posts about how good it is to make CEOs watch their back and "French solutions" it is clear that murder is tolerated. As long as the person is "bad".
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)sarisataka
(21,284 posts)they are quite plentiful. I note this one because the poster gave me permission to link to it so I am not violating any call-out rule.
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)sarisataka
(21,284 posts)if fact I am rather ashamed that on a Democratic site it is necessary to have to say "shooting people is wrong" and "murder is wrong"
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)if you don't say that to them. Thank God you're here!
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)You say you wish it weren't "necessary to have to say "shooting people is wrong" and "murder is wrong""
But it IS! You MUST say it! To save us from ourselves and our murderous impulses!
Response to sarisataka (Reply #87)
Scrivener7 This message was self-deleted by its author.
Response to sarisataka (Reply #87)
Scrivener7 This message was self-deleted by its author.
Silent Type
(7,339 posts)MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Asa13
(43 posts)I feel no shame for laughing and enjoying this assholes death. These fuckers wouldn't have the same regret and remorse if the gun was against our head.
sarisataka
(21,284 posts)I simply have a different view
Hope22
(3,106 posts)That being said Im sure the orange monster could shoot anyone anywhere and get away with it. So the correct answer to your question is when you own the courts. Not OK but legal for the anointed one. For the moral thinking minority the answer is never.
LisaM
(28,748 posts)That includes Osama bin Laden, and go ahead and fight me on that.
BannonsLiver
(18,217 posts)Hes dead as dead can be.
JoseBalow
(5,655 posts)At least they should be. Because fuck those guys.
cer7711
(531 posts)Last edited Fri Dec 6, 2024, 08:23 AM - Edit history (1)
Just like it's not okay to use an AI with a 90% error rate to deny coverage and treatment to customers. Which they do. Daily.
More broadly, thousands of people a year die in the US due to claims-denial tactics used by the for-profit health care industry. Tens of thousands.
You don't see these health care execs shedding any crocodile tears for their victims, do you?
Patton French
(1,186 posts)And its sad.
Happy Hoosier
(8,558 posts)I mean, if I'm a resistance fighter in 1943 France, I'd think shooting some Nazis would be okay.
It's not that many of us think it's "okay," it's that any of us think that guy was a bad dude, and kinda reaped what he sowed. I wouldn't encourage anyone to shoot people vigilante-style, but I don;t shed a tear for the dead bad guy either.
Keepthesoulalive
(811 posts)It is wrong to use your wealth and power to kill people for profit. Lets condemn both because they are equally bad. I hope they find the person who took his life and I would like to see people who profit from denying care , both should be prosecuted. It is a dream because this country is too far gone, rich people have no rules and will never be held accountable.
ColinC
(10,954 posts)Murder is wrong regardless of who does it or why.
NoRethugFriends
(3,070 posts)MineralMan
(147,990 posts)I'm surprised it took so long to ask it.
NoRethugFriends
(3,070 posts)LAS14
(14,789 posts)In Hitler's case there was no longer a rule of law. We haven't quite reached that point in the U.S., though we may fear it. In Hitler's case the society had reached a state of internal warfare, good against evil. It raised it to the level of "saving a life" pointed out many times up thread.
ColinC
(10,954 posts)Although there are many ways in which the killing of Hitler can easily not be considered murder.
Bengus81
(7,497 posts)the standard thoughts and prayers BS and then back to work as normal in a school shooting or the Vegas shooting that killed 58 and had 500 injured.
But...of course what will be missing later is a FULL BLOWN investigation of just how many have DIED from UHC 32% claims denial record or ran others into medical bankruptcy.
Here the scoop on him and UHC:
"Thompson's tenure as chief executive of United Healthcare, the company's profits rose, with earnings from operations topping $16 billion in 2023 from $12 billion in 2021. Mr. Thompson received a total compensation package last year of $10.2 million, a combination of $1 million in base pay and cash and stock grants."
Nigrum Cattus
(230 posts)Kyle Rittenhouse got away with murdering (2) unarmed protesters.
Wait till we have a president who is immune from prosecution for
any crimes, you haven't seen anything yet. Rule of law starts at
the top.
onecaliberal
(36,334 posts)Im very sorry but actions have consequences.
TBF
(34,754 posts)is my answer to most questions, even the disingenuous ones.
GenThePerservering
(2,675 posts)LAS14
(14,789 posts)Betty Boom
(224 posts)I find that my grief is not limitless at this point in my life. Ill reserve my grief for his wife and his children I suppose. But there are so many to grieve for these days. Multimillionaires are doing fine for the most part. I choose to grieve for women in Texas, who are dying because they cant get medical care. Ill grieve for people who are bankrupted by insurance companies that deny them care.
And just for the record, Ill have no grief whatsoever if something happens to Trump. Bring on the feast and the music if that happens.
LastLiberal in PalmSprings
(12,960 posts)Write that down.
I haven't read everybody's posts but let me chime in when you're the CEO of a company that makes billions upon billions of dollars and denies emergency care because your f****** Bean counters think it would cost too much money then f*** you f*** you. I hope you die. Actually I hope the people you love die. That's how the Greek tragedies worked. China executed a CEO years ago... A ceo.. because his company sold tainted baby food and babies died. Guess what ...no more tainted baby food in China. This is the same justification that the IRA had when England was decimating Ireland starving their children etc. So that's when it's okay. Got it?
markodochartaigh
(2,221 posts)https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-42873266
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/14/us/tennessee-preacher-cop-lgbtq/index.html
https://www.advocate.com/pride/2022/5/27/texas-pastor-jonathan-shelley-who-wants-death-penalty-gays-rails-against-pride-month
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/28/us/pastors-praise-anti-gay-massacre-in-orlando-prompting-outrage.html
PortTack
(34,831 posts)Dont feel a lot of sympathy for someone who everyday day of his miserable life was handing a death blow to those that UHC was entrusted to do right by, and didnt.
Big difference
progressoid
(50,787 posts)Linda ladeewolf
(492 posts)It is however, inevitable when the justice system has failed repeatedly to supply justice. Just as we have justices that will never hold the wealthy accountable, there are always going to be people who will take it into their own hands to dispense some form of justice be it right or wrong. It just is that way. Im not endorsing it, its just a fact.
theplayer
(27 posts)I say it's okay. Wait till your family is turned down medical Care that they paid every month for and then they die because of it. Let's hear what you have to say then. And by the way nothing like that has ever happened to me. I don't have to suffer personally to empathize with all the people f***** over by those for-profit healthcare pieces of s***
Linda ladeewolf
(492 posts)These people kill millions and never suffer a consequence, not one. They get paid handsomely to find ways to refuse care and people die or live in pain for the rest of their lives and these people live literally in luxury on the profits that should have been used to provide care, thats what the money is supposed to be used for, patient care. I think this is the possible beginning of revolution, it may be slow to start, but it may be the only way. We sure can count on the justice system. I find myself wondering who may be next.
harumph
(2,402 posts)It's going to happen. Sometimes we will recoil in horror and at other times.., not so much. I find the virtue signalling of some
posters annoying. "It's never OK!" Yeah, we got that. What is "OK?" What do they mean to say when they say it's not OK. It's illegal?
It's not moral? Is all killing murder? What they seem to be saying is that extrajudicial killings are not OK. So, let's start there.
What if the "judicial" system is corrupt? What about situations where there is no judicial remedy for systemized killing - as in the cases of denied care that leads to death? What the posters who are opining on the impermissibility of extrajudicial killings fear is of course - the mob. We all fear the mob, the chaos, the unpredictability of punishment, of chance harm to ourselves or our families. This is only natural. We are in the hands of a criminal mob who now have power over our lives and deaths. The criminal mob has a mind and a defined agenda, and most of their clueless followers have neither. The social contract is broken already.
theplayer
(27 posts)The words for profit healthcare are a contradiction in terms. If you like your for-profit health care you're just f****** lucky.. so far.SO FAR
edhopper
(35,049 posts)when is it not okay to not be indifferent or a little gleeful at the death of a scumbag responsible for thousands of deaths?
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Personally. I don't celebrate anyone's murder. Never have. Never will.
You might feel differently. That's your thing.
edhopper
(35,049 posts)the murder of Putin, or the death of a certain Sick Fuck? I sure as hell will,
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)I don't celebrate anyone's death.
edhopper
(35,049 posts)paleotn
(19,532 posts)One reaps what one sows.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219792092
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)paleotn
(19,532 posts)And accomplish zero in resolving those problems. Of what use was the ethos? There's a time for peace. And then there's a time for war.
Aussie105
(6,477 posts)It never is.
The discussion is more on the motivation of the shooter, ie possible reasons for it.
Using a gun to satisfy a grudge is far too common in some uncivilized third world countries.
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)You might have different questions.
GenThePerservering
(2,675 posts)and it's not a question - you just don't like the rough music following this man's death.
You've never heard of gallows humour?
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Mr.WeRP
(661 posts)Also our govt believes it is A-Ok to allow people to die unnecessarily to allow a company like United Healthcare to increase profits. We live in an evil system. When the oppressed have been abused enough, murder of the oppressors and cheering by the oppressed is what you get.
LizBeth
(10,893 posts)When is it ok to allow thousands, upon thousands to die because of greed?
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)Or, maybe those folks just feel really virtuous and superior when they steadfastly refuse to grasp it.
LizBeth
(10,893 posts)and my CEO had the audacity to send out a weeping email about how sad it is and we should all be mourning and a moment of silence for life lost. I see SOME of what is going on at fuckin 20 an hour, 2000 deductible. And nah... just no. I mean not rooting and cheering lost life but certainly my empathy goes towards the doctors and patients being fucked.
Edit to add: I am just really a bit angry at that email we got a couple hours after his death yesterday. Rubbed me the wrong way. And we are working implementing AI. I see nothing good with it.
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)yaesu
(8,360 posts)discussion about crime and punishment.
ALBliberal
(2,881 posts)He worked for a horrible for profit health insurance company that screwed people over. Denied claims left and right at a very high percentage.
If we have stories to tell we tell them.
Doesnt mean we support murdering the guy.
Its a false equivalence imo. To have us stay silent. We can object to murder and still have issues with him and his company.
Pacifist Patriot
(24,912 posts)Is more public discourse about our broken healthcare coverage system.
Evolve Dammit
(19,072 posts)most in the USA, in a negative way by denying treatment and payment of claims.
AllyCat
(17,225 posts)Marthe48
(19,338 posts)I hope my empathy outlives me. I look for one headline every morning. When someone is murdered in cold blood on the street, it will always be unacceptable.
SharonClark
(10,351 posts)were dissolved and the US had universal healthcare. Who would be the bad person making decisions that kill thousands of innocent hard-working people every year?
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Autumn
(46,667 posts)he was murdered. He hurt a lot of people and he fucking deserved it. I'm not going to whine about it or lose any sleep over him. Good riddance to a real piece of shit.
Babajida
(75 posts)How long have Americans been putting up with this broken system, allowing for-profit insurance companies make life and death decisions over the advice of medical professionals? How many deaths have been caused by those policies?
LeftInTX
(30,627 posts)They "don't want no socialized medicine".
ecstatic
(34,519 posts)This entire topic is super cringey. There is only one death I'd ever celebrate, but the weird part is: back when we almost had that on those 2--actually 3 occasions (if you count covid), there seemed to be a lot more outrage towards those of us who weren't interested in being fake about our feelings on that. There is less outrage about how the late CEO is being treated than there was about how tsf was treated EVEN THOUGH HE DIDN'T EVEN DIE. So something is off...
Anyway, no. It's not OK to shoot anyone in the back.
snowybirdie
(5,687 posts)To take a life. We're better than that.
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)Hassler
(3,783 posts)oldmanlynn
(511 posts)Would it have been OK to kill Hitler? Im sure some people thought he was a great guy. or is it only OK to kill him after you go through a court case and find him guilty
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)He ended up offing himself.
I was in the USAF. Never in any combat zone. That's why I enlisted in that branch. I'm not someone who wants to kill people.
Lancero
(3,109 posts)People aren't obligated to shed tears of sadness when others die, or to proclaim that their death is a loss to the entire world. Even if they die in a unnatural manner.
ThePartyThatListens
(248 posts)Who, at least on this site, has ever stated that it was OK to do such a thing?
I sure haven't seen it.
dpibel
(3,439 posts)is riding a mighty high horse.
Babajida
(75 posts)"the dead UHC CEO wont see your jokes making light of his murder, but other CEOs could"
Bettie
(17,390 posts)but, it is OK not to feel particularly sorry about a man who made a fortune from the deaths of others. He made his fortune by keeping others from getting needed care in order to boost his own bank accounts.
summer_in_TX
(3,294 posts)Or any murder. It bothers me more than the death of this person who probably was loved by kids, family, friends, maybe employees, working to provide for his family perhaps.
People are complex. Most of them are a mix of good traits and bad ones. I suspect in many settings he was a pretty decent guy, and in the role he played with UHC he was not so decent.
However it is, it's the apparent death of something in our own character that bothers me the most.
I despise United Healthcare. They are the worst of many bad insurance companies. In observing the discussion surrounding the murder, it's like the whole guilt of this corporation has been transferred to this one guy and has erased his humanity and seemingly ours too.
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)connection.
Do you mourn them all? Do you strive to be concerned about all of them and not indifferent? I don't. Our paths have never crossed and I don't know them.
I am sad that murder is a reality. I am sure their deaths are very difficult for their loved ones. As all deaths are. But are we really required to be concerned about the deaths of people we have nothing to do with? Do you really do that?
If so, that is very emotionally unhealthy.
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)In public discussions here and elsewhere. Nor are those other people being attacked here. Nor are their deaths being celebrated.
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)And not the murder itself.
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Really, though, I don't need any assistance in understanding myself.
Scrivener7
(53,203 posts)MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Amanita Pantherina
(57 posts)One should not be confused when others try to unconfuse him.
summer_in_TX
(3,294 posts)The attention this one is getting makes it more likely that I think more deeply about it. But I always think of the loved ones left behind.
But really my post was more about grieving for who we Americans have become in the last 40 years under the malevolent influence of disinformation, culture wars, legalized bribery, and injustice. Even us Democrats. I understand how we got here, but I miss the days when our culture was more open, tolerant, and gave one another the benefit of the doubt more as a rule than the exception.
MustLoveBeagles
(12,694 posts)Now its also okay to send bomb threats to his homes to terrorize his family.
summer_in_TX
(3,294 posts)I wish I thought we were always the good guys.
Cars overturned in the first days after Trump was first elected, riots with both sides taking part, the spitting at Betsy DeVos, harassing Trump admin officials at restaurants. We gloss over the things we do that can pour gasoline on fires. We justify it to ourselves for all kinds of reasons. (I did some justifying it myself in my mind.)
Bomb threats to his family reminds me of Alex Jones and what he and his followers did to Sandy Hook parents. I hope that the bomb threats were from those who from RWers or apolitical types. I just don't know, human nature being what it is.
Tommy Carcetti
(43,608 posts)Dont get me wrong.
I 100% understand the motive here. Its quite evident.
But Im not going to celebrate the actual act.
LAS14
(14,789 posts)... we wouldn't shoot someone in the back (lives of others not being directly threatened.) We can affirm the notion that the killer should stand trial and go to jail (the word "killer" here assuming guilt) for the sake of the rule of law. But we can acknowledge in ourselves that we're not one whit sorry it happened. We can acknowledge that we feel a bit of satisfaction that for once this isn't a "senseless" killing. That for once the bad guy gets his due.
nini
(16,741 posts)Some get away with it hiding behind their insurance CEO positions however, and I feel no pity when those murderers get theirs. Im in the out if fucks to give stage of my life.
orangecrush
(22,131 posts)Seems applicable.
Amanita Pantherina
(57 posts)Im good without fear of god or fear of the law to keep me from killing people.
orangecrush
(22,131 posts)But ok.
atreides1
(16,434 posts)Quixote1818
(30,431 posts)Thomas Jefferson The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
stillcool
(32,806 posts)the gray area requires never with a caveat. Where there is no black and white, there just is. A there but for the grace of god go I situation. But those things can not be said in public. Unfortunately there is no truth to any of these discussions regarding the shooter in NY.... it's all hypothesis. But, I guess that's all that is ever discussed.
hamsterjill
(15,525 posts)What then should someone do who may have direct involvement with a loved one who was hurt by the actions of this CEO?
Do you think that person could honestly, reasonably expect to get justice in a court of law today?
No, murder is not okay. But I could understand a person who felt that a billionaire has the means to escape justice and felt they had to act. Please note that I said "understand", not " condone". I won't be shooting anyone.
This is a complicated situation and I admit that I wouldn't lose sleep if this gunman isn't found.
Emile
(30,803 posts)A jury found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty for killing two peaceful protesters. So if he is caught, maybe a NY jury will find him not guilty too.
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)I'm afraid I don't have a good answer, though. Cases in court do go in favor of the patient. Not always, but it does happen. We don't hear about those.
I doubt that any CEO has much to do with individual cases. Typically, decisions are made according to some set of criteria. The CEO might have some hand in what those criteria are, but I can't imagine that they ever deal with individual cases.
One of the problems with health care is that outcomes can't be predicted with very good accuracy. Often, decisions about what treatments to use or not use are pretty arbitrary, at every level of health care. Will the new, very expensive, medication solve the problem? No way to tell without trying it. There are statistics, but each case is an individual one. Will some heroic surgery save the patient's life? It might, but it might not. Again, some statistical data are used to make those decisions as well, both at the clinical and insurance level.
The problem is that we humans get sick and we die. Sometimes, treatment can extend a life. Sometimes that is a good thing for the patient, but sometimes it merely extends someone's misery. Often, decisions are made that appeal mostly to family members, rather than to the actual patient. Other times, the patient is unable to make a well-informed decision. That's just the way it is in human medical treatment.
As you say, murder is not OK. Personally, I believe that it is never OK. But, that's just my own ethical belief. Every day, some rather large number of people die. Some of those might live a little longer with heroic treatment. Some might get past a health crisis and get a little more time. Some want that, but others do not. It's all a matter of how people look at things and what their expectations are.
So, there is no good answer to the question. People get sick. People die. Some people get a reprieve from death through medical care. Others do not. We have a strange system in the USA. We pay for our own medical insurance in most cases, or our employer does, or the government does. In other countries, everyone is covered by a government-paid system of health care. That is paid through taxes in some way or another. In the end we all pay for it in both systems.
Government-paid health care systems also have algorithmic rules that say yes or no to treatment methods. Decisions get made about individual cases. Those decisions do not always lead to a return to health. Sometimes the patient dies, but everyone dies at some point.
That might sound like a cold-blooded answer, but it's just reality. There is no health care system that can prolong life indefinitely. So, there will always be questions about individual cases.
It's not fair. Life's not fair.
hamsterjill
(15,525 posts)The CEO is the person in charge and is paid to do a job; not just collect bonuses. If this guys job wasnt to take care of his customers, then what was he doing? Yes, I know
taking care of his shareholders and his own pocketbook.
But my point is that the buck stops WITH the person in charge. I dont dismiss that responsibility. I hear Republicans all the time defend CEOs by saying well, he didnt know
.
My response is always well hes paid to know.
MineralMan
(147,990 posts)Like I said, I have no good answer. The entire healthcare system in the USA is out of hand, it seems to me.