Friday, December 6, 2024

Denying, Defending, Deposing

THE THREE WORDS have alliterative value, attractive to tyrants and their sycophantic subjects alike. It may be surmised that Brian Thompson, United Health, Inc. CEO, was so attracted to them, but only very privately, only within the sequestered confines of the giant conglomerate health insurance provider and denier in...where..midtown Manhattan? (where else?). Thompson, a regular looking guy with a very regular sounding name, met his end in a very irregular but melodramatic manner, gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel in broad daylilght by a hooded figure, after the fashion of a mafia crime family boss, which, many might assert, he in effect was. (Gambino family mafia Don Paul Castellano was gunned down outside a steak house in New YOrk in 1985. John Gotti allegdly ordered the hit, and later died in prsionfor ohter crimes). Now, this... The three infamous "D" words were found, printed or imprinted, on the bullet casings of those ejected after leaving their chamber and finding their destination. Neither the weapon nor the shooter has been found, but will be. The police know for certain the precise weapon still being carried, maybe, by the man or woman seeking martydom, perhaps not without some degree of justification, notwithstanding the poor choice of method. (Martyr murderers always have a reason, and a cause). Perhaps the gun person or somebody beloved of same had indeed been tripled D'd. Martydom could have been achieved merely by going without the necessary treatment or medication, but delayed. But where would the melodrama be, and the point made, in that? Justice delayed, and all that. First, find a reason, any reason will do, as long as it sounds even remotely defendable, then defend it, and support the defense by obtaining from the victim of denial a deposition, substantiating the corporate viewpoint by asking only questions to which their high powered corporate lawyers damned well know the answers, in advance. Similarliy denied and outraged people started posting their stories on Facebook, and they sounded convincing. At twelve year old daughter denied admittance to a hosptical, three Dee'd. A mother of three who died on the operating table, her claim processed too late, languishing, denied. On, and tragically on. The comments started coming in, many in favor of the murder. Then, of course, the moralistic backlash. I posted: "My complaints are with the fundamental structure and inherent for profit nature of the corporate health insurance industry, which, like nearly all major industries in the United States, is a virtual monopoly, the inadequacies of which must be addrssed and rectified, but which cannot be accomplished through murder of violence of any kind." As usual, I took pride in my eloquence, and nobility of purpose. The feedback which I got on social media was to me surprsingly sparse and disappointing, lacking in intensity and volume; I would not get my fifteen minutes of fame, not for this. People remained more interested in the murder itself, and in expressing their moral outrage, some against the violence, others in favor of the complaints precipitating it. Actual complaints against corporate greed and perfidy, I must presume, will be forthcoming, in a later episode. The complaints will not be sufficient to motivate us, our corparate masters, and their puppet politicans to do the right thing, not in this era of Trump and right wing Republican suzzerainty: socialize all industries which provide necessary goods and services, like food, water, and decent health care. We already have a good deal of socialized economics, and always have; we simply need somewhat more, a more healthy balance between capitalism,and socialism. But Until Bernie Sanders and the Democratic socialists come to power in these United States of Avarice, we'll have to wait at least a bit longer for economic and health care justice, and, as always, it will be, Deny, Defend, and Depose.

No comments:

Post a Comment