this post was submitted on 05 Dec 2024
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The assassination of United Healthcare's CEO is a real life trolley problem, and a select few are trying to argue to save all lives while the train is going to kill the masses. (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by moral_quandary@lemmy.world to c/showerthoughts@lemmy.world
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It appears that in every thread about this event there is someone calling everyone else in the thread sick and twisted for not proclaiming that all lives are sacred and being for the death of one individual.

It really is a real life trolley problem because those individuals are not seeing the deaths caused by the insurance industry and not realizing that sitting back and doing nothing (i.e. not pulling the lever on the train track switch) doesn't save lives...people are going to continue to die if nothing is done.

Taking a moral high ground and stating that all lives matter is still going to costs lives and instead of it being a few CEOs it will be thousands.

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[–] ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.net 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

If a significant portion the US population went on general strike, things would change quickly.

The other option, which is slower, is to build up alternative systems in a network of mutual aid, like cooperatively owned insurance, businesses, housing, energy systems, etc. Essentially slowly replace the state with hundreds of interconnected coops.

also @Kbobabob@lemmy.world

[–] Kbobabob@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If a significant portion the US population went on general strike, things would change quickly.

This requires people willing and able to do so. Considering most Americans live paycheck to paycheck I don't see this as real and viable currently.

The other option, which is slower, is to build up alternative systems in a network of mutual aid, like cooperatively owned insurance, businesses, housing, energy systems, etc. Essentially slowly replace the state with hundreds of interconnected coops.

This issue i see with this approach is that some people will always try to be the opposite and we end up in a stalemate. Also, people can be ignorant and not even understand that there is something that needs to be done. There's so much misinformation in the world today.

[–] ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.net 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

This requires people willing and able to do so. Considering most Americans live paycheck to paycheck I don't see this as real and viable currently.

I can't dispute that. More of the US workforce would need to unionize for it to be possible.

This issue i see with this approach is that some people will always try to be the opposite and we end up in a stalemate. Also, people can be ignorant and not even understand that there is something that needs to be done. There's so much misinformation in the world today.

I think if it reached a certain point of popularity, it would become so self evident of its benefits for the working class that it would snowball. But it would take a lot of education and time.

If we look at how Spain was able to have a libertarian socialist revolution, it apparently took 75 years of steady education (some through independent ferrer schools) and organizing before the populace as a whole was educated enough on the concepts and practiced enough through militant unionization to finally attempt a mass resistance movement.

I suspect the U.S. higher literacy rate combined with the internet may reduce the time needed.

also @inv3r510n@lemmy.world

[–] inv3r510n@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Union activity has existed for decades and this utter failure of the social contract has been going on just as long. The unions only fought for themselves (understandably) while non union workers were manipulated by media to be against unionization. That’s unlikely to change in any meaningful way anytime soon. We’re too divided, too manipulated, and most importantly it takes too long when people have already been suffering for decades. I see this going the route of stochastic terrorism. This guy fired the first shot of a lopsided future (current?) war.

[–] inv3r510n@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

I agree with you but we’re too divided to go on a general strike. Stochastic terrorism against the rich? Now we’re talking.