cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/64572229
Listen to Malcolm X if you haven’t. In history, reformation follows revolutionary acts. While there are those who preach peace, there are also those who use violence to achieve peace. Those in power obviously don’t like to shed light on those that may take up violent acts.
I doubt if the french revolution was occuring today that CNN, CBS, The Washington Post, etc, would say anything. And if they did it would be to demonize the acts.
In the wake of the alleged shooting by Luigi Mangione, insurance providers started approving claims, saving lives. I don’t see major networks pointing out that fact.
“It’s called “The American Dream” because you’ll have to be asleep to believe it!”
- George Carlin, I think.
The American Dream was built on genocide. If there are people, kill them. If there are no people, claim it is underdeveloped. It makes the land cheap. Then build your dream!
I’m not American, pretty far from liking American politics not just current but most of it. Or even Americans frankly, I mean you guys don’t have basic human necessities like healthcare, education, workers rights, you routinely do bad things to other people, and even then you act like you invented algebra.
Yet I don’t think your modern interpretation is correct in historical context. At the time you talk about(and most times in history) killing other people was often necessary for people to progress or even survive. Times were bad - people didn’t have healthcare, education, workers rights. So limiting the American Dream to common interactions does not explain why it ever became a meme.
The thing about the American Dream is the idea that you can change your destiny(be born, suffer, die). Like you were born poor(aka 99% people then and mostly so now) but you can go some other place
kill peopledo some pretty normal stuff you could do at homethough you wouldn’t have such problems if you actually did that stuff at home to some certain peopleand suddenly you can have life, home, kids - all those things you can’t afford today.So the American Dream is a good meme and a positive thing you just need to use it to interact with very specific people now for it to work properly.
When you feel like you are having a bad day, just feel blessed that you dont live in america.
In the wake of the alleged shooting by Luigi Mangione, insurance providers started approving claims, saving lives. I don’t see major networks pointing out that fact.
Major networks are owned by rich fucks like the Ceo that Luigi killed
Obviously they don’t want everyone knowing that if you start killing them you start getting what you want
Damn Commie bastard Europeans with their affordable / free health care. shakes angry fist of USA.
The American dream is just an indoor water park in New Jersey.
As someone from New Jersey,
- This really stings.
- This is a better comment than most people will realize.
Coming from New York and driving south to DC, you see that awful sight of the American Dream and I always say to myself “you sure are”.
I’m out of the loop here. I only know that New Jersey is close to New York and that there’s some rivalry between the two. Can you explain?
The American Dream Mall is a monstrous shopping center and amusement park created as a shrine to capitalism, excess and everything wrong with America. Built over the span of 20 years on top of protected marshland finishing just in time to see everyone switch to online shopping. It received over a billion dollars in tax breaks but, is involved in multiple lawsuit including at least one for unpaid taxes because its on the brink if bankruptcy.
On top of all that, the place is just terrible as a mall. I could keep going on about how much this place such and all the controversies its involved in but I don’t have the time.
Sick Sven
I feel like I must be the only American who actually has good insurance.
There is no such thing
Your healthcare should not be commodified in the first place
For-profit health is disgusting
“Hey, at least my ball and chain are made of gold!”
“I’m lucky enough to even have an above-average length chain”
I’m just saying it’s been working for me. Not endorsing the system as a whole.
Ahhhh
Of course
The classic 'Murican “I’m ok, so fuck everyone else”
No? Everyone should have healthcare. I don’t know where you’re getting that from.
You are definitely in the minority. The point is then to look further than your own situation and see the big picture and how the system affects most people. And then decide whether the system is actually working.
“Fuck you I got mine” seems to be a very American sentiment.
If you read carefully you might even pick up on the fact that I alluded to the unusual nature of my situation and that it’s not common in the US.
You seem to be imagining and attacking a set of views that are not only not in my comment but are contradicted by it. Might be time to touch grass if this is how you’re interacting with people.
“Fuck you I got mine” is a universal right-wing and selfish sentiment.
While the US definitely is further down that road I certainly see that attitude growing in EU.
Our government is trying hard to limit aid to sick people and unemployed.
both painted in the complicit press as leeches.
And don’t get me started on refugees.
What would happen to it if you became unemployed?
It literally depends on how nice your employer wants to be.
I have a great job now, but I lost two jobs during the covid years. For one of them, my insurance lasted until the end of the next month or something like that, in addition to some severance pay.
For the other, it ended immediately. Like if you have a doctor appointment tomorrow morning that shit will not be paid for. If you wake up sick, maybe call a bankruptcy attorney because we won’t be answering your calls.
Wow, I’ve never heard of one where it ends as soon as employment does; usually it lasts until the end of the current month.
Are you European?
Well I have it through my spouse so nothing lol.
But yeah I agree having it tied to employment is problematic. However I did have state insurance when I was unemployed so it’s not like I wouldn’t have insurance, it just would probably be worse than what I have now.
Quick question, have you had to use it for anything serious?
Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t know it was good.
This year I have paid $1000 for over $1,000,000 of medical care.
Admittedly I doubt it actually costs that much but even if it’s a fraction I feel grateful what I’m paying is not too much.
Has it occurred to you that you shouldn’t be paying anything at all?
I’ve been in mental healthcare for my entire adult life and some of my childhood. I’ve paid nothing. I’m almost in my 40s at this point so it’s been a good (heh not even) 25+ years. The biggest expense was buying stuff from vending machines lol. Medicare has its faults, but I’d rather have a faulty Medicare than the us “health” system
UK here, I’m getting my asthma inhalers free now im in Scotland, but was like £7 in England. Ive had 2 operations and about a week of ward-care, all “free”.
We’re also being told over and over and over again that the NHS is not fit for purpose and needs to be scrapped and privatised completely. Its baffling.
Yep
Australia ain’t perfect, but it’s close
Yup. Same with the ndis. I’ve probably cost the govt millions over the last few decades. Between the ndis and medicare, I shudder to think how much I’ve cost them. But I’m soooooo thankful for both of those services.
In what western country would you pay less than $1000 annually for healthcare?
They didn’t pay less than $1000 for healthcare. They paid $1000 in addition to their insurance. In developed countries you pay for your healthcare and then you don’t pay for it again when you actually use it.
You are correct. I should have included the normal payments in the total but my spouse pays that so I don’t know what it is.
In developed civilized countries, you pay according to your ability to pay, because it’s not a business: it’s a common service, we don’t want anyone to go without.
Australia
New Zealand
The UK
Wow, you really DO have abnormally good insurance, to only pay a grand in a year.
For anybody else confused by this because you live in a civilized country, let me translate: The standard offering from employers nowadays is called a high deductible health plan. The deductible is the amount you have to pay* for healthcare before your insurance pays anything, and it is typically several thousand dollars.
(* There are a few preventive services that are 100% covered, so if you have no health issues whatsoever you can still get a yearly checkup and a flu shot without paying extra)
$1,000,000 of medical care.
That is something I can’t conceive of and I’m not alone.
Big numbers are sometimes big for no reason and elimantiong middlemen makes it go down.
Edit: I’m sorry you went through whatever it was regardless.
If you knew the details it might not be as crazy as it sounds… probably not a million but many thousands I’m sure.
Yeah it was pretty rough. Most difficult experience of my life. Even family members said for them it was also their most difficult experience.
If you knew the details it might not be as crazy as it sounds… probably not a million but many thousands I’m sure.
I’m sure it was awful and I don’t mean to demimish that in any way. But again, fundamentally no matter the details it’s not something I can truly fathom. No one of any status in my country would accrue millions in medical debt.
I’m Canadian, our healthcare is flawed in many ways and only looks good when compared to the states’. But even ours, with medications, eyes, dentistry, etc. being excluded from free healthcare, that’s ludicrous.
Again, not to invalidate what you’ve been through, but to reiterate: it didn’t all have to be that way.
Sorry, this is a sensitive subject and don’t mean to get intro it this much. I just want you and others to know this isn’t natural or even common
The point your missing is you shouldn’t have to pay anything.
That would be nice but is there anywhere on earth that has totally free healthcare? I thought even the gov run ones have some payments involved.
Payments might make sense for some discretionary things, as long as they’re affordable. There are a small number of people who really will just make shit up for attention and even a small cost can help mitigate that. But it has to be affordable for everyone which it obviously isn’t under capitalism.
In developed countries part of your taxes goes to healthcare, and then you get healthcare when needed. Sometimes you pay extra if you want something outside of the regular coverage, but it’s always something extra. Like, you get an operation, but if you want a personal room for recovery you pay extra for it, otherwise they give you a bed in a room for, like, 4. That sort of things.
My appendix burst, and I almost died
It didn’t cost me a cent
I had a fuckwit colleague do something dumb, and I almost lost a fingertip
It didn’t cost me a cent
Etc. etc.
Fuck 'Murica
It is free in Denmark. There is still a private option if you want to pay, but public healthcare is free.
So you don’t pay anything at all? Interesting I wasn’t under the impression that actually existed.
In comparison:
German statutory health insurance (GKV) in 2026 totals around 21% of gross salary (14.6% base + ~2.9% average Zusatzbeitrag) plus 3.6% Pflegeversicherung — combined employer and employee. For a €4,000/month salary, that’s roughly €840/month total; at the income cap of €5,812.50, the full combined cost reaches about €1,220/month. Employee and employer each cover roughly half.
I think the cheapest combination would be state owned hospitals and health centers. The state owns the land, pays the staff and buys equipment and medication in huge quantities, which may result in cheaper prices. If not, they could also start producing their own base medication.
A profit oriented health sector is not a good idea. It only gives you minimum care combined with high costs.
No fucking way the real cost is $1M unless you had an organ transplant. And that’s still considering US prices which are inflated.
It probably wasn’t that high but hundreds of thousands I would believe. I don’t really want to go into the details for privacy reasons but it required a lot of medical care and expertise. Probably more than a transplant although I’m not too knowledgeable about that.
I see. I’m glad you’re OK!
Me too. My wife had cancer.
Damn sorry. Hope things turned out OK.
So far they have for me but it’s sort of an ongoing thing still…
define “good”?
I go to the doctor and receive good care at an affordable price.
how much you pay for it? premiums, copays, deductibles? Tied to employment?
It’s my spouse’s insurance from their employer so I’m not certain the cost they pay but the out of pocket max is $1000 annually.
that’s 1k too much already. especially considering that the NHS costs about 4k$ per person per year.
besides the dystopia of it being linked to employment.
I guess good is relative but it’s good for the USA. If my shit had gone down when I had previous insurance I’d probably be bankrupt. The insurance I have now is functioning as intended to protect me from medical risk and provide care at an affordable price.
But I’m not saying it’s better than care plans in other countries because I can’t speak to those.
Mine is good, but is public sector. Although when I worked for a contractor it was excellent.
I get that the general experience is prohibitively expensive, but I’m grateful for my insurance.
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