A Murder, a Reaction, and a Reason to Engage

What to do with our stark and stormy class divisions

There is a class war going on in America right now. You couldn’t help but hear about it during the presidential campaign, no matter whose rally you were attending. Either the “coastal elites” were ripping off the “down-to-earth” middle Americans, or the billionaire corporations were making fortunes by exploiting the vulnerable.

The message to the masses is clear:

Uber rich are the problem. They misuse and abuse the working class, and there is nothing that can stop them. Not Congress. Not the justice system. Not even the president.

Last week’s murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson brought these simmering feelings to a boiling point. When a lone gunman calmly fired bullets with the words “defend”, “depose” and “deny” written on their casings, this seemed to be an act of retribution, of vigilante justice for those victimized by heartless policy and run over by cold bottom lining.

So while most people don’t condone murder, they also had a hard time sympathizing with Thompson and UnitedHealthcare. Much of the public is having tough conversations about what this means. There are expert analyses of the phenomenon, and discussions about the healthcare system, how hard it is to navigate, and how many people are denied the life support they need.

It seems that the executive class are having other “uncomfortable” conversations. According to an article on CNN, corporations are brooding over their security measures. Insiders describe the dire mood of boards and CEOs as they think about whether or not they are protected enough from the public.

Their official statement said that they are focusing on “first and foremost supporting Brian’s family, ensuring the safety of our employees, and working with law enforcement to bring the perpetrator to justice.”

Nowhere did it mention that they are reflecting on why so many people sympathize with the murderer over the executive. None of their hard questions are about the policies they have that harm people, or about the vast chasm in wealth between themselves, their employees, and their patients. Their primary concern is how to become even more untouchable, more isolated, and spend more on themselves.

If this doesn’t tell you all you need to know about the state of America, I don’t know what does.

Turmoil around class politics is brewing. The populace is at a point where they don’t see the humanity of people with wealth levels different from their own. They won’t engage with them.

As more millionaires and billionaires take public seats of power and their self-serving policies go into effect, the poor and working classes will notice the failing of Trump to fulfill his promises to make life better for them. Though they may not know all of the reasons, they’ll notice life becoming more unaffordable, they’ll notice others living large, and they’ll resent the heck out of it.

Where do we go from here?

I sincerely hope we harness this recognition of inequality and injustice as a conduit for democratic political activism. That we use protest, community, organizing and lobbying to quench our thirst for change. Murder isn’t ever the answer–angry outrage and policy reform is.

We have an opportunity and need to plaster this conflict over every billboard, Bible study, sitcom, and public meeting. We have to pointedly ask, who is profiting, by what means are they doing so, and is it fair and moral? We need to force these questions to seep into boardrooms and congressional floors. And not let up until there are satisfying answers.

This political moment is a wake up call for all of us. Whether we want to admit it or not, this criminal act spurred a discussion worth having. Let’s dive in.

With love and hope for the future,

Stephanie

Where have you heard the conversation on income inequality and the industries and politics that lead to it? What do you see as the way forward?