Hello, friends and enemies. I don’t have any opening thoughts today. Let’s get into it.
Current Events
This week, as presumably everyone already knows, the CEO of United Healthcare was assassinated in New York City. The mood on the internet is probably as festive as when those billionaires died on that stupid submarine last summer. I understand that it’s gauche to cheer someone’s death. What I don’t get is why some people are clutching their pearls over this when United Healthcare is certainly killing people every day by denying claims “with a rate nearly double the industry average.” They’re currently the subject of a lawsuit for using an AI model to approve claims, “Though few patients appeal coverage denials generally, when UnitedHealth members appeal denials … over 90 percent of the denials are reversed, the lawsuit claims. This makes it obvious that the algorithm is wrongly denying coverage, it argues.” I’m not rooting for anyone to die, but the people at the top of our system seem like they are, on some level, rooting for our demise, even if they might not think about it in a tangible way. They make money denying claims, providing shitty health coverage, and generally making it difficult to fucking live. So, it doesn’t surprise me that all types of working-class people are feeling a little cheerful right now. It has felt like things might never change and we’re all stuck here being ground down day in and day out. Seeing that a CEO who gets millions of dollars every year while providing terrible healthcare die, well … sorry, but I can’t be upset.
What’s also wild is this has clearly spooked the executive class, which is to say, it worked. A man offed a single healthcare CEO and now, as 404 Media reports, “United Healthcare removed a page from its website listing the rest of its executive leadership, and several other health insurance companies have done the same, hiding the names and photos of their executives from easy public access.” There was also a Wikipedia debate about deleting the article for CVS’s current CEO, which spawned many conspiracy theories due to the timing of the proposal (they decided to keep the article). The best part is that this event actually shifted at least one policy. The same day at the killing, Anthem Blue Cross had announced it was going to “limit the amount of time it would cover anesthesia used in surgeries and procedures.” However, the next day, the company stated “it would no longer move forward with the policy change.” Yeah, I fucking bet.
Here are some memes for posterity. I don’t know what weird setting here is making the edges of the pictures blurry, but you can click on any of them to see the full thing.
Books and Other Words
I almost quit reading Ned Beauman’s The Teleportation Accident but ultimately persevered. I will admit that I didn’t know much about the book going into it but the title suggests science fiction and the cover art suggests jazz age, so I thought it would be a good time. However, there is no actual teleportation in this story, and the titular accident refers to a piece of epic stagecraft used in 17th century Venice that blew a giant hole in a theater and killed two dozen people. The story focuses on Egon Loeser, a man who is the 1930s equivalent of an incel. He lives in Berlin in 1930, works as a set designer, is always trying to find a party with good cocaine, refuses to read the news or engage in politics, and is obsessed with the fact that he’s not getting laid. I am sure this character is unsympathetic on purpose but, holy shit, is this guy deeply fucking unsympathetic. The plot kind of just happens to Loeser and he complains the whole time and is an asshole to everyone, including people who are apparently his friends. He becomes abruptly obsessed with a pretty girl and follows her to Paris and then Los Angeles, where he ends up living for almost a decade before finally crossing her path again. She’s not even into him! I get appreciating an anti-hero and I’m sure there’s some political commentary available to us about people who are indifferent to politics in times of serious political upheaval, but this was simply not the book for me here in the year of our lord 2024.
My friend Lito invited me to a sort-of public book club read of Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene, which is not a book I would have picked up myself but I did appreciate it. The story is a modern (“modern” as in 20th century) take on Don Quijote and features a road trip with Father Quixote (who becomes elevated to a monsignor at the beginning of the story) and his friend, the staunch communist and former town mayor “Sancho.” It’s a philosophical novel with a lot of wine (and drunk driving!). I get Father Quixote because he is trying really hard to do what he thinks is right according to his religion. However, what seems morally correct to him does not always align with what the Catholic church thinks is right and he runs afoul of his bishop. There’s definitely a way to read this book in which Quixote is autistic and doesn’t get why everyone thinks he’s acting super weird. He’s living in his own world and not hurting anyone! Let him be! One thing I did find annoying about this book is that the communist former mayor, who is also an atheist, is often portrayed as having as much faith as Father Quixote. It does not take faith to be an atheist. But, I suppose Father Quixote (and Greene) is projecting. Quixote struggles with his belief, so he assumes that it must also require an act of faith to have no god. In any case, there is a fair amount of madcap antics amid the philosophical discussions that make the story fairly amusing even if you don’t want to think too hard about Catholicism and communism.
Naomi Klein’s No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need was published in 2017, right after Trump became president the first time (I hoped I would never need to refer to Trump’s “first” term, but alas). The thesis of the book is, as the title suggests, that we can’t just say no to Trump and what he represents, we need to create a vision of the future we want and start fighting for that. Activists have spent years saying no to climate change and a dozen other crises, but all these issues are connected, and part of the work of activism is to provide a compelling alternative so that people believe and invest in the cause. Klein begins with explaining the multi-crisis we’re living through via the lens of her previous works, considering Trump as an entity of pure branding and describing how capitalists seize on disaster to make our lives worse while they profit. She goes on to talk about her work in drafting the Leap Manifesto, a foundational document of a group of Canadian activists who are pushing for radical change. Reading this book was a little funny at times because it referenced the early Trump era. I realized that I had already forgotten about so much of the stupid shit we lived through; his administration was constant mania. The book also felt like foreshadowing at times, like with the mention of Linda McMahon, who led the Small Business Administration under Trump, and who is returning for this season of Trumpism to play the secretary of education. It seems like these people come from nowhere but they were, in fact, already here. This is a very good book for anyone looking to ground themselves for a second term (ugh) of Trump or wanting to go beyond mere resistance.
Meanwhile, on the internet:
- Must-Reads and Some Ways to Support Native People This Weekend via Organizing My Thoughts. I think it’s important that those of us who can afford it provide monetary support to Native people and causes, especially at this time of year, do so. This newsletter has some great suggestions for organizations to support.
- Everyone’s a theater kid now via Garbage Day. It used to take a lot more effort to be a theater kid. Now, it’s easier to access the arts but harder to engage with them. “One of the bizarre side effects of our streaming- and platform-driven digital media environment is that, even though your favorite TV shows and movies have never been so accessible, audiences are also more likely to not actually experience them in full … Algorithmic social platforms like Facebook and X have been suppressing outgoing links for years, prioritizing the conversation about a thing over actually going and seeing the thing.”
- Britain and Australia have a spy shortage and recruiting the next generation is proving difficult via ABC.au. Young people do not want to support empires!
- Orcas start wearing dead salmon hats again after ditching the trend for 37 years via Live Science. Salmon hats are back!! Fashion truly is cyclical.
Rampant Consumerism
I got a new phone, which was rather overdue since I kept accidentally abusing my old phone and it was getting very slow (it should not take ten or more seconds to open the camera. The cat has already moved!). I love the new phone because it has a stylus built in (it’s a Moto G stylus)! I also got a pop socket that looks like a composition book cover, so that brings me joy.
Since I’ve grown my hair out, I’ve been struggling with major tangling after I wash it and it’s been making me insane and literally snapping combs in half. I finally figured out that they make combs specifically for detangling wet hair. I’ve only been using it for a few days but it’s been a marked life improvement. No more tanglies! Let me live my life in peace!
Moving It
My dance recital was yesterday! It was a lot of fun as always. I do appreciate opportunities to be on stage, even if the audience is mostly parents of the kids who are dancing—I’m not picky though. I don’t have any photos because I was busy! I just want to let everyone know that I’m having a good time. If you missed it, you missed out, but you’ll have another chance to see me at the next recital in May.
Kitchen Witchery
It was Thanksgiving last week! It seems like a month ago already. My dad and sister came to visit for the day, which was very nice. I went all out and made a big turkey, plus all my usual sides. One new dish was a bean and fennel gratin from The Bean Book. This may shock you, but I didn’t like it. It had too many bits of things in with all the fennel and leeks. However, everyone else said it was good. I also made a hibiscus-ginger punch, which was really tasty. Since I’m banned from alcohol on account of my fatty liver, we have to find something else interesting to drink on special occasions, and this was a great choice. After Thanksgiving, I made some turkey broth and used the leftover meat into turkey and dumplings, which tasted amazing. It’s a recipe I’ve made before, but Kirk was like “I don’t know what you did to make it so good.” I don’t either but my guess is it was the whole head of garlic in the broth!
Cat Therapy
Finally, here are some cat photos for your nerves.
