Helsinki Times, Columns 29 december 2024 ~~~ The two faces of violence
Par Thomas, le Cimbre le 30. décembre 2024, - Catégorie : Economie de bulles, crises systémiques, subprime - Lien permanent
Helsinki Times, les articles de l'hebdomadaire traitent de nouvelles nationales et internationales, mais aussi de culture, d'économie, des sports, de la science et de la technologie. Il donne aussi le programme hebdomadaire de télévision, les prévisions météorologiques, une revue des articles des revues finlandaises de la semaine et un recueil d'articles sur la Finlande parus dans les médias étrangers. L'Établissement des transports de la ville d'Helsinki achète des espaces publicitaires dans la revue pour informer les lecteurs étrangers et les immigrants sur les transports de la capitale. Le Helsinki Times a signé un accord de coopération avec Helsingin Sanomat pour la publication d'une sélection d'articles du Helsingin Sanomat, traduits du Finnois en anglais. Selon cet accord, le site web de le Helsinki Times est intégré dans celui du quotidien national finlandais Helsingin Sanomat.
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They say violence is never the answer, but what happens when violence has already been woven into the fabric of our systems? Last week, New York bore witness to a tragedy that shook the core of our moral compass. Luigi Mangione, enraged and broken, committed an unforgivable act by taking the life of a health insurance CEO. A single, horrific moment of murder—indefensible, unconscionable. Yet behind that act lies a deeper story of systemic violence, one that has quietly taken the lives of tens of thousands.
This isn’t a justification—it’s a reckoning. The CEO was no innocent bystander. He was a symbol of a system that denies life-saving treatments, delays settlements after disasters, and leaves accident victims without recourse. His actions were legal but devastating, his decisions measured in profit margins while people’s lives unraveled. Two murderers, standing on opposite ends of a scale—one wielding a gun, the other a pen. Both left blood in their wake.
Modern capitalism has turned into a theater of despair, where profit is the only currency of morality. Once, capitalism promised prosperity for all. The baker baked better bread. The butcher sold better meat. The customer got the best sandwich. But that promise died decades ago, in the late 1970s, when Milton Friedman decreed that ethics no longer mattered, that the sole responsibility of business was to maximize profits. Since then, the rich have gotten richer, and the rest of us? We’ve been left to fend for ourselves.
This is no accident. This is a betrayal. CEOs were supposed to be the leaders we trusted, the alphas who protected the tribe when danger struck. Instead, they became the danger. Mass layoffs to inflate stock prices. Drug prices hiked 5,000% overnight. Insurance policies that work only until you need them most. This isn’t leadership—it’s exploitation. And the cost is measured in lives, not dollars.
Luigi Mangione’s crime must be condemned, but so must the quieter, systemic murders committed every day by those who weaponize power and greed. One man pulled a trigger. Another man pulled strings that left thousands dead. Neither act is justifiable. Both demand accountability.
What do we do with this anger, this despair? Do we sharpen pitchforks and prepare for revolution? Or do we demand change before it’s too late? The choice isn’t between action and inaction—it’s between chaos and rebuilding. Between letting the fractures grow or forging a new system that values life over profit.
The solution begins with ethical capitalism. Leaders must prioritize humanity, not quarterly earnings. Policies must close the loopholes that allow exploitation to thrive. And yes, AI can play a role, but only if it’s wielded ethically—to enhance fairness, streamline care, and restore trust, not deepen the divide.
This is the moment we decide what kind of world we want to build. A world where CEOs sacrifice others to preserve their power? Or one where leadership is defined by courage, empathy, and accountability? The clock is ticking. Every day we wait, another life is lost, another tragedy unfolds.
So, here’s the question: will we let this broken system define us? Or will we rise to reclaim capitalism’s promise? The time to act isn’t tomorrow. It’s not someday. It’s now. The pitchforks are already being sharpened. Let’s make sure they aren’t needed.
