I want to explore something, because this event has got me thinking. It’s got me thinking about the catharsis people are feeling over this dead CEO. Specifically, I’ve noticed that people always describe him as “the dead CEO of United Healthcare,” this horrible company.
What strikes me is how this highlights one of the more insidious aspects of capitalism: how much capitalism devalues human life. It’s alarming to see how capitalism measures and treats a person, reducing them to what they do—what their job is, what they produce, what can be sold for profit.
When you ask someone, “What do you do?” they almost always respond with their job title or a description of their profession. Nobody says, “Oh, I’m a runner,” or, “I love painting,” even though those are things they do in their free time. Under capitalism, a person’s worth is tied entirely to their role in perpetuating the system. It sees people only as the sum of their job, and capitalism requires this to be the default view. Everyone is conditioned to see others—and themselves—through this lens.
And I think that conditioning has warped humanity’s collective ability to see the intrinsic value of human life. It has eroded our capacity to see a person’s value beyond their job title or their profession.
So, no, I don’t blame people for seeing Brian Thompson only as the CEO of United Healthcare, a company notorious for its horrific actions. I don’t blame them for reducing him to that role because we’ve all been conditioned by capitalism to view people this way. A person is their job; that’s what capitalism teaches us.
I’ll admit I don’t know much about Brian Thompson personally. I haven’t researched him, and I don’t know what specific actions he took as CEO. But I do know what United Healthcare did under his leadership, and those actions were disgusting. It’s not a big stretch to assume his decisions were equally reprehensible.
I also believe that humans are capable of conceiving a system of justice where people like him—who willingly engage in actions that cause horrific suffering to countless families—are held accountable. I think there should be justice for actions like these.
That said, if we’re serious about dismantling capitalism, we need to go beyond just tearing down its systems. We also need to dismantle the warped worldview capitalism has instilled in us. It’s vital to recognize that people are not just their jobs. Human life has intrinsic value, and people are capable of change.
In a post-capitalist world, I believe people wouldn’t behave like psychopathic CEOs. The capitalist system rewards and encourages that behavior, so of course people act that way under it. But I don’t think there’s anything inherent about humans that gravitates toward capitalism.
If we eliminate capitalism, I think we’ll see people work together in ways that reflect our communal and cooperative nature. People don’t inherently behave the way the system forces them to behave.
If we want to be successful at dismantling capitalism, we must reject its warped lens.
We must stop seeing people as the sum of their profession and start recognizing the value of human life.