Jia Tolentino

And obviously it's clear which side I fall on, right? It's like, why wouldn't you look upstream? And you're right. It's like, even where people are like, The sort of heartlessness, right? What heartlessness are we appalled by? You know, and even in the case of the, you know, there's a strange parallel. Daniel Penny just got acquitted for strangling Jordan Neely on the subway, right?

And that ideologically lines up with my priors. Like, I am appalled that this man strangled Jordan. Like someone in the middle of a crisis and, you know, instantly became a folk hero among some conservatives. And I think this was something that like the protests in 2020, like they tried really hard to redirect us.

And that ideologically lines up with my priors. Like, I am appalled that this man strangled Jordan. Like someone in the middle of a crisis and, you know, instantly became a folk hero among some conservatives. And I think this was something that like the protests in 2020, like they tried really hard to redirect us.

And that ideologically lines up with my priors. Like, I am appalled that this man strangled Jordan. Like someone in the middle of a crisis and, you know, instantly became a folk hero among some conservatives. And I think this was something that like the protests in 2020, like they tried really hard to redirect us.

Like, yes, this sort of murder that occurred in public is, you know, it's egregious, committed by one man, one police officer, one vigilante ex-Marine, whatever it is. But the real problem, you know, like the real problem is upstream.

Like, yes, this sort of murder that occurred in public is, you know, it's egregious, committed by one man, one police officer, one vigilante ex-Marine, whatever it is. But the real problem, you know, like the real problem is upstream.

Like, yes, this sort of murder that occurred in public is, you know, it's egregious, committed by one man, one police officer, one vigilante ex-Marine, whatever it is. But the real problem, you know, like the real problem is upstream.

The real thing to be outraged about is the system, you know, which is not just like the New York City mental health care system, but it's part of it, that makes it possible for people to be so unsafe and feel so unsafe and thus then make other people feel unsafe, you know? Yeah.

The real thing to be outraged about is the system, you know, which is not just like the New York City mental health care system, but it's part of it, that makes it possible for people to be so unsafe and feel so unsafe and thus then make other people feel unsafe, you know? Yeah.

The real thing to be outraged about is the system, you know, which is not just like the New York City mental health care system, but it's part of it, that makes it possible for people to be so unsafe and feel so unsafe and thus then make other people feel unsafe, you know? Yeah.

I do understand the tendency to fixate at the end point, but it doesn't make sense if you think about it for any longer than that.

I do understand the tendency to fixate at the end point, but it doesn't make sense if you think about it for any longer than that.

I do understand the tendency to fixate at the end point, but it doesn't make sense if you think about it for any longer than that.

It kind of reminds me of the Sacco and Vanzetti case. Like, there were these two... young men that were part of this violent, overtly violent Italian anarchist sort of collective group in New York in the 20s. And they were wrongfully convicted for an armed robbery and all these things. But they became these sort of folk heroes and they became this sort of famous cause.

It kind of reminds me of the Sacco and Vanzetti case. Like, there were these two... young men that were part of this violent, overtly violent Italian anarchist sort of collective group in New York in the 20s. And they were wrongfully convicted for an armed robbery and all these things. But they became these sort of folk heroes and they became this sort of famous cause.

It kind of reminds me of the Sacco and Vanzetti case. Like, there were these two... young men that were part of this violent, overtly violent Italian anarchist sort of collective group in New York in the 20s. And they were wrongfully convicted for an armed robbery and all these things. But they became these sort of folk heroes and they became this sort of famous cause.

I just think it's interesting whenever there's a clear reason to talk about something like the health care system where we all know, like, this doesn't make sense. This doesn't happen in places other than America. It's like school shootings, right? It's like these things that we know are so... are so profoundly hideous and so profoundly American.

I just think it's interesting whenever there's a clear reason to talk about something like the health care system where we all know, like, this doesn't make sense. This doesn't happen in places other than America. It's like school shootings, right? It's like these things that we know are so... are so profoundly hideous and so profoundly American.

I just think it's interesting whenever there's a clear reason to talk about something like the health care system where we all know, like, this doesn't make sense. This doesn't happen in places other than America. It's like school shootings, right? It's like these things that we know are so... are so profoundly hideous and so profoundly American.

And we feel kind of powerless to do anything about it and like it'll never, ever change. And maybe it will never, ever change. But these moments where everyone suddenly is talking about the morality of private health insurance and the immorality of it, you know, it would be a lot better if someone hadn't had to be murdered to make this happen.