this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2023
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I've been watching a few American TV shows and it blows my mind that they put up with such atrocious working terms and conditions.

One show was about a removal company where any damage at all, even not the workers fault, is taken out of their tips. There's no insurance from the multimillion dollar business. As they're not paid a living wage the guy on the show had examples of when he and his family went weeks with barely any income and this was considered normal?!

Another example was a cooking show where the prize was tickets to an NFL game. The lady who won explained that she'd be waiting in the car so her sons could experience their first live game, because she couldn't otherwise afford a ticket to go. They give tickets for football games away for free to people where I live for no reason at all..

Yet another example was where the workers got a $5k tip from their company and the reactions were as if this amount of money was even remotely life changing. It saddens me to think the average Americans life could be made so much better with such a relatively small amount of money and they don't unionize and demand far better. The company in question was on track to make a billion bloody dollars while their workers are on the poverty line and don't even have all their teeth?

It's not actually this bad and the average American lives a pretty good life like we're led to believe, right?

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[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Are you questioning the price of drugs like humera or taltz? What are you taking about scam... It's still thousands in Mexico, last I read. Here's an article from a few years ago

https://senatedemocrats.wa.gov/keiser/2020/02/04/latest-allure-for-mexico-caymans-travelers-the-pharmacy/#:~:text=The%20cost%20for%20six%20pens,%245%2C820%20in%20Mexico%2C%20Ojeda%20said.

The point is that quality insurance is a serious privilege, especially in the frame of reference of folks living in America.

You're off topic and moving goalposts

Your above comment was wrong and you should edit it. It's misinformation

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Off-topic? Goalposts? Misinformation?

Now that you've named specific drugs, it's awfully easy to show how US is just a scam: https://www.statista.com/statistics/312014/average-price-of-humira-by-country

The difference between US and the runner-up is worth not just two plane tickets, but a lavish vacation. Just accept it, you're being had and it never crossed your mind to do the reasonable thing.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

You're assuming everyone has the time, passport, and flexibility to do this. You're also inventing a scenario not described in my original scenario. An average worker doesn't have the up front cash to take such a trip, cheap as you think it may be.

You're preparing a privileged solution, clearly outside the scope of my original scenario.

My source aligns with yours, there's no question it's cheaper elsewhere. But just assuming someone can fly to Europe for a drug that cost 1500 in Germany , monthly, for a drug that needs to be refrigerated is the goalpost move.

Lastly, the whole point is how in the US quality insurance IS a privilege, due to the fucked up system, but you were too primed to just call the US a scam to get it.

The point is us citizens, especially those without thousands in cash ready to book trips overseas, or those with quality insurance are at a disadvantage.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

US citizens have the most powerful passport in the world and a cost of living that makes overseas travel profitable. There's no goalposts moving here. Paying a shitton of extortion money for a privilege of not paying the overblown price might be a decision to make might be a dexision they consciously make, but that's not my point. My point is, this medicine does not cost nearly as much, and the only reason >$1000 numbers are thrown around is that nobody in their sound mind pays them. If you're willing to embark on side-discussions, I'm willing to entertain you, just stop bringing up your movable goalposts.

Lastly, the whole point is how in the US quality insurance IS a privilege

Having rights of a US citizen is a privilege. Living in US while having rights of a US citizen is a privilege on top of a privilege. But one doesn't have to. That's absolutely a choice. Repeat after me. An Afghan person with nearly no rights and a cost of ticket to US exceeding their life-long salary doesn't move to US because it's a privilege. But for a US hobo, whose monthly expenses far exceeding a ticket to a sane country they're "magically" already allowed to enter anytime they want, staying in US is a choice. Don't even try to twist that into a privilege. Time and flexibility, my ass. US citizens spawn with a golden ticket and a knob to dial life difficulty to "easy". If they stay in US past their healthy young prime, that's on them.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Privileged bullshit. Not everyone has a passport, not everyone has vacation days to spare, or several thousand in cash to pull off the operation. Many in the US can hardly do anything but work

You are ignorant, and assume much. I'm done with you.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

[being in US is hard]

[then don't]

many in the US can hardly do anything but work

Whatever, you weren't listening anyway.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

You brought other shit to the story I was explaining, so make your own thread with your own shit. I'm not obligated to start going on your wavelength, on a dead thread, after I've made a different point