No, Brian Thompson Wasn’t a “Working-Class Hero”
No, Brian Thompson Wasn’t a “Working-Class Hero”
Commentators like the New York Times’ Bret Stephens have called slain CEO Brian Thompson a “working-class hero.” You don’t have to condone murder to see through that ridiculous claim about a man who was at the helm of a legalized extortion racket.
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Doesn't matter that he came from money. He saw an imbalance of power and did something about it.
They're talking about Thompson, the guy that got shot. He is the one they are trying to paint as a working class hero because he wasn't born wealthy. It's just ignoring the reality of life in America and his part in it.
Yeah, an odd interpretation of "hero", that he found success for himself and I suppose those closest to him. Even if his success story was getting rich from some more innocuous retail success, it is hardly heroic.
Some may think it's a nice story about working hard to get ahead, but that wouldn't be heroic.
Also doesn't really need to be, a decent life (generally speaking, not making a statement about this CEO0) that shied away from heroism is hardly shameful. Just don't like folks ascribing heroism to merely being successful.
It shows that the owner class cannot understand that other people might not consider getting more for yourself at the expense of others to be an admirable thing. In their circles, exploiting others for your own gain is the only way life is lived, and the only way to impress others, and they jealously admire those who got more. So they expect everyone to admire does this, and working class people to admire an originally working class person who did this. They just don't understand that from an informed working class perspective (as opposed to one drowning in capitalist propaganda), getting rich at the expense of others just makes you an asshole.
I wouldn't even necessarily begrudge the word "admirable" to describe getting wealthy through ones own efforts, but "heroic" is just too off the mark.
It really depends what you understand to be "through one's own efforts." Capitalism stretches this concept to the point of absurdity.