People dying of treatable conditions does bother me, it’s one of the main reasons I’m disgusted with the state of healthcare in the US.

As many as 44,789 people in the US die each year from lack of health insurance.

I’m under no illusions when it comes to the limitations of mutual aid, it’s not a replacement for a functioning society. It’s far more a foundation of a strong labour movement and sense of community.

The hypothetical being talked about here is a general strike. I know full well that not having access to healthcare kills people. I’d also like to specify that I’m not advocating for a general strike, I was speculating on the justifivuof those who are.

And to answer your your final point I’d like to refer back to the 44,789 people who die every year from a lack of health insurance in the US. Now attempting to bring about radical changes would most certainly cause more deaths than that, but you asked for a number. So if I could change things for the better without killing more people than those who are currently dying under the current system then I would consider that acceptable. So there’s your number, 44,789 people dying per year to achieve the goal of universal healthcare in the US. I however live in a country that already has universal health care, so I thankfully wouldn’t have to make such a grim decision. It’s easy to engage in such calculations without having to have the emotional burden of potentially condemning thousands to suffer and die.

So for how much longer would you consider it acceptable for the current system to cause more suffering and death before drastic actions for change are acceptable?

It seems you care more about those who would be hypothetically be harmed than those who are being harmed right now.

I don’t think that those who advocate for mutual aid networks and a general strike are either ignorant or uncaring of the harm that it could cause. I think they believe that the harm caused would be less than the harm already being inflicted by the current system. That said, I think it’s a big ask for people to put themselves and their families at great risk, even if it’s for a good purpose.