Warmest greetings from whatever circle of hell we have now entered,
A few mornings ago, as I bumbled around my corner of said inferno wearing a bed buddy around my neck and making myself a cup of something caffeinated, I heard a clip on NPR’s Up First about the latest in the Sackler/ Purdue Pharma/ Oxycontin saga.
With the barrage of bad news over the past year, especially the dire statistics about lives (and years) lost to the pandemic, the opioid epidemic has not been the top public health crisis covered in the news cycle. (Though, for the family members of the nearly half a million Americans who have died from opioid overdoses since the ‘90s and the many struggling with addiction and dependence, I’m sure the pain has remained present.)
According to NPR, the Sacklers (the billionaire family arguably responsible for opioid epidemic) are seeking bankruptcy-like immunity without actually filing for bankruptcy, and 24 states are trying to block this. (Just a reminder, via NPR: “The Sacklers who served on the company's board of directors have denied any wrongdoing and have never faced criminal charges.”)
Huh, I thought. Though Purdue pleaded guilty to the criminal charges back in 2020, none of the individual Sacklers have faced criminal charges.
I’d recently watched Netflix’s Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal, and my ears were perked for any and all scammer content. With the college admissions scandal, people like Rick Singer profited off the collective obsession with elite academic institutions, yet many such institutions made it out relatively unscathed. In some cases, the notoriety probably just adds to their prestige.
Of course, the stakes in the Sackler story are much higher than those in the college admissions scandal, but both are tales of America’s bottomless greed. With the case of Purdue Pharma, it follows the script of the classic American horror story: profits above people with the justification of individualism and capitalism. Some call it a business, I call it a scam. Potato, potato.
This week’s reading list primarily focuses on the dark underbelly of capitalism. Who profits off the promise of the female orgasm? Who profits off secondhand clothes? And who, in turn, suffers?
As always, I’d love it if you shared Rachroobear Recommends with a friend or on Instagram!
Reading: A tale of two opioid epidemics: a deeply moving examination of an opioid overdose and the Sackler family’s so-called innocence. | For some, the female orgasm is big business and also a scam. | Whiteness and the global pantry. | Moderna’s branding problem. | A reminder that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency might as well be the planet’s sin stocks. | Stunning photography of women who say no to motherhood. | Thrift Store Gentrification unpacked.
Related Recommended Reading (Books):
* Note: My recommendations are mine alone, but if you do purchase the via the links below, I make a small commission via bookshop.org. Better yet, buy them from your local independent book store! (Do I have a future in commission-based sales? Probably not.) *
If you want to know more about the Sacklers, for fans of Bad Blood:
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe. I started reading this a few days ago and can’t put it down.
If you can’t stop thinking about the Sacklers, for fans of ‘Succession’:
A Good Family by A. H. Kim. This is a thrilling debut novel about a pharmaceutical exec, her messy family, and white collar crimes.
If the female orgasm article above interested you…
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen. A fascinating deep dive into sexuality and desire.
Eating: OMG THESE POTATOES. | This, over spaghetti. | Gluten-free Oreos (this is not a recipe lol).
till next time,
RJZ