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Behind the Bastards recently did a two part podcast on the blood industry in America, particularly how lack of regulation and taking advantage of the incarcerat

Behind the Bastards recently did a two part podcast on the blood industry in America, particularly how lack of regulation and taking advantage of the incarcerated (focused on Arkansas) led to the spread of blood borne illnesses and how it killed a lot of people. I had no idea blood was such big business and that it was in our top 10 domestic exports https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/part-one-how-tainted-human-blood-became-a-major-u-s-export/id1373812661?i=1000700727704 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/part-one-how-tainted-h...

tvier 1y ago
> and that it was in our top 10 domestic exports Note that a main point of the article is that it is not in the US' top 10 exports
- ilikecakeandpie 1y ago
  Well one of these has to be incorrect then as this was said it was the US's ninth largest export https://app.podscribe.com/episode/130950753 https://app.podscribe.com/episode/130950753
  - abound 1y ago
    Like the GP said, the whole topic of this article is getting an accurate figure, and how the 2%/9th largest figure is incorrect.
    - jknoepfler 1y ago
      Incorrect, yes, but to be fair .67% and 2% occupy the same "wow, that's a large proportion of the economy" order-or-magnitude band of surprise (for me). Obviously not as charismatic/sensational, but still significant and surprising (to me).
  - tekla 1y ago
    BtB is not a serious news source, its mostly ragebait.
make3 1y ago
I remember reading that the presence of for profit prisons in an area increases the rates of incarceration in that area. So many of them have heavily under minimum wage, almost free forced work, and now blood harvesting. Modern USA is so dystopian in a lot of places
jonginn 1y ago
It's a big scandal in the UK. Over 30,000 people were infected with HIV or Hep C from US blood stock in the 70s and 80s. The UK Government will be paying almost £12bn as compensation, which to put into context is over a third of our education budget. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-48596605 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-48596605
- eru 1y ago
  > The UK Government will be paying almost £12bn as compensation, which to put into context is over a third of our education budget. Presumably that's a one time compensation, and you are talking about the annual recurring education budget?
TZubiri 1y ago
https://youtu.be/hBA0AH-LSbo?si=tGr6FPzWQ8ry2b33 https://youtu.be/hBA0AH-LSbo?si=tGr6FPzWQ8ry2b33 That silicon valley skit, bryan johnson, and Theranos are all starting to come together now

tvier 1y ago

> and that it was in our top 10 domestic exports Note that a main point of the article is that it is not in the US' top 10 exports

ilikecakeandpie 1y ago
Well one of these has to be incorrect then as this was said it was the US's ninth largest export https://app.podscribe.com/episode/130950753 https://app.podscribe.com/episode/130950753
- abound 1y ago
  Like the GP said, the whole topic of this article is getting an accurate figure, and how the 2%/9th largest figure is incorrect.
  - jknoepfler 1y ago
    Incorrect, yes, but to be fair .67% and 2% occupy the same "wow, that's a large proportion of the economy" order-or-magnitude band of surprise (for me). Obviously not as charismatic/sensational, but still significant and surprising (to me).
- tekla 1y ago
  BtB is not a serious news source, its mostly ragebait.

make3 1y ago

I remember reading that the presence of for profit prisons in an area increases the rates of incarceration in that area. So many of them have heavily under minimum wage, almost free forced work, and now blood harvesting. Modern USA is so dystopian in a lot of places

jonginn 1y ago

It's a big scandal in the UK. Over 30,000 people were infected with HIV or Hep C from US blood stock in the 70s and 80s. The UK Government will be paying almost £12bn as compensation, which to put into context is over a third of our education budget. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-48596605 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-48596605

eru 1y ago
> The UK Government will be paying almost £12bn as compensation, which to put into context is over a third of our education budget. Presumably that's a one time compensation, and you are talking about the annual recurring education budget?

TZubiri 1y ago

https://youtu.be/hBA0AH-LSbo?si=tGr6FPzWQ8ry2b33 https://youtu.be/hBA0AH-LSbo?si=tGr6FPzWQ8ry2b33 That silicon valley skit, bryan johnson, and Theranos are all starting to come together now