Hacker News Reader

Comment by OutOfHere | Hacker News Reader

> we have a working meat inspection program

Huh. That's an abject lie. If there were a working inspection program, this would never have happened. It wouldn't even have come close.

View on HN

The best case is that it never happens. The second best case is that it’s caught as soon as it happens and stopped then. The third best case is that it’s caught some time after it happens and stopped before it has any external consequences (people getting sick). The fourth best case is that it’s caught some time after it happens but only stopped after external consequences.

Etcetera etcetera. Throw in another dimension of punishment besides just stopping operations and it gets more complex. With a little imagination, the worst cases are much worse than any of the above. We can be dissatisfied with the actual circumstances but still recognize the nuanced factors which might make up a “working” system.

In your description, nine people dying, 57 hospitalized, is the "fourth best outcome", and added "well, there are much worse scenarios" (and not just around the raw numbers, but the progression of events).

I am struggling to comprehend what these much worse scenarios are, beyond "we just say fuck it and let them continue to sell the stuff"?

It was not caught because of inspections, or because someone at the plant said that maybe it was time to fix this. It was only caught because people got sick, aka died. That's not "working".

Reply on news.ycombinator.com