Over the last 15 years, there have been several large-scale social movements prompted by one or two major national news stories, which last for a few years until the movement either fizzles out or suddenly goes up in smoke. After that, the country moves on to the next social movement and the cycle continues.

In 2008-2010, Left-wing groups saw how the government was dealing with corporate America following the Great Recession, and we saw the Occupy Wall Street movement. This movement did not have much in the way of leadership or direction, so after a few years, it fizzled out. It was replaced in 2014 by the first BLM movement following the police shooting of Michael Brown, a man who had struggled for a police officer’s service weapon. Following a pursuit, Brown was shot when he turned and charged the officer. Despite the officer being cleared of any wrongdoing by multiple investigations, the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” movement began, later grouped in with other similar incidents and rechristened as the Black Lives Matter. However, this, too, fizzled out after several years in the spotlight.

The next social battle was the #MeToo movement. This began on the backs of the allegations (and later convictions) of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, and continued with similar allegations against director Roman Polanski and comedian Bill Cosby. This movement gained additional strength by combining with the Women’s March, a protest organized against President Donald Trump following his inauguration in January 2017. Unlike the other two movements, this one has a definitive end date – May 2020. This was when #MeToo-worthy allegations against then-candidate Joe Biden by a former staffer named Tara Reade basically disappeared. One of the tenets of the #MeToo movement, the concept of “believe all women,” was suddenly abandoned when they were made against the man who was the only hope of removing Trump from office. With this façade proven false, the #MeToo movement immediately lost credibility and hasn’t had much social sway since.

Luckily, for those who only cared to sew disarray in the social discord, it was replaced by the second wave of the BLM movement – because, also in May of 2020, the world saw the death of George Floyd play out on a nine-minute video. This brought the BLM movement back into the forefront of the minds of Americans. This time, BLM was much more organized and had a more profound impact on society. However, the end of BLM II can also be pinpointed: December 9, 2024. This was the day that Daniel Penny, a White US Marine accused of murdering a Black vagrant named Jordan Neely, was acquitted of his crimes by a New York City jury. Had this trial taken place closer to the death of George Floyd, the verdict may have been different. However, after years of crimes intensifying not only in New York, but around the country, people were sick of being told that Black criminals were entitled to be criminals due to past injustices. The acquittal of Daniel Penny put the final nail in the coffin of the BLM movement.

So now, the social left is looking for another cause to rally around, another movement around which to rally and promote their agenda. And it’s obvious where they are going next. Because on December 4, just five days before the end of BLM II, Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was assassinated on the streets of Manhattan. Many appallingly cheered this act as a resistance to health insurance companies and the US healthcare industry as a whole. Internet sleuths who jump at the chance to try to find the identity of those accused of committing even the most minor of offenses chose to sit out the manhunt for Johnson’s murderer. Prominent politicians such as Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, as well as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, expressed sympathies for those who were so fed up with the healthcare system that they would resort to this kind of action. Many on the Internet are even praising the murderer as a revolutionary and a hero. Self-proclaimed journalist Taylor Lorenz said that she felt a sense of joy when she found out the news of the assassination, and she was not the only one.

The next major social movement will be a war waged against the American healthcare system, and more specifically, insurance companies. Those who will be fighting for this are the same people who fought on the side of Occupy Wall Street, BLM, and #MeToo. Their goal is not to make a change in society; it is to tear down society. These people hate the current American way of life, and any chance they get to tear at the social fabric of this nation, they are ready and willing to go for it. The question is: Will they ever be able to accomplish their goals of societal destruction? Or will there be people on the other side ready to stand up and push back against their destructive tendencies?

Remember, these movements were never about corporate greed, the rights of Black people, or the rights of women; they were always about generating outrage against society as a whole. That is why it is the same people over and over again who regenerate when a new movement happens. They don’t care about the movement. They don’t care about building a better tomorrow. They care about destroying today.


Izzo Zwiren works in healthcare administration, constantly concerning himself with the state of healthcare politics. The topic of healthcare has led Izzo to become passionate about a variety of political issues affecting our country today. Aside from politics, Izzo is a fan of trivia, stand-up comedy, and the New York Giants. Izzo lives on Long Island with his wife and two adorable, hilarious daughters.