Octapharma Plasma’s Predatory User Marketplace
First in the series, “Stealing and Hoarding Power from the Most Vulnerable: Authoritarian Practices in U.S. Business Cultures” (originally published October 2020 on LinkedIn)
“I needed the money. I’m not ashamed of doing everything legal I can possibly do to avoid homelessness. The safety net is just gone right now, and it’s do or die for me — for millions of us. None of us has any reason to feel ashamed about needing help in this pandemic. But businesses like Octapharma — that exploit those of us with few or no options — rely on shame about our circumstances to keep us silent about injuries. I refuse to stand in that shame.” (The national grassroots effort working for an immediate extension of pandemic unemployment assistance)
Donor has two dictionary definitions. The first common definition is “a person who donates something, especially money to a fund or charity.” The second medical definition of donor is “a person who provides blood for transfusion, semen for insemination, or an organ or tissue for transplantation.”
Even though donor is employed consistently in its in-store business practices, Octapharma’s use of donor does not conform to either definition. Payment is given in exchange for plasma…
