The (maybe) Tylenol Killer is DEAD to US

America is a country of morons.

Seven people died from this, and the country was in a panic for YEARS. Meanwhile, in 1982, you saw thousands of Americans die from AIDS, lung cancer, and driving without a seat belt, and no one thought to do a Frontline story about those deaths.

No one panicked over the huge numbers of people killed by smoking, careless driving, and a disease the government never cared to study. But seven people die from tainted pills, and suddenly there's a national outcry to change pill bottle designs and put the Tylenol behind the counter.

R1, that AIDS thing is for … “other people.” But Tylenol is for everyone. I have some in both medicine cabinets, my kitchen cupboard, my purse, the glove compartment, and my bedside table!!!!!!!!

Well, this piece of shit got away with it.

From Tylenol to Fentanyl

I haven’t read up on the story, but I thought investigators thought the culprit was one of the victims? Initially, anyway.

TBF, the first deaths and news stories were appearing in 1982 about clusters of gays dying. It was very, very early in the epidemic.

The Tylenol tampering was terrifying. Were you even alive in 1982, OP?? You have a weird take on the whole situation.

Sorry, I meant R1, not OP.

r2 doesn't seem too bright.

^^^ meant r1

R1 isn't wrong - the Reagan administration let a lot of gay men die before the word AIDS even crossed their lips.

But I do remember the fear of these deaths/killings. I think the completely random element was the part that was just unfathomably scary at the time.

The only solution is encouraging suicide for psychos

I’ve never heard that it was one of the victims R5. The victims were a 12 year old girl, an airline stewardess, a stay at home mom, a working single mother and 2 brothers and one of their wives who took the meds out of the same bottle.

It did change the world as far as more stringent tamper proof packaging and safety precautions.

About 30 years ago, someone was building bombs out of pump-style toothpaste containers. They were putting them on store shelves, rigged to explode when picked up. IIRC, one person lost a hand. I went back to buying toothpaste in squeeze tubes after that.

[Quote]It did change the world as far as more stringent tamper proof packaging and safety precautions.

Today, businesses would be crying that adding these things would drive up costs that they'd have to pass on to the consumers, and the deplorables would be up in arms about the gubbmint controlling them.

R13 Yup. Someone made a similar comment in the article posted at OP.

Fox News would complain about the nanny state. Unreal.

I was part of a high school group that made posters for pep rallys (think Tracy Flick) when that all went down. I made one that simply said 'Kill them" and a picture of a Tylenol bottle.

It ended in tears.

R15 That is one of the sickest things I've ever heard!

Come sit with us.

I want to thank the academy!

You were not alone R15. That month one of the classy sororities at Northwestern had a Homecoming Parade float that consisted of a giant bottle of Tylenol on a flatbed.

Next day, the Administration was not amused.

That was the era in which The Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun was released.

Watching the Netflix series. I remember the panic. My mom flushed our half-used bottle of pills down the crapper. She wouldn’t let us use any pain relievers for months after.

I've cursed that man weekly as I struggle to open safety packaging. May he rot in hell.