Tens of Thousands of Social Media Users Express Support for Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO
Worrying Sign of Radicalization
Tens of thousands of people have expressed support on social media for the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, or sympathized with it, in what at least one researcher is calling a worrying sign of radicalization among segments of the U.S. population.
Social Media Posts
"And people wonder why we want these executives dead," wrote Taylor Lorenz, a former New York Times and Washington Post journalist, in a post on BlueSky a few hours after the CEO, 50-year-old Brian Thompson, was gunned down in Manhattan by a man with a silenced pistol. After a backlash, Lorenz later posted, "no, that doesn’t mean people should murder them."
The Network Contagion Research Institute at Rutgers University identified thousands of similar posts on X within hours of the killing. The posts, which could have been viewed by more than 8.3 million accounts, garnered 180,000 likes and 24,400 retweets, according to the institute.
Concerning Posts
"The surge of social media posts praising and glorifying the killing of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson is deeply concerning," said Alex Goldenberg, a senior adviser for the institute and a fellow at Rutgers.
"We’ve identified highly engaged posts circulating the names of other healthcare CEOs and others celebrating the shooter," he said. "The framing of this incident as some opening blow in a class war and not a brutal murder is especially alarming."
Radicalization
Law enforcement officials have been warning for years of a heightened risk of political violence from a small minority of Americans, mainly on the right, radicalized on social media and marinating in conspiracy theories. (Police have not revealed information about the killer’s motive.)
Political Spectrum
These posts appeared to come mostly from accounts that have expressed far-left views, but some came from far-right accounts as well, noted Tobita Chow, a climate activist whose post summing up the sentiment reached millions of accounts.
"My notifications are mostly a cascade of populist rage," he posted. "Checking people’s profiles, it’s coming from across the political spectrum: leftists, normie Dems, MAGA, a libertarian or two, and many people whose presence on here is otherwise entirely apolitical."
Main Theme
The main theme animating many of the posts about the Thompson killing was that UnitedHealthcare and other insurance companies harm and kill Americans by denying coverage in the name of profit. Many posts raised an announcement last month by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield — which covers consumers in Connecticut, New York, and Missouri — that it would no longer pay for anesthesia care if a surgery or procedure goes beyond an arbitrary time limit, regardless of how long the procedure takes. (Anthem BCBS reversed course on the policy Thursday.)
Reactions
On the official Facebook post about Thompson’s death from UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, most people reacted with the "laughter" emoji. Out of approximately 40,000 reactions on the post, 35,000 used the "Haha" emote and 2,200 used the "Sad" emote.
Some of the top sitewide posts on Reddit after the shooting were celebratory, ranging from memes that congratulated the shooter to top replies in subreddits like "r/nursing" that created a mock coverage review and claim denial for Thompson’s care.
Killer’s Motive
Thompson was the father of two teenagers. Law enforcement officials told NBC News they found the words "deny," "defend," and "depose," written on the shell casings found at the shooting scene. Those words seem to echo the title of a 2010 book, "Delay Deny Defend," whose subtitle is, "Why insurance companies don’t pay claims and what you can do about it." The author declined to comment.
Conclusion
The killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has sparked a wave of concern about radicalization and political violence in the United States. While the motive behind the killing is still unknown, the social media posts expressing support for the killing are a worrying sign of the growing sentiment of anger and frustration towards healthcare executives.
FAQs
Q: What was the motive behind the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO?
A: The motive behind the killing is still unknown.
Q: What was the main theme animating many of the posts about the Thompson killing?
A: The main theme was that UnitedHealthcare and other insurance companies harm and kill Americans by denying coverage in the name of profit.
Q: What was the reaction to the killing on social media?
A: Tens of thousands of people expressed support for the killing or sympathized with it on social media.
Q: What is the concern about radicalization in the United States?
A: The concern is that a small minority of Americans, mainly on the right, are being radicalized on social media and marinating in conspiracy theories, which could lead to political violence.
