Who shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson?
Police say they are looking for a man in a light brown or cream-colored jacket, who may be carrying a distinctive gray backpack.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was a father, Midwesterner and well-liked executive. On Wednesday, he was killed in broad daylight in Manhattan – and quickly became a meme and source of ridicule on social media.
His killer is still on the loose.
“Thoughts and deductibles to the family. Unfortunately my condolences are out-of-network.” “Sympathy denied. Greed is considered a pre existing condition.”
Some were sickened by the comments: “The seemingly widespread online celebration of the assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO makes me feel despair for humanity. I get that healthcare is broken, but these reactions are truly sick.”
For some, it’s easy to see why people who don’t personally know Thompson might scoff at this tragedy. People are living out tragedies on a daily basis, on top of not being able to pay their healthcare bills whether they’re insured or not.
The response is also reminiscent of the reactions from some when President-elect Donald Trump was shot earlier this year at one of his rallies, and when the Titanic submersible went missing last year with wealthy passengers aboard (all five people on the ship died).
People can hold several thoughts at once in situations of this nature. It can be sad that a human was killed, and sad that healthcare in this country is a burden for so many.
“The public is feeling very unheard, uncared for and unseen in our plights,” says Gina Moffa, licensed clinical social worker and author of “Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go.” “We live in a world where it seems the rich get richer on the backs of others, and it’s hard to garner empathy when we feel so (deprioritized) in society.”
‘It is human nature to try and compartmentalize’
Social media rewards cruelty, so it makes sense why many jump on that bandwagon and revel in someone’s misfortunes. A CEO raking in millions or billions of dollars feels separate from most people’s everyday lives, especially those living from paycheck to paycheck.
“When events like this occur, it is human nature to try and compartmentalize our understanding of it to make sense of it and make ourselves feel better, safer,” says Laura Petiford, a licensed marriage and family therapist. “If we can believe that someone deserves what they got, separating ourselves from that person creates a sense of psychological safety for us.”
Plus, holding a man like Thompson responsible for all the healthcare industry’s problems is “akin to holding immigrants wholly responsible for many of our societal challenges,” Petiford adds.
‘You can hold two ideas in your mind that seem contradictory’
Keep in mind, too, that all who knew Thompson are grieving in one way or another. This type of controversial death in the public eye, though, contributes to feelings of “disenfranchised grief” – a situation “where society or communities get to dictate what is deemed worthy of grieving,” Moffa says.
“When you remember that the individual is someone’s loved one, you bring more compassion into the equation,” says Amy Morin, psychotherapist, author of “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do” and the host of a podcast.
There’s no cost in being kind to strangers, but “in order to be kind, you must also have empathy,” says psychologist Reneé Carr. “Empathy is different from sympathy in that with sympathy you feel the same sadness or negative impact of another. In contrast, with empathy you can feel for others, even if their pain does not personally affect you.”
Morin recommends this approach if you’re still struggling to find empathy or sympathy: “You can hold two ideas in your mind that seem contradictory. For example, you might tell yourself, ‘It’s unfortunate this happened and I hope it leads to change,’ or ‘I’m sorry someone lost their life and I hope this loss helps people understand the insurance system is broken.'”
