industry ’ s tactics — made it clear from the outside that this was an act meant to tell a story : that a death-dealing industry governed by wealthy corporate fat cats deserves to be dismantled , that its time has come , that its leaders need to be taken down .
The killer struck a chord so deep that the industry and the punditocracy supporting it didn ’ t have time to articulate a counternarrative before many among the public began celebrating the cold-blooded murder . Americans began rooting for a man who carried out the ultimate revenge fantasy of anyone who ’ s ever been denied coverage . “ Wanted ” posters for other healthcare CEOs emerged on the streets of New York City , for “ denying medical care for corporate profit .” Comments filled with deep satisfaction and biting sarcasm over Thompson ’ s killing appeared on Reddit boards . Merchandise inspired by the words on the bullet casings sold on retail websites such as Amazon . Ballads were sung on TikTok .
Stories are powerful . They can move us into action — individual vigilante violence or collective movement building toward solutions that benefit us all .
For decades , counternarratives by pro-industry groups kept us paralyzed into inaction . For example , 15 years ago , when the nation had the chance to rid itself of parasitic health insurance companies , a vocal “ astroturf ” group called the Tea Party , parading as a grassroots formation , stymied President Barack Obama ’ s attempt to fundamentally reform healthcare . Obama didn ’ t even back the best alternative — Medicare for all — and only went as far as proposing a “ public option ” to private health insurance , where people could buy into publicly funded health plans . The then-president explained that with a public option , “ no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the coverage that you need .”
Republicans , centrist Democrats , and their wellfunded proxies fought back hard with powerful narratives , making wild claims about government “ death panels ,” and killed the public option . The version of the Affordable Care Act that ultimately passed was a gift to the insurance industry with a few bright spots , such as the end of “ pre-existing conditions ” as a basis for price hikes . The story that private , for-profit health insurance is superior to publicly funded healthcare won out . It was such a powerful tale that the health insurance industry had us rooting for the profits of billionaires and against our own interests .
Now , a CEO is dead , allegedly at the hands of a telegenic white shooter , in an act that has seemingly broken our collective psychosis . Many claim the murder is merely retaliation for the untold numbers killed by health insurance denials of care . Thompson ’ s death has unleashed countless horror stories about the industry ’ s
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