“Many people seem to think Thompson got what he deserved. The glee we’re seeing doesn’t just stem from animosity towards insurance companies, but anger towards an unfair system in which the elite rarely seem to face any consequences for their actions. The banks that caused the 2008 financial crisis got bailed out while regular people lost their homes. The key executives behind the opioid crisis may never see a jail cell…

“To be clear: I am not in any way condoning Thompson’s murder or endorsing vigilantes shooting CEOs on the street. Murdering anyone is quite clearly wrong. But please spare me the pearl-clutching.”

‍Arwa Mahdawi, The Guardian

“What is particularly stunning about all this is that one of the core arguments used against putting in place a single-payer health care system like Medicare for All in the United States — by politicians, political commentators, corporate flacks — is that people simply love their private health insurance too much. These comments show this is blatantly untrue.”

‍Branko Marcetic, Jacobin Magazine

“I found myself wincing at the tone of the messages rolling in on my various group threads and social media sites… My compass on these things is always how I’d want my daughter to hear me react in such a moment. Would I want her to think it’s okay to dance on the grave of someone whose sons are now fatherless?…

“I also worry that the rage is causing more people to gravitate toward ideas that ultimately are dangerous. There seems to be a growing attitude that real change can only come by burning it all down. Or that we need to be open to extreme approaches to fixing our system — even if they involve sacrificing bedrock tenets of public health. One needs only look at the positive caveats many suddenly seem to be finding in the incoming administration’s picks to lead the nation’s top public health agencies as a guide.”

‍Lisa Jarvis, Bloomberg