The reaction to a CEO’s killing
What’s your image of health insurance companies?
These days many people in English speaking countries hate or distrust health insurance companies.
Why do you think that is?
Many customers complain that health insurance companies:
take too long to process claims
suddenly and secretly cancel or change contracts
make the process too complicated so customers always make mistakes
Basically people believe the companies are trying to increase profits by hiring too few staff and by trying to delay making payments to clients
On December 4th the CEO of United Healthcare, Brian Thompson, was shot and killed outside the Hilton Hotel in Downtown Manhattan.
The shooter ran down an alley, jumped on a bicycle and cycled through Central Park. He then walked a bit, took a taxi to a bus station and took a bus to leave the city.
4 days later the police identified the shooter and put his face on the news.
He was arrested 1 day later 300 miles away when a Mcdonalds employee recognised him.
How do you think American people reacted to this news?
Tweets about the incident:
”Today, we mourn the death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, gunned down.... wait, I'm sorry - today we mourn the deaths of the 68,000 Americans who needlessly die each year so that insurance company execs like Brian Thompson can become multimillionaires.”
mourn (verb) = feel sad when someone dies
exec “eg-zek” = executive"When you shoot one man in the street it's murder. When you kill thousands of people in hospitals by taking away their ability to get treatment you're an entrepreneur"
entrepreneur “awn-trih-pree-noor” = person who makes their own company“I got a notification to be careful because the United Healthcare shooter is still at large…I personally do not feel like I am on the shooter’s radar because I am not the CEO of a highly divisive multi billion dollar insurance company.”
the criminal is still at large = hasn’t been caught by the policePoll: 41 percent of young voters (18-29) find killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO acceptable
One finance website found that UnitedHealthcare denies 33% of all individual claims, twice the industry average.
Many customers complained the company uses faulty AI algorithm to assess claims and the company is being sued by the family of two deceased customers who were denied coverage
How do you feel about the reaction by the US public?
The killer’s name is Luigi Mangione. He was 26 years old when he shot the CEO. He is from a wealthy family, enjoyed surfing and went to an Ivy League university.
He injured his back while surfing and needed surgery. After that he suffered from chronic pain and he felt his insurance company didn’t help him find the source of the pain.
chronic = happens again and again
When his pictures were released, how did people react?
Hundreds of Twitter users said “he is too hot to be guilty”
Mangione loved Japanese culture and visited Japan a few times in 2023 and 2024
He loved Nara saying: “"I think I want to stay here for like a month, and just meditate and just hot spring and just do some writing”
Japanese people who met him in a bar in Feb 2024 said he was friendly and that he loved Japanese culture. One month later he wrote: “the solution to the country’s falling birth rates wasn’t immigration but “cultural.”
His suggestions included …
ban sex toys which are easy to buy in Don Quixote
ban maid cafes
replace conveyor belts in sushi restaurants with waiters to promote human interaction
How do you feel about his opinions?
This story shows how Americans think. The next story shows how British people think…
David Blaine is a famous magician. He’s English but is also popular in the US.
In 2003 he lived in a glass box above the River Thames for 44 days. He didn’t eat food, use the toilet and could only drink 4.5 liters of water a day.
How do you think he survived for so long?
How did British people react to this stunt?
Many people thought the stunt was stupid so they wanted to break his spirit.
What do you think they did?
They threw lemons and hit golf balls at his cage
They played loud music so he couldn’t sleep (some people brought trumpets or drums)
They shined lights at him when he tried to sleep
People left food on the floor below his cage to break his spirit
2 guys carried a Mcdonalds meal on a drone in front of his cage
