The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in an alleyway on Manhattan’s Upper West Side is the latest example that tensions are roiling American society.

Some people, especially on social media, have been gloating about the killing. While some users blamed their anger on the insurance industry for their behavior, others condemned their inhumane actions.

But in between those two poles, the furor was a reminder of two truths.

Many people think that insurance companies act out of greed and callousness. This can lead to anger, which can then escalate into violence. This is particularly true during times of social tension.

A national survey conducted in the United States a year earlier revealed that nearly one-fourth of Americans believed “true American Patriots”, may be forced to use violence to save their country.

In Thompson’s case, cross-currents collided in an uncertain situation.

The motive for the shooting and the location where the gunman is located are both unknown.

The 50-year-old CEO of an Insurance Company, who was attending his company’s Investor Conference at the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, was fatally shot as he entered the hotel.

The security cameras on the scene recorded footage of an attacker in a hooded coat and backpack shooting at Thompson. He was a highly skilled firearms operator who had cleared a jamming out of his gun before firing at Thompson.

The killer appears to not be in a panic when Thompson falls. His light running is limited to crossing the street.

Shell casings at the scene had words written on them with marker, according to The Associated Press, said to have included “Depose,” “Deny” and “Defend.”

Jay Feinman’s 2010 book, “Delay Deny Defend”, was a book critical of insurance companies. Its subtitle was, “Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It”.

The book’s sales have increased slightly. Several editions of this book were among the top four bestsellers on Amazon for “business insurance” on Thursday night.

Thompson received a compensation package of more than $10 million per year.

A user wrote: “Thoughts today and sympathy to all who have lost their loved ones because #UnitedHealthcare denied their insurance claims. “

Another poster posted a picture of a mock-up logo with crosshairs and asked: “Do you believe I would be sued for creating this shirt?”

One person wrote: “It’s hard to have sympathy for CEOs who run the worst healthcare companies in the world.” They are eating the graves of those you love. ”

All comments are not anonymous.

Anthony Zenkus is a lecturer at Columbia University who specializes in social work. He said: “Today, we mourn the death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He was shot…no I’m sorry. Today we mourn the 68,000 Americans killed needlessly each year to allow insurance executives like Brian Thompson to become multimillionaires.

Zenkus’s tweet was liked by 84,000 users and retweeted 11,000 times

The opposite reaction was triggered by this kind of feeling.

Billy Binion is a libertarian author from Reason magazine. He wrote about how “vile” it was to celebrate the death of a father of two.

Robert Pondiscio, of the American Enterprise Institute, wrote that the online reaction to Thompson’s passing “marks a low point for social networking”.

It is important to emphasize the larger context which influenced Thompson’s response.

According to a KFF survey conducted earlier this year, 97 percent blamed the insurance companies for high healthcare costs.

Health insurance companies often act in ways that confirm their harshest critics.

An Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield insurer has abandoned its proposed policy change which would have limited the reimbursement of anesthetics during surgery.

Critics attacked a plan that would have made patients pay for their own anesthesia. According to the company, “significant misinformation” was spread about the proposal.

Kathy Hochul, New York Governor and a Democratic Party member who opposed the change, said on Thursday, “We forced Anthem to reverse its course, and today they will announce a complete reversal.”

The public continues to debate the issue of health insurance profits.

KFF’s February report shows that Americans have a minimum medical debt of $220 billion. Around 3 million Americans owe debts exceeding $10,000.

According to the AP, Thompson’s company had a revenue of $281 billion last year.

In a country with high tensions, the shots that killed Thompson can be heard all over.