The American people are falling hard for Luigi Mangione — so hard that it may become a crisis, in the minds of elites.
The outpouring of support for the young man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in broad daylight in New York City has been staggering. Women and men across the internet are declaring lust for him. There is widespread condemnation of whoever turned him in, with online reviews of the Altoona McDonald’s where he was apprehended warning that the outlet is infested with “rats.” In a clip that has to be seen to be believed, his fellow prisoners in jail yelled “Free Luigi!” live on the TV news.
The fandom continues to spread, to the extent that the New York Times won’t publish any more pictures of his face or physique — presumably he’s too good-looking — nor will they publish his alleged statement explaining his killing, an abdication of the basic journalistic responsibility to fully explain a major public event like this. The paper of record seems afraid that his hotness will inspire copycat killings. Other liberal gatekeepers have also registered distress at Luigimania, with Graeme Wood of the Atlantic intoning that it shows not that the health care system is not broken but that “many people are.”
Beyond the confines of respectable opinion, the event has inspired many to tell their own tales of horrific abuse by the health insurance industry: hair-raising stories of parents battling daily for relief for terminally ill children, adults recalling how their parents died because of delays in needed care, and constant anxiety about whether needed medications or procedures will be covered or denied.
Americans don’t, as a rule, condone political violence. Yet many people seem shockingly OK with this murder. One line in Mangione’s statement seemed to resonate especially: “Frankly, these parasites had it coming.” It sounds like…
Auteur: Liza Featherstone
