The Canonization of Luigi Mangione
The assassination of the CEO of HealthUnited shocked the world. Then the world applauded.
The assassination of Brian Thompson, the CEO of HealthUnited (one of the largest and most vile entities in the health insurance field), shocked the world. Then the world applauded.
During the manhunt for Thompson's killer, and in the days since the alleged suspect, Luigi Mangione, was captured, something of a fever gripped the hearts of millions: a belief that one person can make a difference seemed suddenly justified. Millions started sharing supportive words and memes online, artists produced work that showcased Luigi's face to the world, and the court of public opinion became one so decidedly pro-assassination that it took the mainstream pundits completely by surprise.
The question isn't: "was this justified," the question is, "what does it mean that so many believe it was?"
In response, the powers that be have thrown their full weight behind the concept of law and order, attempting to highlight the concept that no murder can be acceptable, and that anyone whose actions lead to the death of another person must be held responsible. Apparently, they missed the irony that this is exactly what the vast majority of Americans seem to believe happened when Thompson was killed.
Furthermore, entities purported to be acting on behalf of UnitedHealth have started skimming the Internet for merchandise based on Luigi, and filing bogus copyright takedown requests in an attempt to halt the rise of public fervor for the alleged assassin.
Jason Koebler
Now, we've learned that Luigi Mangione has been indicted on a terrorism charge – which has rapidly become the United States' most intense charge, easily outstripping the relatively mundane act of murder (yes, I'm being sarcastic).
The question isn't: "was this justified," the question is, "what does it mean that so many believe it was?" In the media, we're seeing powerful officials from every sector decry both the murder and the public's widespread reaction to it – but in all of these cases there is an appeal to the concept of "law and order" as the reason why the killing wasn't justified.
"This wasn’t a debate, it was murder," said Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim.
In a society where the people could stand up and immediately take action, UnitedHealth would already have ceased to exist.
The problem is that it's impossible to debate men like Brian Thompson. Rather, it's impossible to debate any corporate entity in any meaningful way. There are debates on the legitimacy of corporate power every day – these come from across the political spectrum, too. But for a debate to have value in a society, it must be able to directly, and immediately, affect the society.
When was the last time you felt like your ability to argue against corporate power would be listened to, respected, and might substantively alter the course of some event in your life? Yeah, me either.
As I mentioned in my last article on this subject, I'm not focused so much on the ethics and morality of the killing. What concerns me is the fact that we've reached a point where murder is seen as the most effective means of fomenting change. Because, once a society reaches that point, dark days loom on the horizon. We're already seeing the State's reaction: suppression, coercion, and continued maintenance of the systems that are fueling America's rage. And we're seeing the revolutionary impulse arise, which, historically, leads to bloodshed and the reinstatement of a new ruling class at least as bad as what existed before.
In a society where the people could stand up and immediately take action, UnitedHealth would already have ceased to exist. But, because we are a society of law (distinct from ethics or morality), every attempt to rid ourselves of corporate parasitism is met by obfuscation, by violence, and by the sort of terror only a State can truly command.
[This killing] means that the laws that bind our society together have become separated from ethics and morality to a point where violence is seen as the only available option.
Morally, the greatest criminals in the room are all insurance companies – the very idea of insurance companies is immoral. But legally, insurance companies are not only allowed to keep doing what they do, they are protected from any repercussions by the power of the State.
Take a look at what happened to Briana Boston, the mother of three who is being held on a $100,000 bail because she lost her temper over the phone.
“My client is 42, married mother of three," Boston's attorney stated in her defense, "[She has] never had any criminal charges or convictions. May you release her on her own recognizance." To which the judge replied: “I do find that the bond of $100,000 is appropriate considering the status of our country at this point.”
Every actor for the State has recognized that this moment in time is pivotal – agents of the law are publicly admitting that the entire country is so tightly wound that it could snap at any moment. And the only thing that our power structures are doing? Arresting moms who are being unethically double-crossed by their insurance companies.
Which brings us back to the topic at hand: the public canonization of Luigi Mangione, the man allegedly responsible for Brian Thompson's murder. In the court of public opinion, Luigi is rapidly becoming a folk-hero (in a long tradition of folk heroes like William Tell) for the assassination. Whether he actually did the deed or not is undecided, but what's clear is that the vast majority of Americans (and a fair few folks in other countries as well) support the idea of direct action against powerful men and women who benefit from the suffering of others.
This should make us all concerned because it means that the laws that bind our society together have become separated from ethics and morality to a point where violence is seen as the only available option.
And the tighter our government, our political figures, and our "justice" system try to hold back this tide – they more they squeeze and already angry and terrorized population – the closer we come to a precipice from which few societies have managed to fall from and survive.