You have probably seen this face all over the place, haven’t you? You likely know this man’s name too: Luigi Mangione, a formerly unknown man, a brilliant Ivy League alumnus with an upper-class background. On December 4, 2024, Brian Thompson was allegedly killed by a then-unknown man who was later identified as Luigi Mangione. To this day, Luigi has not been convicted of any crimes and is still presumed innocent.
Now that this has been established, let’s dive in. Brian Thompson, may he rest in peace, was the CEO of UnitedHealthCare (UHC), a branch of the UnitedHealth Group insurance company. Healthcare is a concern for everyone, but in the United States of America, everyday citizens are at risk of bankruptcy due to medical bills. This fact does not appear to be the case in any other « developed » country. The USA is the land of the possible and the world of the absurd, where you will find the richest people but also, at times, the most ignorant ones in the same place.
In the aftermath of the killing of the UHC CEO, the authorities, politicians, and armed forces were in a frenzy to find the person presumed responsible for the death. The accused, Mangione, was found peacefully in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, with a 3D-printed gun and a manifesto. He was arrested and extradited back to New York, where the crime had occurred.
From the day the crime occurred to the day he was arrested, the situation went from worse to worser for the authorities. First of all, a shooting in Manhattan is not a shock for the new yorkers, as they are all too familiar with the fact that they can die at gunpoint at any time and for any reason, given the loose gun policies in the States. However, this time, it was clear that the incident looked like an execution.
Some people claimed that the shooter was a professional hitman and that it was retaliation against the company Thompson worked for or a personal vendetta. The amount of resources the NYPD (New York Police Department) used to catch the shooter was astronomical and raised multiple questions. Many netizens pointed out that shootings happen daily in New York without the police department working so hard to solve them. Several citizens suggested that the money invested in the search for the shooter was only because of the victim’s high-profile status.
Nevertheless, a man had died, and even though it is a terrible tragedy for his loved ones, you might ask yourself why I think this is a case of class unity. I have researched this subject across various media platforms, and from my observations, 70-80% of the reactions expressed understanding toward Luigi. Netizens acknowledged that the CEO’s death was an unfortunate outcome, but the vast majority saw it as a consequence of the insurance company’s practices over time.
From the lower class to the middle class (remember, they constitute the majority of the population), and even some in the higher categories (excluding the 0.1% for obvious reasons), many could understand where the alleged perpetrator was coming from. Even supporters of the famous conservative commentator Ben Shapiro were actively arguing in the comments under one of his videos, stating that he could not divide citizens on this topic. Many conservatives emphasized that this was not a partisan (Conservatives vs Democrats) issue and refused to be divided over it.
Of course, some people were very judgmental of these reactions, accusing others of being heartless and condoning murder. However, as I mentioned earlier, 70-80% of the responses were highly satirical and/or in favor of the defendant. In my 30 years on Earth and my 12 years in North America, I have rarely seen our dear neighbors so unanimously in agreement on a subject. To understand this, you need to understand how the healthcare system works in the United States and how impactful and dreadful it can be for its citizens.
As I stated before, many countries in the world have diverse issues with healthcare, ranging from a lack of doctors and long emergency room wait times to months-long delays to see a specialist. Even here in Canada, we fear the privatization of our system, despite already facing these issues. However, no one in my country would be bankrupted by a medical bill as things stand right now, and this is the case for most countries. If you are aware of any exceptions, please leave a comment below.
The United States is known to have a rotten healthcare system. The system works for those who can afford it, while the poor are one accident away from losing everything. In this situation of imminent doom at every corner, can we blame citizens for not mourning the death of someone who was deeply involved in a system that harms them daily? Additionally, the authorities’ aggressive response helped Luigi Mangione be seen as a modern-day hero. The bad experiences people have endured for so long began to pour out on social media, and many were unsurprised by this fatal outcome.
AmeriKKKa is not becoming a socialist country—in fact, far from it, especially if you follow recent events since Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025. This article is not alluding to that. However, this brief moment of unity still needs to be noticed and acknowledged. Sometimes, even a pessimist like me can be surprised. I am not trying to uphold a killer, but the context of this situation needs to be highlighted. Perhaps one day, the world will be a better place for everyone, so incidents like this no longer occur. But with the current state of the world, I will not be surprised if events like this continue to happen more frequently.
Until next time, stay safe and well ! MalyneViMuse
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