Opinion | Three Columnists Wrestle With the Lionizing of Luigi Mangione

Opinion Deputy Editor Patrick Healy hosts an online conversation with Times Opinion columnists Michelle Goldberg, Treci McMillan Cottom, and Zeynep Tufeksi about the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and Luigi – Discussed the reaction and backlash to the murder charge against Mangione. .

Patrick Healy: Zeynep, Michelle, and Tressie, you three think and write a lot about the rifts in society, especially how people react, push back, and rationalize online. Over the past week, Americans have been grappling with one such disconnect. The outpouring of disdain for health insurance companies following the assassination of industry CEO Brian Thompson, and the intense social media interest in alleged killer Luigi Mangione. What struck you most about the American response, and how did it differ from reactions to other high-profile incidents and social rifts?

Zeynep Tufekci: I was struck by the widespread sentiment that “I don’t condone murder, but I understand why some people are so angry at health insurance companies.” It was much more than the usual pointed or extreme comments you’d see after a major incident. It appeared in conservative and liberal communities. It appeared in many less political corners.

Michelle Goldberg: More than anything, I was shocked by the number of people who condoned murder. On my TikTok feed, someone posted a photo of a tattoo with three bullets that read “Reject,” “Defend,” and “Jump.” These are the words Mangione is said to have written on the cartridge. Another person posted a prayer candle with an image of themselves. Apparently, $5 for every item sold will be donated to his legal fund. There is a link online where you can donate to his prison affairs fund. It all feels like something out of a cinematic dystopia, to the extent that he’s a folk hero.

Healy: Mangione continues to be called a “folk hero.” That’s understandable, but assassinations perpetuate a culture of violence and fear. The phrase “folk hero” seems to suggest why so many people continue to talk about this mass shooting as if it were justified.

Goldberg: The question is not whether he is should Be a folk hero – that’s why, to countless people, he is definitely a folk hero. Obviously, this speaks to the outrage that people feel towards these insurance companies, and I understand and share that. But this is also part of the broader societal acceptance of vigilantism, which until now was primarily a right-wing phenomenon, stemming from a breakdown in trust in the institutions that were supposed to provide relief.