Editorial: Social media response to Luigi Mangione case part of America's problem

Luigi Mangione, New York CEO shooter suspect, arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Opinion

EDITORIAL

Just when it seemed America couldn’t get any stranger, we have a new contender - the bizarre case of murdered health insurance boss Brian Thompson and his alleged killer-turned-cult-hero, Luigi Mangione.

Thompson was the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, the biggest private health insurer in the United States. He was shot in the back outside the New York Hilton Midtown in the early morning by a man in a black face mask, who allegedly made his getaway across Central Park on an e-bike, then out of the city by bus.

Police soon released photos showing the suspect with his face mask pulled down, reportedly smiling flirtatiously at the receptionist in the New York hostel where he stayed using a fake ID. He was arrested on Monday after a staff member recognised him eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and charged with second-degree murder.

Police said he had a handwritten document that expressed “ill will” towards corporate America and included passages such as “frankly, these parasites had it coming”. They also said the words “deny”, “defend” and “depose” were written on shell casings found at the scene of Thompson’s murder. This appears to be a reference to the “three Ds of insurance” - tactics used by companies to reject payment claims by patients.

Even before Mangione was arrested and identified, the mystery shooter had become an instant folk hero on social media. He was portrayed as an avenger, the people’s answer to a failing (if not downright evil) healthcare system. People performed ballads on TikTok and created playlists on Spotify. His face in the police photos sparked “hot shooter” memes and a lookalike competition and Mangione’s own social media profiles have exploded with new likes and followers.

Most disturbingly, much of the online conversation has expressed direct support for the killing and denigrated the victim. Language that used to be confined to far-right internet outlets such as 4chan has gone mainstream in America. One manosphere YouTube blogger who tried to pin the reaction on left-wingers was howled down by his own audience and told to “wake up and read the room, bro”.

Officials were horrified at the public reaction but perhaps it’s no longer a surprise. This is a very American story, from a country with a long tradition of rule-breaking anti-heroes, from the Wild West to Batman via Bonnie and Clyde. Americans love a self-styled vigilante who takes the law into his own hands. That tendency has been amplified by social media algorithms, which reward outrageous behaviour. And it taps into justified anger at the privatised US healthcare system which is one of the most expensive in the world yet denies treatment to millions. New Zealanders may find it hard to understand but many who have visited the US can tell stories of medical centre staff who checked their credit card before their pulse.

Of course, the sensible response to this health injustice would be to vote for politicians who promise to change it. Americans have just done the opposite, so this incoherent and shallow online response by so many to a senseless, violent act seems sadly in tune with the current mood of US politics.