“In this house, Luigi Mangione is a hero, end of story. » On the Internet or on derivative products (stickers, clothing, etc.), messages glorifying the suspect in the murder of Brian Thompson on December 4 in New York are legion in the United States. In just a few days, Luigi Mangione, arrested after his escape, became an American pop-culture phenomenon. But how can we explain that a suspected killer became the hero of part of America?
To understand this, we must look at the suspected motivations of the suspect. Investigators notably found a manifesto written by Luigi Mangione, in which the 26-year-old criticizes the “most expensive” health system in the world. He denounces companies which “continue to abuse our country to make immense profit”, adding: “frankly, these parasites well deserved it”. Among these “parasites” we find UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance company in the United States… of which Brian Thompson was the CEO.
A “political crime” against capital
“The American health system is very violent,” summarizes Olivier Richomme, professor of American civilization at the University of Lyon 2. Apart from a “safety net” reserved for the elderly and disabled, the entire insurance system is in effect privatized, explains Marie Assaf, doctor in political science at EHESS, specializing in social policies in the United States. “Many people prefer to live without insurance, even if it means not providing care and putting themselves in danger,” because private insurance “is expensive and there is always an out-of-pocket cost,” she points out.
United Healthcare insures more than 50 million Americans, for a turnover of 370 billion dollars and 16 billion dollars in profits in 2023. At the same time, the company has opposed a refusal rate of its policyholders of 27 % in 2019, reports the New York Times. The opioid crisis, which “finds its source within pharmaceutical lobbies” and “ravages certain territories”, is linked to this social crisis around health.
“There is the idea of the State abandoning itself to big capital, which kills part of the population with impunity in a more or less direct way,” explains Marie Assaf. Evidence about Luigi Mangione’s possible motive seems to indicate that he considers Brian Thompson directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people. The vision of a Luigi Mangione “who avenges the people who are victims of a form of economic oppression” therefore changes his potential gesture into an acceptable “political crime”, continues the specialist.
Information “like a show”?
The “validation” of this murder by part of the American population is a symptom of “polarization and the increase in political violence”, which appeals even to Democrats, says Marie Assaf. Turning a blind eye to Luigi Mangione’s political ideas, left-wing voters applaud the death of a CEO. “No one cries for them,” underlines Olivier Richomme, while the Americans have just re-elected a Donald Trump “who will give pride of place to these insurers”. A contradiction which symbolizes “the society of the spectacle” rather than a protest movement, laments the professor of American civilization.
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“There is a real reversal of values”, according to him, with information “treated like reality TV” and watched “with detachment, while waiting for the next episode”. Because on the 24-hour news channels, “we have eclipsed the substantive debate, we have followed the manhunt, but we are not talking about health insurance or access to firearms”, he denounces. Olivier Richomme, however, recognizes the social dimension of the news item. “Insurance is not a very well-regarded profession, it could have been a banker. The elites are gripped by the flu. » Does the social media sounding board really represent American public opinion? The success of derivative products to the glory of Luigi is an indicator.