On Dec. 4, 2024, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was assassinated. Only five days later the alleged assassin was revealed to be 26-year-old Luigi Mangione.
I watched these events unfold online and was shocked to see the majority of my generation watering down what happened.
The debate surrounding the ethical problems with our current healthcare industry is not new. However, the pain caused by the industry does not make it acceptable to inflict pain on those who run it.
A common phrase I have heard for a while is “Two wrongs do not make a right,” and I feel this is relevant to the conversation about Mangione’s actions.
Potential corruption and large salary aside, Thompson was still loved by someone and that is enough to give him worth. On the other hand, it seems people do not listen to a message unless there is a shock factor to grab people’s attention.
If Mangione had just gotten up and protested, I doubt people would care about the message he wanted to share. So instead, the talking point of the healthcare industry being corrupt is only discussed when someone shoots the CEO of the biggest health care company in America with bullets saying “Deny, Defend, and Depose.”
This certainly is proven through the media outrage and discussions, not only with this incident, but also with others. On Jan. 2, a war veteran shot himself inside a Tesla Cybe Truck before it exploded in front of the Trump hotel in Las Vegas.
The Associated Press says this man had left notes in the car saying this serves as a warning for the country’s troubles. He wrote, “This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake-up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?”
Violence being used for people’s attention is not new, and something that has happened since the beginning of time. It is customary that the majority of people strongly react and listen to something when violence is involved, yet I feel like a majority of people have forgotten what peaceful protest is.
The media’s response to Mangione has been significantly divided with the majority of politicians condemning his actions and people on social media glamorizing it.
The online reaction to Mangione’s identity is both hilarious and odd. His identity being revealed led people to find photos and videos of him online in college.
I opened TikTok only a few minutes after he was named as a suspect and was greeted with cute fan edits like he’s a K-pop idol and not a potential murderer. While I respect how bold these editors are, it is an odd sight to see.
I have seen petitions online and comments under videos to either drop charges or pardon Mangione when in any court of law there is not a true reason to free him other than personal bias.
The media plays a role in not only controlling but creating outrage. Violence is nearly always what is covered and what will get someone’s attention, whether they’d like to admit it or not.
I would never condone violence, but I believe that everyone out there would not care nearly as much about these messages if they were done in tranquility. It scares me to see that some people are apathetic when it comes to peace, and I hope that the future calls for an uptick in protests disregarding violence.
