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The cold-blooded, pre-meditated murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has precipitated a veritable landslide of discussion about health insurance industry atrocities. Amid the growing clamor for redress, it is becoming harder and harder to escape a conclusion I really, really don’t want to know: in present-day America, assassination (or terrorism, pick your semantic) works.
As a lifelong despiser of mobs, I am alarmed to see how effective this savage crime has already been. Pundits and citizens alike have flocked to various media to declare that what Luigi Mangina (as he will be known in prison) did is perfectly understandable. They then launch into horror stories of denied claims or questionable statistics about how many alleged victims the evil health insurance industry has put into an early grave. And while I absolutely agree that the industry could use some reform, it’s hard to escape the feeling that too many people think the killing was even a reasonable action.
Fortunately, other pundits are holding the line on public acceptance of political violence. “We shouldn’t look for rhyme or reason in his act of murder,” writes my colleague, Rick Moran. “Whatever tortured logic drove him to kill won’t be understood by the rest of us.”
Another fellow PJ Media writer, Scott Pinsker, is even more appalled by what he calls “the Kardashianization of our culture.” He observes:
“Fans” are already casting their favorite actor as the lead in the (inevitable) Luigi Mangione Netflix movie. (Actor Dave Franco was trending because of their resemblance.) Instead of being shocked and appalled by the premeditated murder of a CEO, these people grabbed their popcorn and are eagerly awaiting the second act.
He also aptly predicts:
First, Mangione will be the patron saint of the socialized healthcare movement. At the next major rally, you can be sure his name, face, brand, and likeness will be prominently represented.
But it won’t end there.
Over the next few years, Luigi Mangione will become the new Che Guevara for the greater liberal and/or Antifa movement.
