Critics are calling out news media outlets for romanticizing UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin Luigi Mangione as a hero to the working poor.
Mangione, 26, is a suspect in the ambush shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan on December 4.
Mangione was detained and arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania on December 9 after an intense 5-day manhunt.
According to Atlanta Black Star, critics pointed to the stark contrast in how the news media fawns over privileged white men who are arrested for murder, while Black suspects are vilified in the media.
For example, they point to images or stories showcasing Mangione’s education and achievements, with friends and family often claiming he would never hurt a fly.
“Don’t you love the way they portray white killers like this latest guy and Kyle Rittenhouse?” author and political commentator Sophia A. Nelson wrote on X, formerly Twitter, referring to Rittenhouse, the teenager who was acquitted in the 2020 shooting deaths of two men during riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Don’t you love the way they portray white killers like this latest guy and Kyle Rittenhouse? And the man on the train who killed the black man in New York. It’s just disturbing. Normalizing this all American boy. Wow!
— Sophia A. Nelson (@IAmSophiaNelson) December 9, 2024
Friends describe Mangione as “thoughtful”, “very friendly”, and “easy to get along with.”
Mangione is a high school valedictorian from Towson, Maryland, who went on to earn 2 degrees from an Ivy League college. He’s from a wealthy Baltimore family and he attended a prep school where tuition cost $37,000 a year.
Mangione’s manifesto suggests he meticulously planned the attack on insurance corporations who put profits above human life.
On Tuesday, Mangione appeared at an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania. He is fighting extradition back to New York City. As he entered the courthouse, he yelled that his detainment is “unjust” and “an insult to the intelligence of the American people”.
Sheriff’s deputies manhandled Mangione and dragged him into the courthouse yelling and screaming.
Luigi Mangione: “This is completely unjust and is an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience!”
Keep in mind this kid’s family is worth upwards of $100M. Absolutely wild. pic.twitter.com/f3qsqRdcz3
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) December 10, 2024
Many Americans view Mangione as a hero who took on the health insurance industry that prioritizes profits over healthcare. Women on Reddit.com are captivated by Mangione’s smoldering good looks.
One fan wrote: “Super hot and he has empathy for the poor despite being rich? I can only take so much!”
Another person wrote: “Damn this man is fine tho.”
A third person wrote: “I’ll be waiting for him to be released.”
Mangione is expected to be extradited to New York in early 2025.
