Luigi Mangione: A Hero? Of Course Not

Luigi Mangione is the main suspect in the cold-blooded murder of Brian Thompson UnitedHealthcare CEO. The family’s grief is not only being charged by his murder, but by the social reaction of some people who both in social networks and in the media want to glorify him as a hero. And more so taking into account that there may be an escalation of murders after identifying the list of other CEOs of insurance companies as reported by The Guardian.

The media’s responsibility is also to identify how the impact of certain headlines contributes to the socialization of the attraction to violence, «In love with the murderer», «A killer turned a popular hero» are headlines that we are witnessing every day, but when we consult the headlines of the most internationally recognized media such as The New York Times or The Guardian, so far there is none that reflects this sense, but quite the opposite.

The struggle for the improvement of the health system in favor of the improvement of people’s lives is necessary, but not at any price. No social struggle can be fought with the murder of a person in cold blood as Luigi Mangione has allegedly done. Besides, what does it solve? Nothing, it is an unintelligent and violent action.

But it is worse to present him as a hero, who is behind it? Why does it matter? Obviously, for the people who are contributing every day to the elimination of violence, whoever it is, and whoever it comes from, it is not an act of bravery, but on the contrary, of cowardice. But, as research published in the scientific journal of the New York Academy of Medicine has shown, the coercive discourse tries to impose on many girls the belief that violent boys are attractive.

Therefore, while the media must report on the social reaction in social networks, not only of one part, but also of all that is being generated against this discourse, how it is contextualized, and being aware that the headline, the only sentence that in most cases is read, can generate a very negative impact, or quite the opposite, is key. That is how the editorial responsibility in cases like the one we are witnessing must be key, brave and intelligent and against any kind of violence.