The arrest of Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has gripped public consideration. But it has additionally revealed a disturbing undercurrent: a wave of commentary implying, in twisted logic, that the sufferer had it coming.
Let’s be clear: The small print of this case — Mangione’s privileged upbringing, his household’s ties to senior residing, his Ivy League schooling, and his obvious antipathy towards company America — could make for an intriguing narrative. However compelling tales typically blur the reality.
At its core, this tragedy seems to be a coincidence. There isn’t any proof connecting Mangione’s alleged actions to his household’s longstanding involvement in senior care or to Lorien Well being Providers, the corporate his grandfather based.
What’s particularly troubling is the wave of schadenfreude directed on the sufferer. Social media is rife with posts mocking the insurance coverage trade’s insurance policies, corresponding to “prior authorization,” and viral jokes about denied claims. Worse, some have brazenly celebrated the homicide, calling Mangione a “hero” for allegedly concentrating on a healthcare CEO.
To make certain, antipathy towards insurance coverage corporations just isn’t obscure. Insurers have earned a fame for being lower than beneficiant when it issues most, and numerous folks know the heartbreak of denied protection. However frustration with the system doesn’t — and can’t — justify what occurred in New York final week.
This tragedy calls for grief, not glee. Grief for a life taken too quickly. Grief for a younger man whose promising future seems to have darkened past recognition. Grief for the households — each Thompson’s and Mangione’s — now left to navigate the aftermath of an unspeakable act.
As Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) properly famous, we reside in a civil society. Vigilante justice — whether or not enacted or cheered — undermines the very foundations of civility we rely on to resolve grievances with out violence.
Let’s resist the temptation to show this tragedy right into a platform for reasonable photographs or misplaced outrage. As an alternative, we must always deal with what really issues: justice for the sufferer, accountability for the accused, and compassion for all these left within the wake of this tragedy.
John O’Connor is editorial director for McKnight’s Senior Residing and its sister media manufacturers, McKnight’s Lengthy-Time period Care Information, which focuses on expert nursing, and McKnight’s Residence Care. Learn extra of his columns right here.
