FASCINATION WITH ASSASSINATION
The moral outrages pour in, as I knew they would--Trump as Time Magazine Man of the Year (for the second time!); POTUS-to be invited to the reopening of Notre Dame (Borowitz called him the Antichrist); R.F.K., Jr. anywhere near health protocols; Bezos, Zuckerberg, et al. completely crumbling by paying fealty, in other words, donating to the Swearing In on January 20 (I'll be swearing.) And the list goes on. And there are the cabinet appointees. The scary clowns will be in the Big Tent.
But nothing quite captures the disintegration of moral values in this country with the hoopla this week surrounding the suspected murderer of a United Healthcare executive. Again racism smacks one in the face. George Floyd was pinned down and suffocated to death for paying with a 20 dollar counterfeit bill. Luigi Mangione, a white man, was cuffed and guided to a police car for murdering a man at close range. Photographers got numerous pictures of him as one policewoman clumsily held onto his shoulder, as he entered a building for an extradition hearing. He had opportunities to voice his outrage.
Even crazier, before he was apprehended, a large number of people labeled him a hero, a savior, or some kind of Robin Hood character. No, the young man is a deranged murderer. (I am assuming the authorities have the right guy, since his manifesto--what a word for crazy rambling--incriminated him.) Governor Shapiro of Pennsylvania said it well: "We do not kill people in cold blood for policy differences or to express a viewpoint."
Assassination is never good. It is one thing to watch movies, quite another to contemplate increased shootings. We have had our share of people shooting employers, etc. This is not new. Remember "going postal"? What is new is the echo chamber of voices praising violence readily spread via social media. This type of violence is yet another reason for stricter gun control. Mangione used a ghost gun which is a privately made, untraceable weapon built from directions easily obtained on the internet. Gun control advocates have been working to prohibit these guns.
Earlier in the week, I read that, instead of shaming this man, people commented about the alleged murderer's handsome face, well toned body, and how he looked without a shirt. Social media allows and encourages this nonsense. But, of course, the comments could have been removed immediately and ignored. But no longer is this the case--anything can be said without impunity; it's free speech. It is far easier and dangerous to spout off impulsive comments on a social media site, which can go viral in seconds, than to think through an idea and, for example, write a letter to a newspaper or public official.
People have worshipped criminals who supposedly fight the rich to help the poor forever. I mentioned Robin Hood, and there was Bonny and Clyde. But, social media platform owners can keep these thoughts where they belong--in the commentator's head. Newspapers and t.v. and radio newscasters can stop broadcasting the sensationalist reports.
Just as a shooter murdered a business executive in an assassination-type killing is a crime, so are the uncountable instances of insurance companies' refusals of claims by ordinary Americans criminal acts. For sure, our healthcare system needs continual improvement. But, this was known prior to a violent act on the streets of Manhattan. No, we did not need a crazed individual to facilitate work on this issue. That idea only serves to encourage vigilante actions which makes our country even scarier than it is at the end of 2024.
©Karen Levi 2024
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