3 reasons behind the unsettling glorification of Luigi Mangione

In the days since Luigi Mangione was charged with killing the top executive at one of the largest health insurers in America, an untold number of people online have declared him a modern-day hero.

A fundraiser for his legal defence raised thousands of dollars before being removed. Online stores are selling T-shirts bearing his face and messages like, "In This House, Luigi Mangione Is A Hero, End of Story." On TikTok, users posted videos with phrases like "free my man" and "my empathy is reserved for people who deserve it."

Mangione, 26, is accused of shooting Brian Thompson, 50, from behind as he walked into a midtown Manhattan hotel to prepare for his company's annual investors' conference on Dec. 4. His lawyer said he plans to plead not guilty.

It usually goes without saying that murder is one of the most reprehensible crimes. And Thompson's killing has certainly sparked plenty of shock and outrage. But experts in online communication, clinical psychology and health-care reform believe there are three key reasons so many other members of the public seem to be celebrating an accused killer instead — and they say some of those factors have been festering in plain sight.

"I think it's straightforward what's happening, almost to the point of being obvious," said George Bonanno, a clinical psychology professor at Columbia University's Teachers College in New York City.

The first reason, Bonanno said, is that some level of anger and frustration with the U.S. health-care system "has been boiling for some time." 

Americans pay more for their health care than residents of any other high-income country. But data also shows spending on insurance premiums, out-of-pocket costs, pharmaceuticals and hospital services has all risen over the last five years, according to The Associated Press.

Health insurance companies can encapsulate so much of what feels, to many, heartless and broken about the system — they can be cold, remote and impossible to navigate in a way that can seem as though it's on purpose.

The disdain isn't unanimous — public-opinion polling data shows most Americans are pleased with their insurance plans — but when the bitterness is there, it's visceral.

"If you're treated unjustly by the health-care system, you have no recourse at all.… That feeling makes people feel helpless and angry and have desires of doing something," said Bonanno, author of The End of Trauma.

Then, "this guy comes along and does it."

With their seething contempt for insurance companies in mind, Bonanno said, many online saw Thompson as an easy villain and Mangione as an easy hero.

"[They] were absolutely ripe to be complete stereotypes," the psychologist said.

Thompson led UnitedHealthcare, which brought in $281 billion US in revenue in 2023. His own compensation package, worth $10.2 million US, made him one of the company's highest-paid executives.