Yes, Luigi Mangione is super-hot, highly educated, and super-rich, and he may have acted out the rage many of us have against mega-insurance companies and other blood-sucking corporations when he allegedly shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

A cursory glance on social media makes clear the extent to which Mangione has already become a cultural icon, a hero in the realm of David slaying the mighty Goliath, or Robin Hood challenging the powerful Mayor of Nottingham on behalf of the poorest among us.

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Some have compared him to the good people of Ukraine gallantly warding off their evil Russian invaders or the armed resistance of Syrian militias finally toppling the longstanding brutal Assad dynasty.

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But I ask of those who have transformed this young man into the figure of an immortal Greek God or the long-awaited Messiah: Are they not applying the same standards of righteousness as Donald Trump and his mega-minions to the insurrectionists on January 6, 2021, who stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C. to interfere with the transfer of executive power?  

Mangione’s alleged goal of highlighting the greed, insensitivity, and inhumanity of large corporations may have been just, ethical, and appropriate – unlike the insurrectionists’ actions on behalf of a corrupt and malevolent would-be dictator. Nonetheless, Mangione’s means could never justify his ends.

If we condone the murder of an insurance CEO, what moral standing do we have when Trump fulfills his threats of deporting literally millions of undocumented immigrants?

What moral standing do we have when Trump fulfills his threats to go after and incarcerate his internal enemies, including his media critics, members of the U.S. House of Representatives Select January 6 Committee, former and current high-ranking officers of the U.S. military, and virtually anyone else who has opposed him?  

And what if Mangione had not been a beautiful young white man, but instead had been, for example, a balding middle-aged Black man? Would he have received the praise and hero worship this young man is receiving?

To date, 352 people were murdered in New York City in 2024, which comes out to nearly one per day. Over half of the homicides there are never solved.

The answer is very clear why so many people across several departments within and outside the city dedicated full-time resources to this case: The victim of this crime was a millionaire who headed the largest “health” insurance company in the United States.

So, let us not turn the alleged shooter into a cultural hero because of his beauty and the target of his actions. Many people viewed the Tamerlan brothers (the Boston Marathon bombers) as modern-day warriors in the likes of Billy the Kid because of their youth and good looks.

The old truism most certainly applies here, which is that “beauty is only skin deep.”

Let us now resurrect our national discussion on the benefits of a single-payer healthcare system like the other 32 of the world’s richest nations support.

Remember, health insurance is not healthcare.

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