What the Glorification of Luigi Mangione Reveals About America - The Opinions

Summary6 min read

Podcast Summary: "What the Glorification of Luigi Mangione Reveals About America"

Podcast Information

Title: The Opinions
Host/Author: The New York Times Opinion
Episode: What the Glorification of Luigi Mangione Reveals About America
Release Date: December 12, 2024

Introduction

In the December 12, 2024 episode of The Opinions, hosted by The New York Times Opinion, the discussion centers around the arrest of Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old man charged with the shooting of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The episode delves deep into what Mangione’s actions and the subsequent public reaction reveal about the current state of political violence and societal attitudes in America.

Luigi Mangione’s Case: A Political Motive

Robert Pape, a professor at the University of Chicago specializing in political violence, provides an in-depth analysis of Luigi Mangione's arrest and its broader implications. Pape begins by contextualizing Mangione's actions within a troubling trend of increasing political violence in the United States.

“The suspect in this case is clearly wanting to make a broader political point. And we are seeing what I would call a threshold breaking attack setting a new precedent.” [02:15]

Mangione’s motive appears deeply rooted in political dissent. Authorities discovered writings expressing contempt towards certain groups, with phrases like “these parasites had it coming.” Additionally, bullet casings from the shooting scene bore words such as “deny” and “delay,” indicating a deliberate attempt to send a political message.

Normalization of Political Violence in America

Pape highlights the disturbing trend of political violence becoming more commonplace and socially accepted across the political spectrum.

“Lining up quite squarely with what we have found about the growing normalization of political violence in America.” [00:41]

He cites several high-profile incidents, including the 2022 attack on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, an attempted assassination of Barack Obama’s home in 2023, and two assassination attempts against Donald Trump. These events illustrate that political violence is not confined to extremist fringes but is rather spreading more broadly within society.

Changing Profile of Perpetrators

A significant point made by Pape is the shifting demographic profile of those committing political violence. Historically, perpetrators were often marginalized individuals, including members of militia groups or the unemployed.

“We're seeing the wider profile of individuals who are committing political violence, and that wider profile starts to look like America itself.” [05:00]

Mangione defies this earlier stereotype, coming from a privileged background with an elite education. This shift suggests that political violence is infiltrating deeper into mainstream American society, reflecting broader societal tensions rather than being isolated to disaffected subgroups.

Public Reaction and the "Free Luigi" Movement

The arrest of Mangione sparked significant public support, particularly on social media, where the hashtag #FreeLuigi began trending. Pape describes Mangione as being perceived by some as a “Robin Hood” figure.

“We are witnessing a Robin Hood right before our very eyes. A true Robin Hood.” [03:26]

This outpouring of support highlights a concerning shift in public perception, where violent actions are being glamorized or justified as noble acts against perceived injustices within the healthcare system.

Role of Political Leadership and Media

Pape emphasizes the crucial role that political leaders and the media must play in countering the normalization of political violence. He calls for bipartisan condemnation of such acts to set a clear societal standard.

“It is terribly important right now that national political leaders at all levels condemn political violence, condemn the murder of the healthcare CEO, and condemn the outpouring of support for the murder.” [06:30]

He commends Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania for his strong statements condemning the attack and the subsequent glorification of Mangione.

“I understand people have real frustration with our healthcare system, but I have no tolerance, nor should anyone, for one man using an illegal ghost gun to murder someone because he thinks his opinion matters most.” [07:45]

Survey Insights on Political Violence

Pape references national surveys indicating that a significant majority of Americans—between 75% to 80%—abhor political violence and desire strong, bipartisan condemnation from their leaders.

“We have found in our national surveys that 75 to 80% of Americans abhor political violence. They want their political leaders to make bipartisan statements condemning political violence.” [06:30]

He also notes a positive trend: support for political violence decreased by 50% after concerted efforts by political leaders to condemn such actions.

“Well, if you look at the rhetoric by President Biden after the first Trump assassination attack, if you look at Kamala Harris's major statements after the second Trump assassination attempt, you will see there was a steady effort by Democrats and Republicans to condemn political violence in the months before the November election.” [07:00]

Redirecting Anger Towards Constructive Avenues

Pape advocates for redirecting public anger and frustration from violent means to political engagement and democratic processes.

“The question is, what is the right way to express that anger? Is it through violence or is it through politics? I would say for sure we should be redirecting that political anger away from political violence and redirect it toward politics. And voting the ballot box, not guns, is the right way to settle disputes in America.” [08:15]

He underscores the importance of channeling grievances into constructive actions, such as voting and active participation in the political process, rather than resorting to violence.

Conclusion

The glorification of Luigi Mangione symbolizes a broader and more insidious trend in American society: the increasing normalization of political violence. Robert Pape’s analysis in this episode underscores the need for unified condemnation from political leaders and the media, alongside efforts to redirect public frustration into democratic engagement. Without these measures, the specter of political violence threatens to further destabilize the fabric of American democracy.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

“Lining up quite squarely with what we have found about the growing normalization of political violence in America.” — Robert Pape [00:41]
“The suspect in this case is clearly wanting to make a broader political point. And we are seeing what I would call a threshold breaking attack setting a new precedent.” — Robert Pape [02:15]
“We are witnessing a Robin Hood right before our very eyes. A true Robin Hood.” — Robert Pape [03:26]
“We're seeing the wider profile of individuals who are committing political violence, and that wider profile starts to look like America itself.” — Robert Pape [05:00]
“It is terribly important right now that national political leaders at all levels condemn political violence, condemn the murder of the healthcare CEO, and condemn the outpouring of support for the murder.” — Robert Pape [06:30]
“I understand people have real frustration with our healthcare system, but I have no tolerance, nor should anyone, for one man using an illegal ghost gun to murder someone because he thinks his opinion matters most.” — Robert Pape [07:45]
“The question is, what is the right way to express that anger? Is it through violence or is it through politics? I would say for sure we should be redirecting that political anger away from political violence and redirect it toward politics. And voting the ballot box, not guns, is the right way to settle disputes in America.” — Robert Pape [08:15]

Final Notes

This episode of The Opinions provides a sobering analysis of the current state of political violence in America, using the case of Luigi Mangione as a focal point to explore broader societal issues. Robert Pape’s insights call for immediate and sustained efforts to address the normalization of such violence through leadership, media responsibility, and public engagement in democratic processes.

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Transcript6 lines

[00:00]
US Bank Sponsor
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[00:29]
Podcast Host
This is the Opinions, a show that brings you a mix of voices from New York Times opinion. You've heard the news, here's what to make of it.
[00:42]
Robert Pape
I am Robert Pape. I'm a professor at the University of Chicago. I've been studying political violence for 30 years and I've been watching the news about the alleged killer of the healthcare CEO. And what I have seen is lying, lining up quite squarely with what we have found about the growing normalization of political violence in America. Year after year, political violence is becoming more common and we're seeing that support for political violence is growing across a range of issues. Think about the political violence we've experienced just in the last few years. In 2022, we saw the attack against the speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, that missed her but almost killed her husband. In 2023, there was an assailant who had guns, weapons in his vehicle, who was surveilling Barack Obama's home in Washington D.C. this year we saw two assassination attempts against Donald Trump. It's happening across the political spectrum and violence is becoming more normal today than five, six years ago. Good afternoon everyone. Earlier this morning in Altoona, Pennsylvania, members of the Altoona Police Department arrested Luigi Mangione, a 26 year old male, on firearms charges. What we know about the motives of the shooting of Brian Thompson all point to a political motive. Authorities finding three pages of writings which say in part, frankly, these parasites had it coming. Investigators are now confirming that bullet casings found at the scene had words including deny and delay written on them. The suspect in this case is clearly wanting to make a broader political point. And we are seeing what I would call a threshold breaking attack setting a new precedent. And that new precedent is already producing an outpouring of public support for the suspect on social media. The thing about this CEO and Luigi's situation is that we are witnessing a Robin Hood right before our very eyes. A true Robin Hood.
[03:14]
Podcast Host
That's Luigi's manifesto. I guarantee you we all know someone, a family member, a friend, getting denied, denied, denied. Pay more money if you want to live and they wonder why we're not crying.
[03:26]
Robert Pape
Breaking news. Luigi Mangione of the alleged shooter is now in danger. Yes, all the joints in both of his arms are currently in danger as he received a record number of high fives entering the jailhouse. There is now a hashtag that is trending called Free Luigi. What we are seeing is an outpouring of support that is essentially treating this individual as a kind of hero, a kind of Robin Hood. The background of the alleged attacker virtually personifies the normalization of political violence. We're used to thinking of violent actors as being on the margins of society. If we looked at the perpetrators that the FBI was prosecuting for political violent attacks from, say, 2000 to 2015, these folks would be half of the members of militia groups. A third of them would be unemployed. Well, that certainly doesn't fit the background of the alleged CEO killer, who is coming from a privileged background, who's coming from an elite high school background. We're used to thinking that, oh, it must be these perpetrators of political violence are in some way losers or on the margins of society. And that has been a profile that has a lot of empirical basis, but that is changing. The more political violence is spreading in America, the more we're seeing the wider profile of individuals who are committing political violence, and that wider profile starts to look like America itself. It is terribly important right now that national political leaders at all levels condemn political violence, condemn the murder of the healthcare CEO, and condemn the outpouring of support for the murder. We have found in our national surveys that 75 to 80% of Americans abhor political violence. They want their political leaders to make bipartisan statements condemning political violence. And we have an example with Governor Josh Shapiro from Pennsylvania discussing the arrest of the alleged shooter. Some attention in this case, especially online, has been deeply disturbing, as some have looked to celebrate instead of condemning this killer. I understand people have real frustration with our health care system, but I have no tolerance, nor should anyone, for one man using an illegal ghost gun to murder someone because he thinks his opinion matters most. This is exactly the kind of language that we need from our national political leaders, and it's something that we also need in the national media. Many people have been asking why there was no political violence in the immediate aftermath of the November election. Well, our surveys actually give us insight into this. In our June survey, we found that 10% of Americans supported political violence to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president. Well, we ran another survey the week after the November election, and there we found that support for political violence against Trump fell by 50%. That's the first time we saw a significant drop in over a year and a half. Why did that support for political violence fall? Well, if you look at the rhetoric by President Biden after the first Trump assassination attack, if you look at Kamala Harris's major statements after the second Trump assassination attempt, you will see there was a steady effort by Democrats and Republicans to condemn political violence in the months before the November election. The more we drive down support for political violence, the less likely it is to occur. We need a similar national conversation to not just condemn the act itself, but also to condemn the support for political violence and to redirect the anger. There's no doubt there is anger at our healthcare system. There's anger at our corporations. The question is, what is the right way to express that anger? Is it through violence or is it through politics? I would say for sure we should be redirecting that political anger away from political violence and redirect it toward politics. And voting the ballot box, not guns, is the right way to settle disputes in America.
[09:24]
Podcast Host
If you like this show, follow it on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. This show is produced by Derek Arthur, Sophia Alvarez, Boyd Visaka Derba, Phoebe Lett, Christina Samulewski and Jillian Weinberger. It's edited by Kari Pitkin, Alison Brusek and Annie Rose Strasser. Engineering, mixing and original music by Isaac Jones, sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker, Carol Saburo and Afim Shapiro. Additional music by Amin Sohota. The Fact Check team is Kate Sinclair, Mary Margelocker and Michelle Harris. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta, Christina Samulewski and Adrian Rivera. The executive producer of Times Opinion Audio is Annie Rose Dresser.