A Folklore Hero

A manifesto found in Mangione’s possession criticized the U.S. health care industry and, in particular, UnitedHealthcare as ‘parasites.’

For all their differences, U.S. and Mexican societies have more points of agreement than they would like to admit.

One example is enough: Luigi Mangione, the young man who murdered Brian Thompson, the president and CEO of UnitedHealthcare, a health insurance company, in the early morning hours of Dec. 4 in New York, as the executive was leaving his hotel.*

In fact, if Mangione were Mexican, someone would probably already be thinking of a folk ballad in his name. Young and handsome, Mangione killed the head of a large company that, like others in its industry, is known for providing health insurance but also for haggling as much as possible, and more, if possible, at the expense of its policyholders.*

In the United States, Mangione seems to have become a folk hero, like John Dillinger or Bonnie and Clyde, bank robbers in the 1920s, or the alcohol smugglers during Prohibition who in the context of their criminal lives challenged the powers that be and, to some extent, became protest figures.

To some extent, this is what happens with many of the figures reflected in Mexican “corridos” or folklore – and by the way, there are also American corridos. Mangione is unlikely to end up as a folk hero, but it is not as far-fetched as it seems.

All indications are that, other than being personally motivated, Mangione presented his crime as one of execution, according to available information.*

According to the New York Police Department, bullet casings found at the scene were inscribed with the words “deny” and “depose,” and one bullet was inscribed with the word “delay.” A manifesto in Mangione’s possession criticized the U.S. health care industry in general, and UnitedHealthcare in particular, as “parasites.”

Thompson’s murder* and the charges filed against Mangione have revealed debate over, and deep dissatisfaction with, the health insurance industry and the health care system in the United States.

In fact, many social media posts expressed support for the gunman and thus, a strong sense of dissatisfaction with the U.S. health insurance system. A Gallup poll showed that fewer than a third of Americans have a good impression of those organizations in general, although they consider themselves well cared for by their health insurance provider.

But it is also true that if we believe historians, it is not the first time that a criminal act has underlined deep social resentment and, in that sense, Mangione may well be seen as an “avenger” of health insurance companies’ helpless subscribers and become a hero to some people even if he is accused of murder or terrorism. In other words, an ordinary hero.

*Editor’s note: Luigi Mangione has been charged with crimes, including murder, related to the killing of Brian Thompson, charges that must be proven in a court of law. Mangione has not been tried on or convicted of any charges.