Luigi Mangione is not a hunk or hero and there's a danger in forgetting that

I remember when Ted Bundy made national headlines after finally being captured in 1978. And what I remember about that is people were talking about how good-looking he was, and well educated, and not the stereotypical murderer.

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When his picture was in the Pittsburgh Press, I remember looking at it with some interest, perhaps with “lust in my heart,” as President Jimmy Carter once said. And that’s why I stared at Bundy’s photograph. You have to remember at that time, you only really had three TV stations and an evening or morning newspaper. The images that filled the pages and screens were primarily middle-aged, dour white men, like Carter, Walter Cronkite, and three popes.

However, that’s no excuse to absolve Bundy. He was a gruesome, cold-blooded, horrific killer. He might have been handsome, charming and educated, but he was vicious. No one should get a pass because of their looks and smarts.

I see the same thing happening with Luigi Mangione, the man who authorities say gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. First, in a case of “I should know better,” when the shirtless picture of him was posted, I clicked on it, zoomed in on it, and I even went as far as Googling him a few times to see whether he was gay or straight.

Then, I read some comments under his picture and posts about him. So many saw him as a vigilante trying to right the wrongs of the healthcare system. Yes, we get screwed by them. When I attempted suicide, my carrier informed me that the next time I required a visit to the hospital, I needed to alert the insurer. Seriously?

But my frustration, and millions of others, can’t and shouldn’t be a balm to the wounds inflicted on us by a health care system that’s only out for profit. Thompson had family, friends, and loved ones. You don’t extinguish a business problem by extinguishing the life of the person who runs the business.

When news of Thompson’s fatal shooting broke, I posted a story internally, I said this might be a harbinger of things to come. There’s so much anger in our society, so many who look at corporate CEOs as the coldhearted enemy. We have a convicted felon heading to the Oval Office, who has preached hate and violence. When people see that our next president succeeds despite being a criminal and hatemonger, they feel emboldened.

And, when would-be assassins see how people are fawning over suspected gunman Mangione, they are emboldened too. Why wouldn’t they be? People have celebrated Mangione's alleged actions as standing up for the little guy who is helpless when it comes to fighting corporate bureaucracy.

It doesn’t take much to tip the scales of someone who is angry and out for revenge. Copycat killings are littered throughout history. Look what happened after Columbine in 1999. Now we shrug with outrage, offer thoughts and prayers, and wait for the next school shooting. Same thing with massacres in department stores. Even Jeffrey Dahmer spurred copycat crimes. Even Bundy had copycatters.

Remember when the convicted felon Jeffrey Meeks had his mugshot spread far and wide? He served time in prison for firearm possession and grand theft — people not only overlooked that aspect but ignored it.

I’m no psychologist, but I talked to mine today, and he agreed that violent people, particularly those who have mental health issues, do pay attention to how criminals who commit crimes they fantasize about, are treated. I can’t imagine what those who wish do to harm think about the way Mangione is being treated.

The media is partly, or almost fully, to blame. This case has all the bells and whistles of a made-for-TV movie. You have a handsome, well-educated accused assailant, with Ivy League creds, and a very wealthy family. And you have the CEO of a major company shot on the streets of New York City. As such, it’s been a 24/7 obsession with all things Mangione and less and less about the death of Thompson.

Thompson’s shooting has spurred conversations among corporations about how they protect their CEOs. And according to USA Today, other health insurance companies are taking steps to protect their CEOs, including deleting their online presence like bios and photos, and canceling in-person events. They are paying close attention to what’s being said and the sentiment behind it. They know that Mangione being praised for allegedly inflicting damage on a hated health insurer will only drive others to do the same.

But making CEOs of “bad companies” a target will do more harm than good, and it won’t prompt companies to make changes to better serve, or be more human, towards their customers. A would-be assassin, however, doesn’t see it that way, and they most certainly do see it that way when Mangione is being fawned over and lauded over what he's been accused of doing.

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