What Happens When a Murderer Is Not What You Pictured?
Radicalized by Failure: How Systems of Inequity Create Folk Heroes Out of Rage
In my previous article, When Murder Unites Us, I explored how the public's reaction to the killing of a UnitedHealthcare CEO revealed a collective frustration with systemic failures. This follow-up delves deeper into the cultural and systemic dynamics behind such acts of violence and their public reception.
Luigi Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland family, stands accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan. This incident challenges our preconceived notions of who commits such acts and compels us to confront uncomfortable truths about systemic failures and societal labels.
Luigi Mangione is not what most people imagine when they think of a murderer. An Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland family, he doesn’t fit the stereotype often conjured by media narratives: the lone wolf, the incel, the mentally unstable outcast. Yet police now believe he is the masked gunman who calmly walked into Midtown Manhattan and assassinated the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare.
This case doesn’t just disrupt the traditional profile of gun violence perpetrators—it exposes our cultural obsession with labels, particularly within a supremacy culture. When violence erupts, we are quick to seek explanations that distance the act from the systems we live within. But what happens when none of those labels fit? What happens when the murderer is more folk hero than monster?
The Manifesto: A Glimpse into Mangione’s Mind
Mangione’s story is not just about one individual’s discontent; it reflects the fractures in systems we have been taught to trust. Healthcare, justice, and governance are failing to meet their fundamental promises, leaving people feeling unmoored and unheard.
When Mangione was arrested, authorities recovered a manifesto that painted a grim picture of his motivations. In it, he railed against the U.S. healthcare system, condemning its exorbitant costs and declining outcomes. He noted, “The U.S. has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy.” He accused UnitedHealthcare of profiting off human suffering, stating bluntly, “Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming.”
This manifesto doesn’t excuse his actions but provides a window into a mind consumed by systemic failures. It’s the voice of someone who believed that existing systems—the same ones that often shield privilege—were irreparably broken.
Supremacy Culture’s Need for Labels
Supremacy culture thrives on labels that simplify complex realities. In cases of white male violence, terms like “lone wolf,” “incel,” or “mentally ill” are often deployed, absolving systems of accountability by isolating the individual. These labels shift the focus from societal conditions to personal pathology, maintaining the illusion that the system itself is sound.
But Mangione doesn’t fit these narratives. He wasn’t disenfranchised or isolated. He was privileged, well-educated, and articulate. His actions and manifesto defy the tropes often used to dismiss white male violence, forcing us to confront deeper systemic failures.
Deeper Examination of Radicalization
Mangione’s case challenges traditional narratives about radicalization, showing how systemic failure can radicalize individuals across class and privilege lines. His background suggests that proximity to power and privilege can create unique frustrations when those systems fail to deliver on their promises.
Privilege and Disillusionment
Privilege does not inoculate against radicalization; in fact, it can heighten the dissonance when the promises of those systems fall apart. When disillusionment meets access to resources—like an Ivy League education or a firearm—it can produce unexpected results. Mangione’s alleged actions reflect the betrayal he may have felt from the very elite systems that shaped him. Privilege can provide a platform for dismantling systemic oppression, but it also carries the risk of amplifying disillusionment when systems betray those who are taught to rely on them. The question becomes: how do we use privilege constructively to demand accountability and build equity?
Historical Parallels
Mangione’s actions echo other instances of violence tied to systemic frustration, from the labor movements of the early 20th century to modern-day eco-terrorism. These acts, however extreme, often stem from a perception that traditional avenues for accountability have failed.
The Role of Folk Heroes in Supremacy Culture
When does a murderer become a folk hero? Folk heroes arise when the public identifies more with the rage behind the act than the act itself. In Mangione’s case, some view his alleged actions as defiance against an oppressive system rather than senseless violence.
The Context of Public Rage
Why are people willing to see Mangione as a symbol of rebellion? This reflects the growing disillusionment with systems that prioritize profit over people. The healthcare industry—with its soaring costs and rampant inequities—has become a symbol of this larger frustration.
The Moral Ambiguity of Folk Heroes
A folk hero emerges when people see themselves not in the actions, but in the defiance. The moral ambiguity of Mangione’s alleged crime mirrors a public grappling with its own blurred lines: between rage and reason, between justice and retribution. This echoes cultural narratives like Robin Hood or modern antiheroes who challenge oppressive systems. The public’s mixed reaction to Mangione’s actions reflects a collective grief—a mourning of systems that have failed and lives that have been lost. This grief, if acknowledged and addressed, can be a powerful catalyst for transformation rather than division.
The Missing Conversations on Gun Control and Mental Health
In most cases of white male violence, discussions about gun control and mental health dominate the discourse. Why is this case different? The absence of these conversations reveals supremacy culture’s selective outrage and its tendency to protect power structures rather than challenge them.
Selective Narratives
When violence is committed by white men, the narratives of “mental illness” or “lone wolf” status often dominate. Yet with Mangione, these tropes fall short, leaving an uncomfortable void.
Accountability Avoidance
The absence of the usual gun control and mental health debates reveals an uncomfortable truth: supremacy culture only leans on these narratives when they maintain the status quo. If Mangione is framed as part of a broader systemic failure, the conversation shifts to accountability—and that’s something these systems resist at all costs.
The Shadow of Healthcare Inequity
Mangione’s alleged actions have brought renewed focus to the systemic inequities of the healthcare system. This moment reflects broader distrust of institutions that profit from human suffering.
The Real Cost of Healthcare
Healthcare inequities lead to preventable deaths, bankruptcies, and systemic harm. These realities fuel public anger and erode trust in the system.
The Erosion of Public Trust
The UnitedHealthcare CEO wasn’t just a man; he was a stand-in for a system that denies care, defends profit, and disposes of accountability. The public’s reaction isn’t just about him—it’s about the millions of lives that system has cost.
Moral Reckoning: What Would Radicalize You?
Mangione’s case compels readers to reflect on their own tipping points. What injustices would drive you to act outside the bounds of society?
Pushing Reflection
If you’ve ever felt the sharp edge of injustice—an unfair denial, a loved one lost to corporate greed, a system that didn’t care whether you lived or died—you’ve glimpsed the conditions that radicalize people. The question isn’t just what would radicalize someone like Mangione. It’s what might radicalize you?
Tying It Back to Liberation Work
This moment isn’t just about violence—it’s about reckoning. It’s about understanding that systems built on inequity and profit will continue to breed rage and despair until we dismantle them.
Rebuilding Trust in Systems
How can we create systems that prioritize equity and humanity over profit? Rebuilding trust begins with accountability.
Shifting the Narrative
Challenge supremacy culture’s need for labels and binaries. Embrace complexity and demand deeper conversations.
Centering Accountability
Hold systems, not just individuals, accountable for the harm they cause. Liberation starts with dismantling structures of oppression and imagining something better.
What Happens Now?
This case is an opportunity to ask hard questions about violence, radicalization, and systemic harm:
What do we do when labels fail us? If Mangione doesn’t fit the traditional mold, how do we reshape our understanding of violence in a way that holds systems accountable?
How do we confront the systems that create this rage? Whether or not Mangione’s actions were justified, the public’s reaction reveals a deep-seated anger at systemic inequities. That anger won’t disappear without meaningful change.
When will we stop blaming individuals and start addressing systems? Labels like “lone wolf” and “mentally ill” may provide comfort, but they don’t solve the problem. We need to focus on the structures that breed discontent and harm.
Closing Thoughts
Luigi Mangione’s alleged actions disrupt our cultural narratives about gun violence, privilege, and systemic harm. They force us to confront uncomfortable truths about what radicalizes people—not just the disempowered, but also the privileged.
This isn’t just a story about one man’s actions. It’s a story about a society grappling with the consequences of its own inequities. It’s about what happens when the systems we rely on fail us so completely that violence begins to feel like the only form of accountability.
The question isn’t just what radicalized Luigi Mangione. It’s what might radicalize you.
In solidarity and liberation,
Desireé B. Stephens
Educator | Counselor | Community Builder
Founder, Make Shi(f)t Happen