As a historian who has written about folk heroes, I can see how Luigi Mangione-who was arrested last week and indicted Tuesday on charges that include first-degree murder-has personalized a big, amorphous issue, crystallizing it into a clear moral parable.
Overnight, a faceless corporation, made invisible by arcane laws and corporate jargon, stood exposed, naked in its greed.
We like to think of American history as orderly, democratic, fair. Actually, violent episodes often drag issues people would rather avoid into the public forum.
The most remarkable thing about the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York street in early December was the reaction.
Collection
[
|
...
]