Luigi Mangione, suspect in the murder of Brian Thompson, fascinates Americans to a point that becomes almost unhealthy

FASCINATION – 26 years old, charming smile, graduate of a prestigious university, and main suspect in the point-blank murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealth, a famous American insurance company. The day after his arrest, Luigi Mangione fascinated the United States.

“CEO murder suspect retreated from a life of privilege and promise », headlines the New York Times in an article from December 9. “In the hours following his arrest, his puzzling journey from brilliant student to murder suspect began to attract attention. » The assassination of which the young Italian-American is accused, which gave rise to torrents of testimony on the hell of American health insurance, is interpreted by some as a gesture of Robin Hood. Social networks, on which numerous memes and videos highlight photos of him found online, already seem to have a cult following for him.

“He is too handsome, you must acquit him”

“A man continues the beautiful Italian-American tradition of taking matters into his own hands”caption the satirical media Reductress in a photo of Luigi Mangione shirtless, all smiles during a hike. Under the post, most of the comments mix support and ribald humor. “I have things he can handle”replied several people. “Replace all statues of Christopher Columbus with statues of him,” says one user.

“Mom, I am in love with a criminal, and this kind of love is irrational”sings Britney Spears in the background of a photo montage by Luigi Mangione published on Instagram. “How much is his bail?” “, “How can we get him out? » question the comments, with a lot of heart-shaped emojis. “If he is arrested, I will give myself carpal tunnel syndrome from writing letters to him in prison,” comments a network user. Others are a little less romantic, and openly sexualize her image.

A “Mangione mania” which is taking over everywhere on the internet. “He is too handsome, you must acquit him”, writes an X user, while others are content with evocative memes.

A TikTok user also notes that there are already around fifty fanfictions about the suspect on the AO3 writing platform. In one day, a “Luigi Mangione” forum has already brought together more than 1,700 people on Reddit, where Internet users archive information about him, such as his Steam account (video game platform), or ask questions. “Does anyone know what he ordered at McDonald’s just before being arrested? »

“Physical and philosophical” suffering

Luigi Mangione’s physique is not the only thing that excites the networks. Faced with an insurance system experienced as cruel and inefficient by many Americans, now is not the time for empathy with the many memes circulating. Like in the video below, where we can see a man dancing in front of a person on fire, labeled as an insurance boss. A lightness that is jarring, even though a murder has been committed.

If these reactions portray Luigi Mangione as a hero, they fail to point out that, for several months, the American seems to have been prey to physical and psychological suffering. In the article of New York Times who paints his portrait, witnesses specified that he had a very painful back problem, requiring an operation, which would have made him more « sombre ». They also claim that his relatives had not heard from him for several months.

“Mr. Mangione’s trace on the Internet suggests physical and philosophical suffering”analyzes the log. “A social media account that appeared to belong to Mr. Mangione showed an X-ray of a spine reinforced with surgical implants, note it New York Times. The X-ray showed a spinal fusion, a procedure that uses screws and rods to fuse two levels of the spine to fix a misalignment that can cause serious pain. »

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