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It’s been more than a week since America’s main character, 26-year-old software engineer Luigi Mangione, was charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. In the heart of Manhattan The killing was shown on video. That led to a nationwide manhunt and, five days later, Mangione’s arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona. Pennsylvania You probably know this. Because of the deadly shooting incident The reaction, and Mangione himself, has dominated our national attention.
So why not? There was the shock of the killing. Film, meme, and share endlessly. Everything was weird: His stop at Starbucks. His smile caught on camera The fact that he was able to disappear from one of the most densely populated and monitored areas in the world with almost no trace and certainly has clear assassination implications. including politics, morality, and class dynamics This was followed by apparent joy or anger at Thompson’s death. Depending on who you talk to or what you read (all of which creates its own vicious cycle), for some, the assassination is evidence of a divided nation obsessed with bloodshed. For others, Mangione is an expression of the depth of righteous anger present in American life right now. which is a symbol of righteous violence.
Mangione became a folk hero even before he was captured. He was praisedslander Erotic fan fiction topics Recognizable in tattoo form Record and plaster on the product. And Mangione endlessly scrutinizes every piece, every new trace of his web history. It has been dissected by millions of people online.
The internet abhors vacuums. And to a certain extent This level of scrutiny is meted out to mass shooters or other perpetrators of political violence. (Although some of the accused murderers were not immediately publicly praised.) But what was most notable about the UHC filming was how depressing it felt. Even hopeless, posting, speculating and digital investigation. Humans crave well-ordered explanations and narratives, but in Mangione’s case, it seems people are searching for something more. The general idea about the Internet is that it is a tool for providing information. But when looking at this phenomenon last week I find myself thinking that the internet is a better machine for creativity. meaning More than real feelings
Mangione appears to have left a lot of internet history behind. This is more known than being insensitive or irritated. That was enough to complicate the social media narrative that has emerged from the suspected shooter in recent weeks. His posts are familiar to those who spend time online, such as writer Max Read. NotesAs “the perspective of the average white male tech worker in his 20s” (seemingly half-right Rarely adheres to any side. I’m a little reasonable. Plugged deeper into the cinematic universe of the tech and fitness friend’s long-form interview podcast ). He appears to have been very critical of the Unabomber’s manifesto on Goodreads, but also seems interested in ideas from Peter Thiel and other leading figures. It was also reported that he suffered from debilitating back pain and spent time on Reddit forums, but that was the case. new yorkJohn Herman write This week, the internet “is more or less where Mangione watches. good–
As people look at Mangione’s digital footprint, the stakes of the moment come into focus. People are less concerned with the facts of the situation than they are with finding greater meaning in the violence and using it to say something about what it means to be alive in the moment. As details of Mangione’s life were unearthed earlier this week, I watched people struggle in real time to line up the shooters within a familiar frame. It would make sense if his online activities offered a cartoonish partisan profile. or evidence of the alienation we expect from violent groups. It would be reassuring, or at least consistent, to see a history of continued bigotry in his ranks. It transformed him from a promising young man into an extremist. There are many things we don’t know. But most of what we do is repetitive. which by itself cause unrest In addition to back pain He appears to be suffering from brain fog. and he sometimes struggles to find relief and a satisfactory diagnosis. This can be a powerful force in itself. or precipitating events in various events That could lead to a shooting. We really don’t know yet.
Our not knowing does not make the event unfold. Vent your feelings Or any less scary? And it doesn’t stop the speculation. Mobilizing evidence and the search for meaning As my colleague Ian Bogost noted in Posts about Blue Sky This week, social media posts and news articles have often felt empty. Finding motivation to create our feelings goes nowhere. But still, we still follow it. “We have reached the end of the internet as an information system,” he wrote. For many, this shooting felt significant in a way that similar acts of violence generally do not. on social media People began calling the shooting an assassination. before similar motives were identified. That desire is understandable: powerful, wealthy men don’t get shot in Midtown Manhattan very often. Clearly, many observers want to see it as a bellwether for further violence against the rich and powerful. Or is it a provocative event that could stir up the level and scope of popular anger in the country against broken bureaucracies such as our healthcare system?
Perhaps the most disconcerting outcome for the millions that follow is that if the semantics fails and the firing doesn’t provide more resolution, Mangione may not be a Trump or Marxist folk hero. t But it’s just a male tech worker of a certain age who shares reasonably common views with his hyper-specific online subculture. He probably isn’t being radicalized by books or video games. Or even a conflict with his insurance company if Mangione refuses to be singled out by ideology. Or if he reveals himself to be a well-adjusted child who is mentally unstable? That can be more unsettling than if he were controlling or violent.
When Mangione was caught, he had a memorandum or statement of less than 300 words with him. near the starting point It was as follows: “This is a fairly small matter.” This phrase was cold, lonely, and haunting. It could only be the sniper’s garden bravado. But this sentence also hints at a possibility that is difficult to sit through. (and for the internet to cling to) of all the possible outcomes. The least shared, debated, and considered outcome is one the gunman alluded to himself. That what we all feel like an era-defining event may not be remarkable in its brutality. In the end, unable to Effect changes and the speed at which everyone will carry on
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