Let’s not celebrate someone’s murder

We’ve been a little taken aback at some of the reactions to the Dec. 4 daylight killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a busy sidewalk in Midtown Manhattan.
Most know the story by now. Thompson, who was in town for some sort of investor shareholder meeting, was crossing the street from his hotel to the hotel the conference was in when he was gunned down from behind by a man lying in wait for him to walk past. Thompson died and the gunman absconded. Authorities have since arrested 25-year-old Luigi Mangione and have charged him in the slaying. He has not formally entered a plea to that charge.
There is a mounting pile of evidence that would suggest authorities have their man, and Mangione will likely spend the rest of his young life in prison. And, if it is indeed him who did the killing, he will deserve that sentence. In this country if you murder someone, you go to prison. That’s how it works.
It appears many, however, would like that to not be the way it works. Unfortunately, Mangione has become somewhat of a cult hero among many, a man who struck a blow against the corporate and capitalist oligarchy that gets rich off the pain and suffering of the working class. Many met the murder with indifference, which is bad enough, while many more expressed outright glee that Thompson had been murdered.
Where is our humanity?
This editorial is not in place to defend the health insurance industry. It is a broken, expensive, frequently corrupt system that wants you to pay and pay and pay and then does its level best to screw you over when you dare use the service you are paying for. As horrible as what happened is, we can’t say it’s a surprise that someone was driven to this state by the insurance industry. In particular, UnitedHealth Care had a longstanding reputation of denying claims for all the usual reasons. The absolute hatred people have for the industry was on full display following Thompson’s murder. We hope this is a wake up call to the government and the industry that things are teetering and need change.
Having said that, Thompson’s murder is inexcusable. It’s not the first blow in some class warfare, it’s cold-blooded murder. Thompson was a husband and a father. He had family who loved him who grieve his loss. In this country, we don’t get to kill people we disagree with. That is a slippery slope nobody wants to go down. It wouldn’t be long before a server is being shot because the soup they brought is cold. Those celebrating Thompson’s death will tell you he has thousands of deaths on his hands, if only indirectly. We can argue that all day. What can’t be argued is this is not how a civilized society settles things.
It’s no different than people lamenting Trump’s would-be assassin missed. Like him or not, Trump is a human with a family. We don’t like how callous and cold society is becoming. Cheering someone’s murder? That’s a bridge too far.