this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2024
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Less than two weeks after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down on the streets of midtown Manhattan, his alleged assassin Luigi Mangione has been greeted not by universal condemnation for the brazen violence -- but rather, a surge of enthusiastic support online for his so-called vigilante justice.

The Center for Internet Security (CIS), a nonprofit focused on cybersecurity that partners with government and law enforcement, released a new threat assessment bulletin warning that online support for the alleged shooter risks encouraging copycat attacks.

"Overwhelming bipartisan support for the attack" across social media "has resulted in several narratives encouraging similar violent activities directed at other healthcare executive teams," CIS analysts said.

"The narratives supporting Mangione's targeted attack likely serve to encourage like-minded individuals, particularly as Mangione continues to be viewed by the public as an 'American hero' and sympathetic figure," CIS' bulletin said.

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 5 days ago

Mainstream media playbook 101. When your narrative isn't taking hold lean on fear mongering.

[–] [email protected] 135 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I haven't seen anyone encouraging or even so much as hinting that a copycat should target police or courts. Feels like something made up to try to drive a wedge between the bipartisan support by splintering off "back the blue" type of people.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

This is it. Do not do class war. The rich want you to fight amongst yourselves

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

The class war has been going on since time immemorial and we aren't winning. But when you recognize that fact and talk about rebellion, some people get all upset.

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I mean, remember defund the police?

That movement fully targeted cops.

This one is targeting the ruling class, and cops are worried.

It’s like that moment when you criticize a bad thing (like selfishness) and out of nowhere someone gets offended; they are basically telling on themselves.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 days ago (1 children)

That movement fully targeted cops.

I think if youd look into it you'd find its the protestors who were targetted. Not the cops.

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[–] [email protected] 43 points 6 days ago (3 children)

God the police are so pathetically paranoid.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Literally shooting at acorns falling from a tree

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 days ago (2 children)

“Waaah a dog barked at me” then they shoot the dog

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago (3 children)

You know, if they stopped doing shady shit and unjustifiably killing people they wouldn’t have to be. Pretty simple stuff. If they took protection and serve to heart people would truly appreciate them and they would get the attention they desire.

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[–] [email protected] 88 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Let's compare:

Osama Bin Ladin/Brian Robert Thompson

Number killed by own hands: 0/0

Number killed through orders to underlings: ~3,000/~51,000

Reason for killings: religious and geopolitical reasons/profit motive

Cause of death: execution by gunshot/execution by gunshot

Date of trial for killings: N/A / N/A

Date of issue of death sentence for killings: N/A / N/A

Response to killing: celebration by US president on national TV, celebration by commoners and elites / celebration by commoners, condemnation by elite.

Consequence to assassins for extra-judicial slaying: national praise / indicted for 2nd degree murder

Race and class: weird Arab guy in traditional garb / rich white man in a a suit

[–] [email protected] 20 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Where does the 51,000 figure come from?

[–] [email protected] 117 points 6 days ago (3 children)

About 68,000 Americans die each year from improper denials of necessary care. With UHC's share of the private health insurance market and higher than average denial of claims, a conservative figure is 40 UHC customers per day dying from denial of care. Brian Robert Thompson served as the CEO of UHC for approximately 3.5 years. That comes to about 51,000 people dead at the hands of Brian Robert Thompson.

Is it fair to pin all of UHC's murders on one man? Maybe not. But he gleefully took credit for the record profits that came from UHC's soaring denial rates. He earned an obscene salary and bonuses from the record profits that those deaths produced. He took credit for all the consequences of these deaths; it is entirely reasonable to hold him morally culpable for them.

Make no mistake. Brian Robert Thompson killed approximately 51,000 people, or about 17 times as many people as Osama Bin Ladin. Brian Robert Thompson suffered for seconds. Osama Bin Ladin's victims suffered for about an hour. Brian Robert Thompson's victims suffered for months to years. And this is just deaths, not those who suffered injury, debilitation, or bankruptcy at Brian Robert Thompson's hands.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Thank you. I have been very interested in a number of attributable deaths, and the comparison is an added bonus

[–] [email protected] 36 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I would say "my pleasure," but this brings me none. It's not a perfect estimate, but it is a reasonable first order one. The real number is likely somewhere between 30k and 70k. But really, at this scale, the numbers lose all meaning.

Luigi Mangione did not have the right to serve as Thompon's one man judge, jury, and executioner. But make no mistake, according to all available evidence, Brian Robert Thompson was a mass murderer an order of magnitude worse than Osama Bin Ladin. When he hit the pavement on that New York morning, he did not stop falling. He kept falling, and falling, and falling. Right into the Pit of Hell itself. If there is a Hell behind this mortal realm, he is almost certainly burning there right now.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 days ago

I like your way of thinking

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 days ago

Many thanks for bringing to light these facts and comparisons.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 days ago

Thanks for the response. Truly despicable the state of medical insurance.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 days ago

Osama bin Laden was pretty wealthy too. His family owns a massive Saudi construction company: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Binladin_Group

[–] [email protected] 69 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Oh, lol.....they think people are only going to target other healthcare CEO's? That's fucking adorable.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Hoping our boi Luigi set the stage for a revolution to finally start. Idk what I can do to fight the good fight other than to continue to be loud about all this shit.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 days ago

At least the more of us are loud the safer each of us are. So free Luigi and may the proles get a little something without society collapsing. Either way it's definitely a good show....

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[–] [email protected] 64 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Oh come off it already.
Yeah we all agree shooting people is wrong.
But just about everyone in the general public more or less agrees Thompson had it coming. We've all dealt with scummy insurance companies.
Playing up the threat at this point seems like an obvious psyop. And it's not even being done well.

That I've seen, nobody, anywhere, at all, has suggested targeting police or courts. This has been solely framed as a class war between the rank and file citizens of the nation and a very small number (10-25) of CEOs whose companies destroy lives every day. There is no anger with cops or the courts.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 days ago (3 children)

lol, your last sentence is right off the cliff.

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[–] [email protected] 60 points 6 days ago (1 children)

God, the police are so fucking coddled. "This shit that has nothing to do with police? A threat to police." Anytbing to direct more funding to these fucking babies.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Police "investigate" citizens and it's fine, but we are targeting cops when we investigate them.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

It would be both sad and pointless if people targeted the owner's capital defense force thugs (police) and bribed middle managers (judges/politicians).

That would muddy the waters needlessly and further the cause of the owner class of keeping us at each other's throats.

Our oligarchs whole thing is keeping us hostile towards one another. They don't care who kills who, kids killing kids, cops killing poor, poor killing cops/judges/politicians, all livestock killing livestock to them, big woop. They only freak out when someone they consider a person is killed, there's only 1 metric that determines that for them, and even most of their bought politicians don't qualify on net worth.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 6 days ago

Haven't judges in general been extremely gentle with prosecutions involving Trump because of inordinate numbers of threats made to judges? And yet there's no effort made to stop it? And somehow, this represents an existential threat to the courts?

[–] [email protected] 50 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Welp, its officially in. Anyone who sympathizes with Luigi is officially deemed a terrorist.

Soon, some senator will announce that he/she has a list of suspected ~~communists~~ terrorists who sympathize with Luigi Mangione. This will the know as the ~~Red Scare~~ Green Scare. Mentioning the term "Green Mario" would be a death sentence.

Super Mario Bros will be deemed as terrorist propaganda, and any related media would be confiscated. There would be no-knock searches carried out across the nation, many will be shot in the process.

If you are reading this, your are already on their list. If you are reading this, you are the resistance...

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I don't see any reason to limit it to healthcare executives.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 days ago

Hell Elons mom jumped in line as far as I’m concerned. The spoiled rich are so god damn detached from reality. I never imagined I’d be ok with mass murder but here we are.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I wonder how many Luigis the 2nd trump presidency will create. I hope a lot. Call me whatever you want.....

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

the police have a training traveling school called Killology and refer to themselves as "killologist."

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 days ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 days ago

Which one of you has a link to the image file for that free Luigi flyer? Asking for a friend...

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 days ago

Behind enemy lines folks

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 days ago

Fear from above is quite entertaining. Next up supporters of Brian Thompson seen with halo's and walking on water.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 days ago

what a great way to drum up support for more police funding and invasive practices

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

well if they're talking cyber only maybe i could see it, but the people working in our courts aren't part of the problem Luigi lashed out against.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

Cops aren't rich.

If they don't get in the way of reclamation, they have nothing to worry about.

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