On Dec. 4, at 6:44 a.m., 50-year-old UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot on his way to a conference in Manhattan. The killing, executed by a masked gunman in broad daylight, has sparked a widespread debate on the concept of justice, morality and the appeal of vigilantism.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the definition of vigilante is an individual who undermines the government, and enforces their own version of justice.
Vigilantes have been both celebrated and condemned for their acts throughout history, with the media heavily influencing public opinion. One example is Theodore Kacynski.
Theodore Kacynski
Theodore Kaczynski, otherwise known as the Unabomber, is an infamous and controversial vigilante who began his 17-year-long terrorism stint in 1979, when he sent his first homemade bomb to Chicago University. According to the FBI, he either mailed or personally delivered bombs, killing three people and injuring 26 others in an effort to draw attention to his anti-technology movement.
Despite being mostly violent and extreme, Kaczynski’s Manifesto, Industrial Society and Its Future, has one root idea that historical and political commentator Brenna Pérez says was “understandable.”
“There’s a lot of problematic **** in that manifesto- The overarching anti-technology idea makes a lot of sense. The idea that technology could advance enough to be harmful to society is a very understandable idea that, yes, I agree with,” stated Perez.
Kaczynski coerced his 35,000 word essay on to the Washington Post, through threats of continued bombings if it was not published. The eight page explanation of his actions led his brother, David Kaczynski, to recognize his writing style and report it to the FBI.
Subsequent to his apprehension, Kaczynski pled guilty to his crimes in January 1988. He spent the rest of his days in a supermax prison, and died at the age of 81 years old in June 2023.
Though his actions and manifesto were extreme in nature, they still predicated on opinions that many still debate today.
At the height of his terrorism, the media painted Kaczynski as a disturbed madman. News articles at the time reinforced the negative perception of him as a “reclusive killer” and an “ecoterrorist,” all names dominating headlines. This completely sidelined any meaningful discourse about the socio-political views driving his crusade, leaving his manifesto to only be remembered as the product of a deranged man’s mind.
Luigi Mangione
That is quite the stark contrast to the media’s reaction to the killer of CEO Brian Thompson, recently identified as 26-year-old Luigi Mangione.
Mangione is suspected to have arrived on foot, approached from behind and shot Thompson once in the back and once in the right calf with a 3D printed gun. Thompson was pronounced dead at Roosevelt Hospital, while the gunman walked away and later used an E-bike to evade police.
The suspect was arrested less than a week later in a Pennsylvania McDonalds after an employee called 911 upon recognizing him. Since his capture, memes, articles and videos have surfaced in support of the alleged murderer.
According to CBS News, shell casings at the crime scene had the words “Deny, Delay, Depose [remove from office suddenly and forcefully]” etched on with sharpie. This seems to be a play on the insurance company exposé book, “Delay, Deny, Defend” by law professor Jay M. Feinmen.
The book highlights the insurance industry’s tactics that prioritize profits over policy holders. Feinmen’s book details how insurance companies deny claims, withhold medical care, and delay payouts to boost their overall bottom line [a company’s net profit].
While no official evidence links Mangione to the book, nor the shell casings, the etched words have been interpreted as an “act of rebellion” against the industry, according to an interview done by the NY Post. Speculators have been led to assume the attack was a deliberate act of protest done with purpose and meaning.
A skit done by TikToker Zoë Tyler comments on the situation. “It reminds me of white moderates’ obsession with negative over positive peace, negative peace being the absence of tension and positive being the presence of justice,” Tyler says.
Tyler further elaborates on the concept of society’s ignorance to silent violence.
Tyler states, “If you’re the CEO of a company that’s responsible for the suffering of millions of Americans a year, and the deaths of tens-of-thousands of Americans a year, you’re a violent man.”
In Tyler’s opinion, “Just because you’re not shooting 45,000 people a year, doesn’t mean you aren’t engaged in the violence.”
Given the target of his attack, Mangione has become a symbol for a fight of a larger movement: the systematic faults of the insurance industry.
Some American citizens have taken liberty to share their opinions with the now-banned app TikTok.
“Luigi paved a path for us. We must continue if we want change,” shares one TikTok user “4xthegl0ry”
Another user, “chloe’s.an.enigma” commented on the murder of Thompson.
“I have no empathy for a heartless man who denied millions of families their lives in exchange for the comfort of his own,” she wrote.
She says her heart goes out to his family, but those who “play God” shouldn’t be shocked when “Judgment Day” has come.
That is not to avoid chastising the act Mangione has been alleged to commit, but rather emphasize the anger felt by many over the industry’s impact on their lives and health.
However, the violent nature of the incident has struck the heartstrings from people like Minnesota KARE newscaster Julia Nelson, who posted a statement on her “X (formally known as Twitter)” account.
“Just a reminder that Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth who was just shot and killed in NY, was a human being with a family. So many of the comments on his murder are despicable,” Nelson shared.
Nelson’s words offer a perspective on the death of Thompson, continuing the ongoing debate over the morality of vigilante justice.
The public is torn on the murder of a controversial company’s CEO, even with an agreeable message behind it. What if the subject of a vigilante killing is hated by the media?
Jeffery Doucet
On Feb. 14th, 1984, Jody Plauché was kidnapped by his karate instructor Jeffery Doucet after a year of sexual abuse by Doucet. Jody called the police from the motel, where Doucet was taken into custody.
Allthatsintresting.com recalls these events chronologically. When Gary Plauché, Jody Plauché’s father, learned that Doucet was being extradited back to Louisiana, he waited at an airport telephone booth, where he shot his son’s abuser in the head in front of officers and news cameras. Doucet died of his injuries the next day on March 15.
In the case of Doucet’s public execution, a suspected child molester murdered at the hands of his victim’s father–the deceased received no sympathy. Though his crime was caught on camera, with witnesses and a possible premeditated motive, Gary Plauché received no jail time.
Plauché’s crime was seen by many as an emotional response to the torment his son endured, and the media largely refrained from condemning him. He wasn’t attempting to shut down a systematically rigged system, nor proving an extremist ideal, but simply committing an act of personal desire for justice.
When officers questioned his motives, Gary replied, “If somebody did it to your kid, you’d do it too.”
Despite Plauché’s actions, the public and courts sympathized more with the father’s grief than the actual crime he committed. The support likely stemmed from the horrific nature of the crime Doucet had done.
Graphic t-shirts of the murder with the phrase “How to catch a predator” can be found available for purchase on Sivelo’s, Alifads, and multiple other sites today. A comment on a TikTok video praising Plauché reads, “One of the coldest guys on the planet,” and another states the gruesome video was a “satisfying” watch.
These three vigilantes resulted in at least one person dead, and yet they all received varying amounts of support. Krasinski, Mangione and Plauche each had their unique motives behind the murders, meaning actions like these can be redeemed in the eyes of the public depending on the person’s motives.
Mangione’s target, ideology, and young personality has kept the media swooning in his corner. Krasinski’s actions were so terrible, some find themselves shocked that they agree with his core values. The murder that Plauché’ carried out was the most personal, benefiting only his and his family’s peace of mind, yet he received the most support overall of the three.
Vigilantism is heavily controversial. Some question if it’s a necessary evil, or a disruption of peace and performance of lawlessness that may set a dangerous precedent. Political Violence at a Glance clarifies, “Though vigilante action can address governance failures, if prolonged, left unchecked, or rooted in a system that excludes and oppresses, it can cause more harm than good.”
On Dec. 12, a Florida woman named Briana Boston ended a call with her insurance company, with the words “Delay, deny, depose. You people are next.” The insurance company called the police shortly after, resulting in her being questioned.
ABC News states in an affidavit, police recalled Boston saying insurance companies “deserved karma” because they are “evil.” She has been charged with threats to conduct mass shootings or acts of terrorism, and booked into a jail. She faces 15 years for her statements.
Her insurance company, Blue Shield, hasn’t commented. But this is the other side of the coin when it comes to vigilantism. The government must handle anyone who challenges the law to prevent misguided people from making the same decisions.