thanks for including a poll with people <46 yrs. I'm 44--the first year of a millenial (1980) and jesus christ I hate when they lump 40-49 yrs in together.
I don't think Luigi is misguided (not condoning death--this is bigger than him). I disagree with you on that point. I believe he thought about what he could do to help the greatest number of people. We are seeing positive effects in the insurance industry (though it's happening slowly and quietly)--however I think this more about anti-capitalism. I intend to write an article on the parallels of Luigi's case with another great man in history who is considered a hero to his people for committing a similar act.
Haha I’m glad you liked the age breakdown in the poll! It seems to be along generational lines rather than by decade, which I agree is more helpful.
Perhaps “misguided” was the wrong word, as I also believe that Luigi acted in a utilitarian way in defense of the greatest number of people. And his actions are certainly having positive effects, even if Big Insurance and the officials they’ve bought off are refusing to learn from this. What I was trying to get across was that Luigi stood for the right cause in the wrong way, and so the morality of his case is complicated.
I’m looking forward to reading your next article as well!
the wrong way is debatable. He chose the most impactful action that would create the most chaos to lead to change. In my opinion, that is not the wrong choice. Of course, I don't consider what he did to be murder. A book that led me to understand this is one cited by TK: The True Believer: Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoeffer. This book describes the true believer and the fanatical, almost religious devotion to the cause. Luigi is a true believer.
I do view what he did more as vigilantism, not murder. I say it was “wrong” because it is generally wrong to kill people, but in this case, the intentions were good and I don’t believe the victim was innocent. However, I don’t believe Brian Thompson necessarily deserved to die. Go to prison, yes. Lose money/value on UHC? Definitely. I would say this is the most important and impactful effect of the crime. You need to hit them where it hurts- their pocketbooks. It’s complicated because I don’t think that Brian Thompson and UHC would have ever faced consequences for their unethical claim denials through the regular legal system. Being shot was maybe overkill, but it was the only punishment that Brian Thompson was ever going to face for the preventable deaths he caused.
I’ll have to check out that book! I read TK’s manifesto back in January and most of it was very based.
I consider Luigi to be a soldier. We revere soldiers. No one cried for Bin Laden. We cheered for Obama. How is it any different when the people killed are faceless?
Also please read about this man. The way it was carried out is nearly identical. He is considered a hero by Armenians.
I just watched the video. Very impressive. It’s amazing that the main goal was to raise awareness of the genocide, and, slowly but surely, the assassinations accomplished just that (I know recognition is still ongoing, but that’s still progress). As a Greek, we have a deep connection with the Armenians, our fellow victims of a genocide by the Turks.
Thank you so much for reading! I’m glad this piece resonated with you. The double standard where school shooters aren’t overcharged like Luigi is definitely insane and extremely hypocritical.
thanks for including a poll with people <46 yrs. I'm 44--the first year of a millenial (1980) and jesus christ I hate when they lump 40-49 yrs in together.
I don't think Luigi is misguided (not condoning death--this is bigger than him). I disagree with you on that point. I believe he thought about what he could do to help the greatest number of people. We are seeing positive effects in the insurance industry (though it's happening slowly and quietly)--however I think this more about anti-capitalism. I intend to write an article on the parallels of Luigi's case with another great man in history who is considered a hero to his people for committing a similar act.
Haha I’m glad you liked the age breakdown in the poll! It seems to be along generational lines rather than by decade, which I agree is more helpful.
Perhaps “misguided” was the wrong word, as I also believe that Luigi acted in a utilitarian way in defense of the greatest number of people. And his actions are certainly having positive effects, even if Big Insurance and the officials they’ve bought off are refusing to learn from this. What I was trying to get across was that Luigi stood for the right cause in the wrong way, and so the morality of his case is complicated.
I’m looking forward to reading your next article as well!
the wrong way is debatable. He chose the most impactful action that would create the most chaos to lead to change. In my opinion, that is not the wrong choice. Of course, I don't consider what he did to be murder. A book that led me to understand this is one cited by TK: The True Believer: Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoeffer. This book describes the true believer and the fanatical, almost religious devotion to the cause. Luigi is a true believer.
I do view what he did more as vigilantism, not murder. I say it was “wrong” because it is generally wrong to kill people, but in this case, the intentions were good and I don’t believe the victim was innocent. However, I don’t believe Brian Thompson necessarily deserved to die. Go to prison, yes. Lose money/value on UHC? Definitely. I would say this is the most important and impactful effect of the crime. You need to hit them where it hurts- their pocketbooks. It’s complicated because I don’t think that Brian Thompson and UHC would have ever faced consequences for their unethical claim denials through the regular legal system. Being shot was maybe overkill, but it was the only punishment that Brian Thompson was ever going to face for the preventable deaths he caused.
I’ll have to check out that book! I read TK’s manifesto back in January and most of it was very based.
I consider Luigi to be a soldier. We revere soldiers. No one cried for Bin Laden. We cheered for Obama. How is it any different when the people killed are faceless?
Also please read about this man. The way it was carried out is nearly identical. He is considered a hero by Armenians.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soghomon_Tehlirian
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Talaat_Pasha
or watch here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-q0oiHBbSU
I just watched the video. Very impressive. It’s amazing that the main goal was to raise awareness of the genocide, and, slowly but surely, the assassinations accomplished just that (I know recognition is still ongoing, but that’s still progress). As a Greek, we have a deep connection with the Armenians, our fellow victims of a genocide by the Turks.
🇬🇷✊🏼
This is exactly how I think of Luigi.
Hi Kristin,
Thank you so much for reading! I’m glad this piece resonated with you. The double standard where school shooters aren’t overcharged like Luigi is definitely insane and extremely hypocritical.