Luigi Mangione - and the loss of Faith in American Institutions Due to Commodification of Opinion

Upon conception, the United States of America embarked on an existential challenge. How could a nation preaching equality of all men, and their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness also be one in which men are chattel. It is contestable whether or not the drafters of the constitution truly believed in that statement upon signing. However, they constructed our democracy such that amendments could be passed as times evolved. In doing so, our founding fathers instilled the binding quality that makes all of us Americans: our tenacity and tendency to strive. Two hundred and thirty two years later, through the tenacity and sacrifice of millions of Americans, a man, who upon the signing of The Declaration of Independence could have been the property of another man, assumed the highest position in our nation.

The drafters of the Constitution did so in order to form a more perfect union. This is a concession that the United States may never be a perfect union, just as its human constituents may never be perfect either. Today, we as Americans still bear the omnipresent responsibility of making our union more perfect. I fear that many Americans have forgotten the responsibility to improve our nation using through democratic process. Peter Enns contended that certainty is a sin that can push a man from God by depriving him the opportunity to have faith in something esoteric or difficult to grasp. Similarly, the concerning bipartisan certainty that our democratic institutions no longer function is robbing the American people of the opportunity to have faith in our democracy. This bipartisan distrust of our institutions led many to presidential idolatry, creating a threat of totalitarianism. The loss of faith in our system has robbed Americans of the ambition to improve our nation through the evolving and mutable structure of our government. In losing our tenacity and tendency to strive, we are losing our essential American quality.

The case of Luigi Mangione is pivotal to understanding this loss of faith. Clearly Mangione harbored extremely passionate views on how our nation and corporations could better serve the American people. Valedictorian of an elite private school, graduate of an elite university, and member of a wealthy family, Luigi Mangione was evidently a smart individual with near unlimited opportunity. However, in murdering Brian Thompson, he realized his views in likely the single most unproductive way possible. The passion, drive, and dedication he employed to execute a man in cold blood should have been channelled into legislative work to regulate insurance companies. However, Mangione’s certainty in the dysfunction of our institutions robbed him of his faith. What is most tragic is the sympathy Mangione received from the American people, who felt as if his morally and logically perverse actions were somehow just. This is indicative that the faith in our nation's institutions is dying in the hearts of our citizens. 

This loss of faith is in large part due to the commodification of opinion in our nation today. Due to monetary incentives the “Yellow Journalism” that lined the pockets of William Randolph Hearst is now commonplace. The contemporary practitioners of news in the United States are aware of the fact that they get more viewership, clicks, and shares when they appeal to the anger of their viewers. These monetary incentives have driven a wedge through the American people. This epidemic outrage is poisoning our discourse, preventing the success of moderate politics, and sparking political violence. On both sides of the aisle, every time someone opens up their phone or turns on their television they are being told that the world as they know it is ending, and that it's the other side’s fault. It is not. Through my parents' experiences in their home countries I have known civil war and dictatorship. The issues we face in the United States are not the same caliber that stoked political violence in their homes, nor do they compare to the issues that preceded their civil wars and dictatorships. Not only is the United States a first world country with first world problems, but we are a democracy in which anyone can vote, run, or win. 

A nation does not die on the battlefield. A nation dies in the hearts of its faithless constituents. If you are discontent with your experience in the United States, it may be that the nation has failed to serve you. Read, vote, run, or elect. Do not channel your ire into violence. If you are truly voracious to realize change in our nation, remember that you have the unique gift of being in a nation in which you can do so peacefully, in a way that has the potential to benefit millions. As Americans, we cannot forget how privileged we are to be able to realize the change we want to see in our nation. We are not recipients of the American dream, we are participants in it. Our quest to form a more perfect union may never be fulfilled, but it is our responsibility to all whom we care about to strive to improve. We owe it to those who have sacrificed before use, and those who will work long after us. 

Lucas Lopez Forastier

Founder's Vision USA