Warrior Jesus and a Letter from Luigi

How an exchange between Mangione and the mother of a sick child challenges the mainstream narrative about the accused CEO shooter's supporters

Those of you who have followed the Luigi Mangione case are probably aware of the enormous interest among his supporters in getting letters to him as he awaits trial. He has also made a public statement indicating that he enjoys getting these letters.

Some of the interest comes from the usual places—heavy media coverage, empathy for the incarcerated, sympathy for a “cause” the suspect is seen to have embodied. Some comes from an undeniably parasocial impulse, something that should not be seen as unusual in such circumstances. Many, if not most, high-profile criminal cases provoke parasocial activity. 

As expected, of course, the mainstream media has interpreted Mangione’s letter-writing fans as “flocks of twisted young women” and a “besotted bevy,” with the New York Post going all in on the sexist spin. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, this framing is intentionally designed by corporate-owned media to distract from the socioeconomic and political issues raised by the events of Decem…