‘Read the room’: The internet isn’t happy with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s statement following UHC shooter’s arrest
"Depose" is right.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has made a statement following Luigi Mangione’s December 9 arrest in Altoona for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and the internet is calling BS on several counts.
In the hours since his appearance, Gov. Shapiro’s statement has only served to deepen widespread discontent among Americans, regarding not only the country’s healthcare system but also our elected officials. Shapiro has dubbed the general public’s laudatory response to Thompson’s murder “deeply disturbing,” claiming such comments have come from “dark corners” in which Mangione is being hailed a rather good-looking “hero.”
Shapiro clarified that he understands Americans have “real frustration” with our country’s healthcare system and went on to condemn Mangione’s alleged motivations and actions, as well as the celebratory response the alleged shooter has garnered. Across social media platforms, users feel the Pennsylvania Governor’s statement minimizes the real, justified upset currently sweeping the country. And for many, “frustrated” is a massive understatement.
In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint. I understand people have real frustration with our healthcare system, and I have worked to address that throughout my career. But I have no tolerance, nor should anyone, for one man using an illegal ghost gun to murder someone because he thinks his opinion matters most. In a civil society, we are all less safe when ideologues engage in vigilante justice.
In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this: He is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 9-1-1 at McDonald’s this morning. The real heroes every day in our society are the women and men who put on uniforms like these, and go out in our communities to keep us safe. This killer is not a hero; he should not be hailed.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, NBC News
YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter (X) comment sections are flooded with disapproval regarding Gov. Shapiro’s stance, pointing out the apparent hypocrisy in his opening statement and reductive language used throughout. One YouTuber commented, “Hey Shapiro… How tf do you think this country started?” while others were quick to shed light on the prevalence of so-called “dark corners,” with one user writing, “Anywhere you look across social media, including YouTube, this guy is widely seen as a hero and there’s a complete lack of empathy for the victim.”
Comments like this point to the beginning of a larger-scale phenomenon that’s spurred discussions about “class consciousness” on TikTok and other platforms in the wake of Thompson’s murder and Gov. Shapiro’s statement following Mangione’s arrest. As like-minded comments continue to pour in, with hundreds sharing horror stories about how they and their loved ones have been affected by the actions of insurance companies, many are now hopeful that we may see the political left and right united on at least one majorly pressing issue — universal and affordable healthcare.
What seemed nearly impossible just one month ago in the aftermath of the 2024 US Presidential Election now appears much closer than previously believed. Recognizing commonalities across party lines is an essential first step in finding solutions to the pervasive issues within our health care system and our government at large, and some claim it’s now more evident than ever that we may be able to put politics aside in favor of our collective well-being.
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