Hello comrades. In the interest of upholding our code of conduct - specifically, rule 1 (providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all) - we felt it appropriate to make a statement regarding the lionization of Luigi Mangione, the alleged United Healthcare CEO shooter, also known as "The Adjuster."

In the day or so since the alleged shooter's identity became known to the public, the whole world has had the chance to dig though his personal social media accounts and attempt to decipher his political ideology and motives. What we have learned may shock you. He is not one of us. He is a "typical" American with largely incoherent, and in many cases reactionary politics. For the most part, what is remarkable about the man himself is that he chose to take out his anger on a genuine enemy of the proletariat, instead of an elementary school.

This is a situation where the art must be separated from the artist. We do not condemn the attack, but as a role model, Luigi Mangione falls short. We do not expect perfection from revolutionary figures either, but we expect a modicum of revolutionary discipline. We expect them not simply to identify an unpopular element of society hitler-detector , but to clearly illuminate the causes of oppression and the means by which they are overcome. When we canonize revolutionary figures, we are holding them up as an example to be followed.

This is where things come back to rule 1. Mangione has a long social media history bearing a spectrum of reactionary viewpoints, and interacting positively with many powerful reactionary figures. While some commenters have referred to this as "nothing malicious," by lionizing this man we effectively deem this behavior acceptable, or at the very least, safe to ignore. This is the type of tailism which opens the door to making a space unsafe for marginalized people.

We're going to be more strict on moderating posts which do little more than lionize the shooter. There is plenty to be said about the unfolding events, the remarkably positive public reaction, how public reactions to "propaganda of the deed" may have changed since the historical epoch of its conception (and how the strategic hazards might not have), and many other aspects of the news without canonizing this man specifically. We can still dance on the graves of our enemies and celebrate their rediscovered fear and vulnerability without the vulgar revisionism needed to pretend this man is some sort of example of Marxist or Anarchist practice.

  • AssortedBiscuits [they/them]
    ·
    8 days ago

    There is apparently a public fundraising of him floating around. For the record, I personally wouldn't donate money because if nothing else, that money should go to Palestinian gofundmes instead.

    What is the admins/mods' official line on passing around that link?

    • TheLepidopterists [he/him]
      ·
      8 days ago

      As someone who thinks all the removals are a huge overreaction, I do strongly agree that donating to his bail fund is a bad move. He's from a well off background, doesn't need some communist's disposable income and giving it to some Palestinian raising money for food and shelter is what anyone should do with any money they were gonna give him.

    • Dirt_Possum [any, undecided]
      ·
      edit-2
      8 days ago

      This is what they think about it:

      mod Removed Post: Luigi Mangione defense fund
      reason: do not attempt to raise money for this freak

      That is at the top of the modlog. I agree that is not what anyone should be donating to if they have the means to be giving money to a cause. But the removal of most of the other Luigi-posting seems absurd to me. So does the insistence on treating him as just some fashy nerd who we need to bend over backwards to distance ourselves from instead of using the positive sentiment the masses have about his actions as the opportunity for radicalization that it is.