The Mangione Murderer And What's Wrong With Us
Plus, Springsteen vs. Joel, golf vs. tennis, Ray Charles vs. James Brown, etc.
Editor’s Note: Have a question about which MAGA stocking stuffer to buy for the low-information voter in your life? Matt’s torn between the Trump Dancing Christmas ornament, to give your tree a homoerotic-Village-People flavor, or Trump’s new fragrance(s) for men and women, which Trump calls “Fight, Fight, Fight” (“Insurrection” would be catchier), and which Matt’s spies in the patriot fragrance lab tell him smells like overleveraged-real-estate developer with undernotes of failed coup. For Hanukkah/Kwanzaa gift ideas, ask Matt at askmattlabash@gmail.com.
Hi Matt,
I'd be interested to get your take on the general mood in the United States. I've been shocked by the lack of empathy, or indeed, even basic decency I've seen online in response to the recent murder {of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York}, including from some folks I know and see on social media. It's almost more troubling to me than the re-election of Trump, where I mostly perceive many people are looking past his faults to send a message about how angry they are with the ruling class generally. Events, in my estimation, are giving off a very Gotham city kind of vibe, like the social contract has broken down and we are being pushed to the brink of chaos. I'm very sympathetic when it comes to just how angry many Americans are about the state of things - you've noted inflation and college expenses. Any thoughts on how that can be channeled more effectively than the election of people like Trump on the one side or sentiment that wouldn't have been out of place during the French Revolution on the other?
Counterpoint
Sometimes, it feels like all I do in this space is bemoan the state of fallen America. But what the hell? We’ve fallen down on the human-decency job yet again, so it’s time to make the donuts.
When I first heard about a photogenic murderer named “Mangione” mowing down a health insurance executive on the streets of Manhattan in cold blood, my initial thought was: “Why would a peace-loving smooth-jazz flugelhorn player from the ‘70s go all Death Wish on us?”