Re: 'Rats in the Kitchen'

The Internet's Obsession With Luigi Mangione Signals a Major Shift

Luigi Mangione, currently the internet's main character, probably
isn't who you think he is. Main characters are like that. As soon as
someone achieves main character status, they become the screen onto
which the world's opinions and preconceptions get projected. Mangione,
who was arrested Monday in connection with the shooting death of
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, fits that bill.
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On TikTok, people performed ballads dedicated to whomever the shooter
was. On Bluesky, they marveled over his ebike escape and the backpack
found in Central Park full of Monopoly money that allegedly belonged
to him. There was a look-alike contest held in New York City. On
Spotify, there were dedicated playlists. Fanfic sprang up on Archive
of Our Own.

Online, fans exist for almost everything and everyone. Following the
shooting death of Brian Thompson, a fandom emerged around his
suspected killer that seemed unifying in a way few others have been.
He became an avatar that anyone who'd ever struggled with a hospital
bill could understand.

Many of the most engaged posts on X mentioning Thompson or
UnitedHealthcare following the shooting "expressed explicit or
implicit support for the killing or denigrated the victim," the
Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) wrote in a report compiled
before Mangione's arrest. Rhetoric that was once more at home on 4chan
or 8chan was spreading to other forums. "[T]his phenomenon was once
largely confined to niche online subcultures," the authors wrote. "We
are now witnessing similar dynamics emerging on mainstream platforms."

https://www.wired.com/story/internet-culture-luigi-mangione-major-shift-fandom/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us