| | | In today’s newsletter, Jessica Winter on the lore of Luigi Mangione. And then, Jia Tolentino talks with Tyler Foggatt about the two killings that have shaken New York City. Plus: • Bill McKibben on the year in climate news
• Brady Corbet’s outsider American epic
• Theatre of family discord | | | | | The support for the alleged shooter is rooted in an American tradition of exalting the outlaw.  Illustration by The New Yorker / Source photograph from Altoona Police Department / Reuters An outlaw in the popular imagination is not merely a criminal; he is a good guy gone bad for good reasons, standing up for the common man against forces of greed, exploitation, or indifference. As Jessica Winter writes, Luigi Mangione has rapidly been absorbed into this tradition. Some of the particulars of his alleged crime reveal the “knack for the myth-building flourish” of past outlaws; Mangione has already inspired a growing catalogue of protest music. “This act did not justify itself,” Winter notes, of the killing of Brian Thompson, the C.E.O. of UnitedHealthcare. “But this act also gave people permission to go far enough—to acknowledge their righteous hatred of our depraved health-care system, and even to conjure something funny or silly or joyous out of that hate.” | | | | Podcast Dept. |  On the same day that Luigi Mangione was charged with killing Brian Thompson, Daniel Penny was acquitted of charges in the death of Jordan Neely. There’s a strange symmetry to the stories of these two twenty-six-year-olds, Jia Tolentino explains to Tyler Foggatt, on the latest episode of The Political Scene podcast. “Mangione is going to be seen as a folk hero across the aisle,” Tolentino says, because “no matter where you might find yourself on the ideological spectrum, there is a high chance that you feel that health-insurance companies are merchants of death.” Meanwhile, Penny was already being treated as a hero by some on the right. Both men can be seen as “taking out somebody that posed an imminent danger to other people’s lives—or so that’s said.” But Thompson was “representative of the system,” and Neely was “arguably a victim of the system,” Foggatt notes. The public response to the deaths of these two men—even the ways they died—is indicative of our divisive era. As Tolentino says, “It has felt like an extremely dark counterpart to an already fairly dark and anarchic week.” | | | | Annals of Climate Change |  2024 in Review Hotter and HotterScientists don’t yet understand why temperatures have been steadily spiking above the projections. But what they do understand is bad enough. By Bill McKibben | | | | | | Our journalism relies on your support. If you believe in fearless, fair, and fact-checked reporting, please subscribe today. | | | | | | Culture Dept. |  Profiles Brady Corbet’s Outsider American Epic“The Brutalist,” the director’s nearly four-hour study of immigration, identity, and marriage, flowed from his own struggle to create art without compromise. “You really have to dare to suck to transcend,” he said. By Alexandra Schwartz | | | | | The Theatre Family Discord and Holiday Music in “Cult of Love” and “No President”Two scathing new productions satisfy our hunger for dysfunction-driven entertainment. By Helen Shaw | | | | |  | Holiday Gifts in The New Yorker Store! Order tote bags, hats, dog toys, and other great items by December 17th for your best chance of pre-Christmas delivery. Browse and buy » | | | | Fun & Games Dept. |  Mini Crossword A Bite-Size Puzzle Catherine who starred opposite Eugene Levy in “Best in Show” and “Schitt’s Creek”: five letters. By Kate Chin Park |  Daily Cartoon Friday, December 13th By Emily Flake | | | | |  | If you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter, please share it. Was it forwarded to you? Sign up. | | | | | P.S. The reality show “Love Is Blind” has been named in a complaint by the National Labor Relations Board, which classifies the show’s contestants as employees, opening up the possibility of unionization. Earlier this year, Emily Nussbaum spoke with several former contestants who had sued the show’s creators for exploitation, false imprisonment, and other cruelties. “There has never been any sort of coördinated labor movement for reality cast members,” Nussbaum observed. That now seems to be changing. 🎬 | | | | Today’s newsletter was written by Hannah Jocelyn. | | | | | | | |
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