The obsession with the 'hot assassin' reveals a disturbing truth about celebrity culture | Vanessa Friedman
The folk hero status sometimes accorded to those charged with serious crimes means the victims and the violence can be forgotten
From the moment the world saw the smiling, unmasked face of the young man in the New York City hostel, memes began spreading about his looks. In the days since Luigi Mangione was identified and charged in the murder of the UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, it has been impossible to escape his photo. Or photos. They are proliferating.
They are on television, in the newspaper and all over social media. Not just pictures of Mr Mangione from his booking at a police station in Altoona, Pennsylvania, or his mug shots in prison orange, but photos of him in earlier times, in a navy blazer, crisp white shirt and tie. Images of him hiking shirtless in the hills. In all of them, he is clean-shaven, curly-haired, often flashing a bright, white grin. Even his Tinder profile has made it into the public, with more pics featuring his six-pack. One commentator compared the stream of pictures to “an endless photo shoot”.
Continue reading...Topics
-
What Prince William’s Chat With Trump May Reveal About UK Diplomacy
A meeting between President-elect Donald J. Trump and Prince William showed Britain’s hope that the Windsors could help safeguard relations with Washington.The New York Times - 13h -
Assassin's Creed Unity Bends History As Ubisoft Celebrates Notre Dame's Reopening
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Assassin's Creed Unity , the eighth game in Ubisoft's long-running franchise. The game was set in Paris during the French Revolution in the late 18th ...GameSpot - 2d -
Daniel Penny’s acquittal reveals ‘double standard’ about white vigilante crime
In longstanding pattern in the US, white killers are celebrated and Black victims denigrated, experts say. On Monday, Daniel Penny, a 26-year-old white man, was acquitted of all charges related ...The Guardian - 2d -
Trump assassination attempts probe leaders concerned over Secret Service "culture of silence"
Reps. Mike Kelly and Jason Crow, the bipartisan leaders of the task force that probed the assassination attempts against President-elect Donald Trump, say found a troubling culture of silence in ...CBS News - 4d -
Lord of the ringtones: Nokia celebrates pop-culture status by opening design archive
The mobile phones we loved then lost are honoured by an online archive which reveals history of bestselling brand. “Everyone remembers their first Nokia,” says Mark Mason, who joined the telecoms ...The Guardian - 4d -
Rap scene 'needs to know' about South Asian culture
South Asian rapper Sliime has seen his new track Bengali make its way on to the 1Xtra playlist.BBC News - Dec. 4 -
Graham calls Hegseth allegations ‘very disturbing’
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said allegations against Pete Hegseth of sexual assault and other misconduct, some stemming from his time atop two veterans groups, are “very disturbing” and are making ...The Hill - Dec. 3 -
Monsters obsessed him as a child. Now Robert Eggers is about to unleash his own 'Nosferatu'
Remaking the immortal silent horror classic, the director of "The Witch" and "The Lighthouse" is finally ready to share his longtime passion project.Los Angeles Times - Dec. 3
More from The Guardian
-
‘We won’t stop until we find them all’: joy gives way to grief as Syria buries its dead
The Guardian - 29m -
Ontario leader threatens to halt energy exports to US if Trump imposes tariffs
The Guardian - 42m -
Meta donates $1m to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund
The Guardian - 3h -
Gukesh Dommaraju becomes youngest world chess champion after horrific Ding Liren blunder
The Guardian - 4h -
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of drugging and raping three men in lawsuits
The Guardian - 1h