On the morning of December 4th, the UnitedHealthcare CEO was shot dead in the streets of New York on his way to the company’s annual investor conference. Leaving ammunition shells with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” inscribed on them, the alleged shooter fled the scene and was caught 5 days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania.¹ The response from the American public is most intriguing. A widespread sentiment takes sympathy toward the alleged shooter Luigi Mangione, turning the entire incident into a viral meme. From skits to thirst traps, he has been romanticized, glorified, and even jokingly idealized on the internet. These different approaches to responding to the shooting reveal a shift in the attitude that the American people have in the age of technology.

We live in an age of consumerism, constant entertainment, and desensitization. The first of which heightens the pleasure of purchasing and receiving merchandise with little necessity other than enjoying the perceived fame and value attached to the product or brand. The second, constant entertainment, is a form of consumerism that morphs and takes place in the virtual world. An overflow of all forms of entertainment are presented in the palm of our hands, serving as a constant subtle distraction. Social media above all is the most accessible and most influential, promoting short-form communication and fostering the meme culture. With the internet meagerly regulated and generously connected, the people of my generation have accessed information beyond the appropriate age limit, and throughout the years gradually lost sensitivity to impactful events because of their constant appearance. For most people my age, we have lived in this culture for most of our lives, and it is difficult to realistically imagine otherwise. The amalgamation of these three factors creates a unique response that appeared and became dominant in the internet domain.

In history, there are many non violent ways of resistance. The preservation of knowledge and stories protects history, truth, and lived experience from imminent destruction; the scribbles on the walls scream dissent into the silent abyss and manifest the butterfly effect in passerby’s minds; proverbs, tales, and folk songs artistically transform thoughts into an entertainment of morals with extensive effect. These forms of resistance have gradually taken a backseat in the time where entertainment is for profit and cries for help sometimes are apathetically received. Despite the lack of channels, my generation still experiences an immense amount of dissatisfaction with the world. In response, we’ve developed a method of expression native to the virtual playground – memes.

On June 18th, 2023, the Titan, a submersible operated by the company Oceangate, imploded on the journey to visit the wreckage of the Titanic. The passengers on board included “CEO and pilot Stockton Rush,” “two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood,” “British adventurer Hamish Harding,” and “Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.”² In response to the accident, people on social media did as much as you’d expect – meme about it. The existence of the adventurer and the Titanic expert was promptly overshadowed by the other three participants, who are referred to as “billionaires.” A meme that showed up on my recommendation pages repeatedly is the remaining oxygen counter reaching zero and at the same time the background music reaches a cheerful climax. This incident reveals a desensitized response towards death and a dark sense of humor. Joking about the death of these “billionaires” hints at an anti-elite or anti-rich sentiment expressed through absurd comedy. This is the first incident of using memes as a way of displaying discontent which I was aware of, and the sentiment is sure to come back again.

Another meme that peaked in popularity some time ago and can still be seen on the internet is the “leave a tip meme.” The context of this meme is usually that the server did a minimal amount of perceivable service for the customer, typically taking an order and turning the iPad around, then presenting the customer on the screen with three high tip percentages. This meme tackles another aspect of the difficulties of current society. Specifically, the low wages for servers, and the high financial burden on customers. It discusses the conflict between the interests of both ends of the service, and critically uncovers the diversion from the employers. Customers feel morally obligated to tip because they know that people providing services are not paid a livable wage, yet they themselves are also in a financially difficult position, subtly expressing dissatisfaction with the salary structure of the food industry and pushing back on the companies avoiding the responsibility of supporting their employees in the form of memes. In this situation, the meme is more widespread and accepted because of its simplicity and the ability for the general public to relate to it.

Nostalgia is a characteristic that I relate to, and it seems that many other people also reminisce about “the good old days.” Although the past has very rarely been a time of less turmoil and less conflict, it commonly represents “a simpler time with less worries.” Wars plague the earth and we are constantly reminded of the violence and suffering happening in Ukraine and the Middle East. Nostalgia combined with a frustration about the state of the current world, the meme “It’s the year 20… You’re a soldier in the war of… Suddenly the gun jams and you’re back…” was born. The dot dot dots are usually filled in with a time in the near future, a city in America or a city of a major geopolitical enemy, and a low quality picture or recording of either a cozy homelike environment or a young child singing or dancing without a care in the world. This meme perfectly encapsulates the pessimistic attitude towards the future, the hopeless disappointment of the current world leadership in handling conflicts, and the hope to return to a simple carefree time. This is the counterreactive force memeifying the constant pressure put on the backs of people. All we can do is to turn it into a massive meme and laugh as tears roll down our cheeks.

Finally, we reach the sensational meme of Luigi Mangione, in which he is repeatedly glorified, revered, and turned into a hero. We see commentary, skits, and even thirst traps made about him. Despite repeated efforts from the authorities to quell the movement to glorify and memeify the shooting of the UHC CEO, the opposite has occurred. The more an authority condemns the act, the more pushback the online community seems to offer. Through the progression of memes that we examined previously, we can identify a trend that they have become increasingly relatable and poignant, especially in a way that expresses disappointment in the surrounding environment. In the case of Luigi Mangione, the online community took an overt stance against the healthcare industry, almost breaking the safety barrier created by the characteristics of memes, and plainly expressing their opinions about the industry. During the years of suffering from lack of support from their coverage, the people have wept silently or perchance formed groups of people dedicated to the problem, bobbing into the public view once in a while. The shooting of the UHC CEO served as a magnifying glass on the healthcare industry and tore open the delicate skin on an internal wound that has yearned to bleed for so long. Those opportunities of expression presented themselves because the incident became a meme and punctured a wound in the dam previously holding back criticism.

In current times, it feels as though a life changing decision happens every week and usually takes a turn for the worse. Waves of hopelessness and heavy responsibility wash over us frequently, and that pressure weighs heavily on our backs and cooks us like dinner to be devoured. We are not a nihilistic generation, and we do our best to find hope when all seems lost through the form of dark humor and memes. Everytime I laugh at a joke with a deeper societal meaning, the scars on my heart feel irritated by each squeeze of laughter. At the same time, the heart twitches and compresses out the substance of life, sweetness, and the urge to transform thoughts of disturbing prospects into actions.