Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were not good people. They were a couple who engaged in back robberies during the Great Depression. They were implicated in 13 murders, including nine police officers. They met their gruesome end as part of a police ambush in Louisiana which resulted in 130 rounds being fired into their bodies.
While Bonnie and Clyde were Public Enemies a curious thing happened. Many Americans secretly admired their rebellion against the banking system that left so many American destitute. During the Depression, many Americans lost their farms and homes to the bankers. Families could no longer feed their children while the bankers were living a life of luxury.
For the most part, these were hard-working law-abiding Americans. They were patriotic and had zero tolerance for criminal activity. Yet many of these people secretly admired Bonnie and Clyde for refusing to submit to authority and deciding to live life on their own terms.
The reality of Bonnie and Clyde was not exactly the romanticized version. They were not fighting some altruistic war against “society”, they just liked to get money without work. However, the Romanized version of the young couple fighting against a corrupt system continued, culminating in a 1967 movie version of their lives.
The handsome man and pretty girl were not going to live their lives standing in a food line. They would lead a life of excitement, fighting the establishment.
Of course, Bonnie and Clyde were not the only example of Americans’ love of the righteous outlaw. Old West heroes such as Jesse James and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid captured the imagination of many generations of Americans. The idea of living free by your rules seemed to be a secret fantasy of many people.
The alleged United HealthCare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione has sparked a similar reaction. While he may be nothing more than a schizophrenic killer, for many Americans he represents an outlaw who took action against an insurance industry that has destroyed so many American lives.
The healthcare and insurance industry costs more every year while denying more services. Reform seems impossible as these rich industries simply bribe congress to do their bidding. The rich do not care because they can afford good insurance. The poor don’t care, because they get healthcare for free. But the middle class is screwed. And nothing seems to change the course of this industry.
The insurance industry thought that they were immune. They had the money to buy the politicians. And, yes, Americans may complain, but so what? As they implemented “AI” to reject more claims they slept soundly in their mansions without a care in the world. Then Luigi abruptly ended that. Now they don’t even want to admit that they are CEOs of these firms. They live in fear,
Does this mean that most Americans support Luigi? Of course not. No more than most Americans supported the bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde. But these outlaws did tap into a frustration people have with what they deem a corrupt system that they are powerless to change via the voting box.
