Sage Lewis

Is this Guardian Article Suggesting The Homeless Turn To Violence?

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by

Sage
in

I just got a comic from the Guardian from First Dog on the Moon:

“10,000 people are becoming homeless every month – you’d think the government would do something about it”

This cell caught my attention:

The comic has a powerful line: “As the kids all say these days – the purpose of a system is what it does.”

It feels a little too conveniently close to the Luigi Mangioni assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Are they trying to start something here?

I just caught this article about Luigi from Hollywood Reporter:

That really burns me up.

Of course the corporations aren’t going to be on the side of the people. They’ve never been on our side. We’re just cows that work for them and then buy their food to survive. They’ve always resented and hated us. But they need us for our labor AND our resources. It’s so disgusting and gross.

It makes me so angry. It makes me all the more on Team Luigi.

But I am coming here today to advocate for peaceful protest, not violence.

Here’s why…

I need you to realize that Luigi is a unicorn. The VAST majority of people who either harm themselves or others in the name of their cause are usually very quickly villainized and then sidelined by the system.

Every school shooter is protesting something and is a total loser.

The Unabomber injured innocent people for his cause. He is only recently getting a second look. But he is very much a small, inconsequential player in his movement. (Do you know what he advocated for?)

Timothy McVeigh… I forget what he wanted but it was just so misdirected.

And then there are the people who commit suicide in the name of their cause. They just disappear into a sad wisp of dust.

Not only is an act like Luigi’s risky for innocent bystanders, but it’s even more risky for your cause. The machine is going to spin Luigi into a sad, psychotic, loner, gamer that was insane. They will do everything in their power to sideline him and make him look pathetic. And most people will buy the propaganda.

If you truly want to be on the side of change, be able to live with yourself, and not be an agent of destruction (in the name of some cause), peaceful activism is the best route to take.

But it’s going to suck.

You are going to fail over and over again. You are going to be villainized. The people you support will grow to hate you. And you are going to have to do it every single day of your life until you die. On top of that, you may never live to see the change you tried to make.

That is the great sacrifice of a true activist.

I love Luigi Mangione. He has filled me with hope and excitement. He’s like a lightening bolt of thrill and radical change. But people like Luigi are not the people who create the meaningful change in the systems and ideologies of society.

Praise Luigi. But study these people:

Historical Figures:

  1. Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948)
    • Led India to independence from British rule through nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience.
    • Inspired civil rights movements worldwide.
  2. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968)
    • Leader of the American Civil Rights Movement.
    • Advocated for racial equality through nonviolent protest and famous for his “I Have a Dream” speech.
  3. Rosa Parks (1913–2005)
    • “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement” who refused to give up her bus seat, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
  4. Nelson Mandela (1918–2013)
    • Fought apartheid in South Africa through peaceful activism and later became the country’s first Black president.
  5. Jane Addams (1860–1935)
    • Founder of Hull House in Chicago and a leader in women’s suffrage and world peace advocacy.
    • First American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
  6. César Chávez (1927–1993)
    • Fought for the rights of farm workers in the U.S., co-founding the United Farm Workers union.
    • Advocated for better wages and working conditions through nonviolent means like boycotts and marches.
  7. Harriet Tubman (1822–1913)
    • Abolitionist and leader of the Underground Railroad, helping enslaved people escape to freedom.
    • While her activism involved risk, her approach was nonviolent and focused on liberation.

Contemporary Figures:

  1. Malala Yousafzai (1997–Present)
    • Advocate for girls’ education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.
    • Survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban and continues her activism globally.
  2. Greta Thunberg (2003–Present)
    • Swedish environmental activist who promotes climate action through nonviolent protests and speeches.
    • Founded the global “Fridays for Future” movement.
  3. Leymah Gbowee (1972–Present)
    • Liberian peace activist who helped end the Second Liberian Civil War through a nonviolent women’s movement.
    • Co-winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.
  4. Wangari Maathai (1940–2011)
    • Kenyan environmentalist and founder of the Green Belt Movement, which planted millions of trees to combat deforestation and empower women.
    • First African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
  5. Desmond Tutu (1931–2021)
    • South African Anglican bishop who used peaceful advocacy to combat apartheid and promote reconciliation.
  6. Dolores Huerta (1930–Present)
    • Co-founder of the United Farm Workers union with César Chávez.
    • Advocates for labor rights, education reform, and social justice.
  7. Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022)
    • Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist who promoted mindfulness and nonviolent solutions to conflict.
    • Influenced the global mindfulness movement.
  8. Tarana Burke (1973–Present)
    • Founder of the #MeToo movement, raising awareness about sexual violence and empowering survivors.

Other Notable Peaceful Activists:

  1. Aung San Suu Kyi (1945–Present)
    • Advocate for democracy in Myanmar, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (though her later actions in power have been criticized).
  2. Irena Sendler (1910–2008)
    • Saved thousands of Jewish children during the Holocaust by smuggling them out of ghettos and finding them safe homes.
  3. Pete Seeger (1919–2014)
    • Folk singer and activist who used music to inspire social change, including civil rights and anti-war efforts.
  4. Rachel Carson (1907–1964)
    • Environmentalist whose book Silent Spring spurred awareness of the dangers of pesticides, leading to the modern environmental movement.
  5. Ella Baker (1903–1986)
    • Behind-the-scenes organizer of the Civil Rights Movement, co-founding the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

These individuals have demonstrated that meaningful change can be achieved without violence, using tools such as dialogue, protest, education, and advocacy. Their legacies continue to inspire peaceful activism today.

These are the people I am striving to be. Luigi might be a jolt to the system. But real change to the healthcare system of America is going to need the long, steady pressure of peaceful activists to make the change actually come true. If none of us follow through with what Luigi started, it will amount to nothing. Luigi alone will make zero change. He needs other activists to actually drive the change.

I don’t want to be Luigi. I don’t want to be a lightning bolt. I want to be a steady-flowing river.

If Luigi inspires you that is wonderful. I hope he inspires you to be on the side of change. A life of activism is a great sacrifice. But it is the sacrifice meaningful change actually needs.