On e-commerce platforms like Etsy, TikTok Shop, eBay, and Redbubble, sellers are hawking products with designs inspired by the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
NBC News reported on T-shirts, hoodies, stickers, mugs, and even T-shirts, hoodies, stickers, mugs, and even bullet casings with the words “deny,” “defense,” and “abandonment” engraved on them. They examined more than 100 product listings, ranging from fake bullets with the words “abandoned” engraved on them to Christmas decorations. at the crime scene (the word “defense” was later revealed by police to be “delay”).
Some products feature drawings or images of the gunman taken from early videos of the shooting. The suspect, Luigi Mangione, was charged with murder on Monday. The shooting has sparked an uproar online, with many people downplaying the killing or outright celebrating it. The targeting of Thompson and the gunman's messages have been widely interpreted as commentary on the current state of the health insurance industry, with stories of coverage denials, abuse, and financial hardship faced by many within the system. are shared.
Thompson was the father of two sons. In a statement, his family called him “an incredibly loving, generous, and talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives,” adding, “He will be sorely missed.” said.
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T-shirts and other merchandise also add to the growing sentiment surrounding the shooting. Many of the designs appear to be sold through print-on-demand, a business model where products are produced to order, so sellers don't have to keep inventory on hand. Despite problems such as rampant copyright infringement, the freewheeling print-on-demand industry continues to boom.
While many of the products simply feature messages left on the cartridges, other designs more explicitly glorify or encourage violence. Some designs feature guillotine, gun, and target symbols.
Etsy, Redbubble, TikTok Shop, and eBay all prohibit the sale of products that glorify violence. In a statement, an eBay representative said: “While eBay policy does not prohibit the sale of items with the phrase 'Reject. Defend. Abdicate.' “The sale of glorifying or provocative products is not prohibited.” Brian Thompson is banned. ” Etsy, Redbubble and TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The growing market for products related to mass shootings appears to be primarily for-profit, with blankets ranging in price from $2.99 to more than $70, but one seller told NBC News that all proceeds will go to helping people. He said he plans to donate it to charity. paying medical expenses.
Michael, a graphic designer who designed one of the products, spoke on condition that his last name not be used for fear of repercussions for his profession. In a TikTok video that has been viewed nearly 2 million times, Michael referred to the nickname “The Adjuster,” which some people online have started using to refer to the shooter.
“If I'm going to give him a badass superhero name, I think he needs a badass superhero logo to go with it,” Michael said in the video. He reversed and reused the UnitedHealthcare logo, featuring an “A” and the words “deny,” “defense,” and “waiver.” Michael sells this design on Etsy on two different T-shirts and two hoodies, and says it's his fastest-selling design, with more than 20 orders within 24 hours. I did.
“I personally don't believe in violence, but their whole business of making money off of people suffering and dying is problematic,” Michael said of the health insurance industry and why it was designed. talked about. “I think health care should be free, and I think a lot of people feel that way. We're tired of not getting anything done, even if that's not the way we want to do it.”
Michael said he wasn't surprised that the print-on-demand industry was capitalizing on what he considered an anti-capitalist movement, but he had no intention of personally profiting from anyone's death. He said he was inspired to create the design after seeing a ton of content circulating on TikTok over the weekend depicting shooters as heroes and outlaws. It included an original folk song about mass shootings. Photos of stickers and other artwork reading “Reject,” “Defend,” and “Step Down” from last weekend's craft fair also gained attention online.
“I always wondered why people were rooting for guys who rob trains, but then I saw how corrupt the banks were and thought, 'That makes sense,'” Michael said. “This movie says something about a society where we can sympathize more with a murderer than with a billionaire and his family.”
