The political left has a troubling history of rallying behind individuals who have committed heinous acts. Leftists’ ideological lens often becomes so distorted that they not only excuse these atrocities but in some cases praise those responsible, framing their actions as products of systemic injustice rather than personal wrongdoing.
This pattern is particularly evident when contrasting the reactions to Daniel Penny’s acquittal with the capture of Luigi Mangione, the man accused of assassinating United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The difference in treatment between these cases speaks volumes about the left’s priorities and its fixation on identity politics and convenient preferred narratives.
Penny, a Marine veteran, was acquitted after intervening on a New York subway to restrain Jordan Neely, a man with a lengthy history of violent behavior. Neely’s more than 40 arrests included serious offenses, and at the time of the incident, his threats endangered the public.
Despite Penny’s actions in defense of others, left-wing activists and media seized on the case, painting it as a racially motivated attack because Neely was black. Black Lives Matter activist Walter “Hawk” Newsome even escalated the rhetoric, calling for “black vigilantes” in response to Penny’s acquittal, framing the situation as another instance of systemic oppression.
And then there’s the case of Luigi Mangione. You’ve probably noticed the same people who attack Daniel Penny as bigoted vigalante are far more sympathetic to Mangione, who killed a man in cold blood. The left’s narratives seem to prioritize identity politics and anti-corporate sentiment over individual accountability or public safety. Former Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz even claimed she felt joy over Thompson’s murder.
“I felt, along with so many other Americans, joy, unfortunately,” she admitted to Piers Morgan.
Recommended: The Mainstream Media FINALLY Admits Obamacare Is a Failure
This isn’t an isolated phenomenon. The left has often championed figures, despite overwhelming evidence of guilt or wrongdoing, and reframed them as victims of oppression, if not outright heroes.
Assata Shakur, convicted of murdering a New Jersey state trooper in 1973, fled justice and is still at large. She is celebrated as a revolutionary by some on the left, including former Rep. Jamaal Bowman.
Mumia Abu-Jamal, convicted for the murder of a Philadelphia police officer in 1982, became a cause célèbre for activists who ignored the eyewitness testimony and forensic evidence against him.
Che Guevara is lionized as an anti-imperialist icon, while his documented role in the brutal executions of political prisoners during the Cuban Revolution is brushed aside so that privileged leftists can wear shirts with his likeness on it. Venezuelan leaders Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro, responsible for plunging their country into dictatorship and economic collapse, have been defended by left-wing sympathizers who downplay their regimes’ human rights abuses.
Even in cases of personal criminal behavior, the left’s selective outrage is telling. Roman Polanski, who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, is still celebrated in Hollywood. In fact, he won Best Director at the 2003 Academy Awards.
Similarly, Harvey Milk’s legacy as a gay rights pioneer is immune to the fact that he was a pedophile, a detail inconvenient to the carefully curated narrative. Under Barack Obama, a postage stamp was dedicated to Milk, a Navy ship was named after him, and he posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
These examples reveal a disturbing pattern. The left often prioritizes narratives of systemic injustice over the reality of individual wrongdoing. Figures who align with their ideological goals are elevated as heroes, victims, or both, regardless of the evils they’ve committed or the harm they have caused.
Meanwhile, individuals like Penny, who acted selflessly to protect others, are demonized for not fitting the left’s identity-driven framework. This prioritization of ideology over truth is a troubling reflection of the dangerous and distorted values at the heart of the left’s worldview.
