It’s just as Shakespeare described it in Macbeth: a world that exists in a moral abyss, where people are unable to identify evil when it appears right in front of them. Comes now Luigi Mangione, a folk hero, too many. As his prosecution proceeds, the man who allegedly killed the CEO of United Healthcare in cold blood by shooting him in the back, has been glorified in many circles and lionized on social media, including a fundraiser that has raised nearly $200,000 for his legal defense.

This is the latest manifestation of a disturbing trend in our society of evil being ignored or allowed to flourish. It became evident after the October 7 massacre in Israel, when so many publicly supported Hamas – not the Palestinians, but the rapists and killers of Hamas. In many countries, more than a few called for violence against innocent Jews and some actually carried it out.

Rather than a cry for social justice, this was a celebration of evil. It was not a strictly American phenomenon – it was evident across the Western world from Australia to Canada to Western Europe.

And here is the handsome but vicious alleged young murderer, whose name was wildly applauded by a Saturday Night Live audience when it was mentioned. A former federal prosecutor observed he’s never seen an alleged murder receive such sympathy. It might seem like the inability to recognize evil is a flaw in young people – Mangione’s approval rating in one poll comes out positive or even among respondents 44 and younger. Perhaps it is explained by a generation that has gradually become unmoored from the lessons of morality that literature and religion teach. Their only exposure to “evil” are the villains in superhero movies and video games. If the bad guy isn’t wearing a Nazi uniform or a Ku Klux Klan robe, it’s difficult for the young to identify evil.