Our Cultural Abandonment of Character

Jonathan Rinderknecht—the Uber driver charged with setting the blaze that killed twelve people and destroyed thousands of homes— has professed an admiration for Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Anne Hendershott discusses how we are shaped by the cultural habit of looking outward to decide who to become.Further ReadingOpinion: The destructive culture of persona and the increasing loss of characterGuest InfoAnne Hendershott is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life at Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com