Martyr Merchants: How Manufactured Victimhood Became Political Gold

The Martyr-Making Machine

A new breed of storytelling has taken root, one where criminals, frauds, and agitators are recast as saints of the oppressed. Dubbed “Martyr Merchants,” this trend sees media outlets, activists, and even politicians cherry-picking narratives to turn flawed individuals into symbols of systemic injustice. From George Floyd’s deification to Luigi Mangione’s bizarre media fanbase, the pattern is clear: facts are buried, one-sided stories are amplified, and society is left fractured. This isn’t just sloppy journalism—it’s a dangerous game that’s torn the country apart and flirts with the chaos of a color revolution. Let’s unpack the cases, expose the media’s role, and call out the merchants profiting from the martyrdom.

The Media’s Playbook: One Side, All the Time

The media doesn’t just report—it curates. Outlets like CNN, MSNBC, and The New York Times often frame stories to fit a narrative of systemic oppression, ignoring inconvenient truths. Social media, especially pre-2023 X, poured gas on the fire, amplifying half-baked takes before facts could catch up. The result? A public fed a steady diet of outrage, with dissenting voices drowned out or canceled. This one-sided storytelling doesn’t inform—it manipulates, turning complex cases into rallying cries that divide and destabilize. When riots erupt or reputations are destroyed, the media moves on, leaving the wreckage behind.

The Martyr Merchants in Action: Icons Built on Sand

Case Studies: Criminals as Icons

• George Floyd: A Martyr Built on Half-Truths

  

  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic lawmakers take a knee and observe a moment of silence on Capitol Hill for George Floyd and other victims of police brutality, June 8. Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images

  George Floyd’s 2020 death sparked a global movement, with media framing him as a victim of racist policing. Yet, the autopsy revealed enough fentanyl in his system to cause respiratory depression, a key factor in his death, alongside Derek Chauvin’s knee. X posts have pointed to Floyd’s criminal past, including a violent home invasion, but these were dismissed as irrelevant.

  
  

  The Hennepin County Medical Examiner noted 11 ng/mL of fentanyl in his system—enough that, under normal circumstances, “this could be acceptable to call an OD.” He also had severe heart disease and methamphetamine in his blood. While the official cause of death was ruled homicide due to police restraint, the toxicology and health findings complicate the narrative. Yet, any mention of these facts was often met with accusations of racism or insensitivity.

  
  

  The media’s rush to canonize him ignored these details, fueling riots that cost billions and deepened racial divides. Nancy Pelosi’s orchestrated kneeling prayer to Floyd in Congress—complete with kente cloth—was a masterclass in performative martyrdom, elevating a man with a rap sheet to a civil rights icon. The conviction of Chauvin, while celebrated, sidestepped the toxicology evidence, showing how narrative trumps truth.

• Jussie Smollett: The Hoax That Kept Giving

  Smollett staged a hate crime against himself in 2019, hiring two acquaintances to attack him while shouting slurs and “This is MAGA country”. He filed a false police report, triggering national outrage and media frenzy. When skepticism emerged, critics were accused of racism and homophobia. Despite being convicted on five felony counts, his conviction was overturned in 2024 on procedural grounds, not innocence. The Illinois Supreme Court explicitly stated the ruling had “nothing to do with Mr. Smollett’s innocence”.

• Trayvon Martin: The Original Spark

  Trayvon Martin’s 2012 death was a blueprint for the martyr trend. The media portrayed him as an innocent teen gunned down by a racist vigilante, George Zimmerman. Photos of a younger Martin were used, while his physical altercation with Zimmerman was downplayed. The narrative of a “white Hispanic” killer fueled protests and the rise of Black Lives Matter, despite Zimmerman’s acquittal based on self-defense evidence. The media’s selective framing turned a tragic, complex case into a racial lightning rod, setting the stage for later martyrs.

• Michael Brown: “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot”

  The 2014 Ferguson riots hinged on the lie that Michael Brown surrendered with his hands up before being shot. Media ran with “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” despite evidence showing Brown attacked Officer Darren Wilson. The myth persisted, driving anti-police sentiment and unrest. Outlets like NBC barely corrected the record, proving their commitment to narrative over facts.

  
  

• Luigi Mangione: The Killer with a Fanbase

  In 2024, Luigi Mangione killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and the media’s response was chilling. Outlets like The Guardian ran pieces sympathizing with Mangione’s grievances against the insurance industry, while X posts revealed a woman on TikTok openly fawning over him, calling him a “hero.” This romanticization of a murderer shows how far the martyr trend has gone—turning a cold-blooded killer into a folk icon for clicks and clout. The media’s soft-pedaling of his crime, focusing instead on systemic healthcare issues, is a grotesque betrayal of journalistic integrity.

• Reality Winner: The “Whistleblower” Facade

  Reality Winner’s 2017 leak of NSA documents was spun as heroic whistleblowing by outlets like The Intercept. Her violation of national security laws was downplayed, and she was painted as a political prisoner. The media’s framing ignored the risks her actions posed, prioritizing anti-government sentiment over accountability.

• Covington Catholic Boys: Victims of a Rush to Judgment

  In 2019, media outlets like BuzzFeed vilified Covington Catholic students for allegedly harassing Native American elder Nathan Phillips. The full video showed Phillips approaching the teens, who were being taunted by another group. The media’s initial rush to martyr Phillips and demonize the boys nearly ruined their lives, exposing how selective editing fuels false narratives.

  
  

• Kilmar Abrego Garcia: The “Maryland Dad” Myth

  Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s 2025 deportation was framed by media and figures like Senator Chris Van Hollen as a cruel act against a family man. Yet, Trump administration officials and court documents show he was part of a human smuggling ring transporting undocumented migrants from Texas to Maryland. Arrested in Tennessee with eight people in a modified SUV, the media’s portrayal ignored these claims, turning a questionable figure into a victim of immigration policy.

• NGOs and Trans Surgeries Abroad

  Reports of U.S. agencies and NGOs funding transgender surgeries abroad have been framed as human rights triumphs. Critics argue this prioritizes ideology over practical needs, yet media outlets like NPR cast recipients as oppressed heroes, sidestepping debates about resource allocation or cultural context.

The Fallout: A Country Torn Apart

The “Martyr Merchants” trend has shredded trust and fueled chaos:

• Eroding Truth: Media’s one-sided coverage—Floyd’s toxicology, Smollett’s hoax, Mangione’s fanbase—erodes faith in journalism. When outlets prioritize narrative over facts, the public turns to X or fringe sources, deepening polarization.

• Inciting Division: By framing criminals as victims, the media stokes racial, political, and cultural divides. The 2020 Floyd riots, costing $2 billion, show how these narratives ignite unrest. Pelosi’s kneeling stunt only poured fuel on the fire.

• Color Revolution Risk: The playbook—amplify grievances, martyr flawed figures, mobilize protests—mirrors color revolutions, where orchestrated unrest topples regimes. The media and NGOs act as merchants, profiting from clicks, grants, or power, while society teeters on the edge.

  
  

We’ve entered an era where criminality isn’t condemned—it’s curated. Where facts don’t shape narratives, narratives manufacture martyrs. This isn’t justice—it’s a weaponized illusion. And behind it all are the Martyr Merchants—media, influencers, and institutions peddling half-truths to divide a nation and cash in on chaos. We can’t afford silence. We must challenge the headlines, question the heroes, and dismantle the machine.

If this truth resonates, share it. Challenge it. Shatter the narrative. Let the Martyr Merchants know: their monopoly on perception is over.