LA Times Reports Rapid Decrease in Life Expectancy Among Working Class Whites (Darwin: high school, college)

[NyWriterdude]

"The analysis, published Thursday in the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, found that the problem appears to be distinctly American. In Europe, mortality rates for people with low levels of education are falling more rapidly than for those with more education.

In every age group the researchers examined, white Americans with a high school education or less now fare worse than blacks as a whole — a reversal of the situation in 1999."
Among white Americans, people without college degrees are driving an increase in death rates - LA Times

And
"But the authors said an underlying culprit is the widespread erosion of institutions that provided stability in American life for much of the 20th century: the manufacturing industry, the church, unions and stable marriage.

“A long-term process of decline … began in the 1970s for those leaving high school and entering the labor force after 30,” and “traditional structures of social and economic support slowly weakened,” the authors wrote.

“These changes left people with less structure when they came to choose their careers, their religion, and the nature of their family lives,” they wrote. “When such choices succeed, they are liberating; when they fail, the individual can only hold him or herself responsible.”

The result, the authors conclude, is a “recipe for suicide,” adding that other risks include alcohol abuse, drug use and overeating."

It says the traditional support networks for working class white Americans have eroded, to the point where suicide and mortality has grown higher than that of Black Americans? Thoughts? The loss of manufacturing jobs and their unions, the diminished importance of church, and lower rates of stable marriage and families all factor into this.

[Astral_Weeks]

Archie Bunker may have had a beer belly but he also had a union job, a union health plan and a defined benefit pension plan. That social glue and economic cushion eroded a long time ago. Layer in the explosion and widespread availability of opioids and boom there goes a large swath of the white working class.

[goillini8]

It's all true of course. I heard a report on NPR about these "deaths of desperation". But, I just don't understand why white deaths and decreased life expectancy are borne of "desperation" while decades of black deaths don't get the same treatment. Urban black people doing drugs, abusing alcohol and eating poorly, etc. is certainly also often borne of desperation. Yet, people want to see it as inherent black pathology. And, the studies ultimate conclusion is misleading - "white Americans with a high school education or less now fare worse than blacks as a whole." So, they've isolated a struggling subgroup and compared it to an entire group. Why wouldn't they compare "white Americans with a high school education or less" to "black Americans with a high school education or less"? Or, "whites as a whole" to "blacks as a whole." Because, it's a much bigger headline to suggest whites are now doing worse than blacks. Either all people deserve some compassion for their "desperate" situation, or none do.

[pvande55]

It is a nationwide issue. Certainly not confined to LA. In fact it's likely worse in some rural states.

[NyWriterdude]

Originally Posted by goillini8

It's all true of course. I heard a report on NPR about these "deaths of desperation". But, I just don't understand why white deaths and decreased life expectancy are borne of "desperation" while decades of black deaths don't get the same treatment. Urban black people doing drugs, abusing alcohol and eating poorly, etc. is certainly also often borne of desperation. Yet, people want to see it as inherent black pathology. And, the studies ultimate conclusion is misleading - "white Americans with a high school education or less now fare worse than blacks as a whole." So, they've isolated a struggling subgroup and compared it to an entire group. Why wouldn't they compare "white Americans with a high school education or less" to "black Americans with a high school education or less"? Or, "whites as a whole" to "blacks as a whole." Because, it's a much bigger headline to suggest whites are now doing worse than blacks. Either all people deserve some compassion for their "desperate" situation, or none do.

Most people don't have bachelor degrees so white people with just a high school education would be a huge portion of the country. It means that white privilege maybe substantially exaggerated and overblown by activists.

[elhelmete]

LA forum because...?

[Maliblue]

Originally Posted by elhelmete

LA forum because...?

It was an L.A. Times report.

Archie Bunker may have had a beer belly but he also had a union job, a union health plan and a defined benefit pension plan. That social glue and economic cushion eroded a long time ago. Layer in the explosion and widespread availability of opioids and boom there goes a large swath of the white working class.

This sums it up very neatly.

The new Social Darwinism that half the country has embraced has been quite a success in the sense that it gets people elected and has a populist appeal to it. However, it does come with a very large price: the social safety nets that have been eroded or ended did serve a purpose: they managed to keep people alive longer.

If you consider the enormous decline in smoking among white males over the last 30 years, the life expectancy numbers are even more startling. That alone should have resulted in a sizable increase in life expectancy. So things are even worse than they look.

As it turns out, there really isn't a lot of difference between a poor white, black, or Latin person. The poorer you get, the younger you die.

[69Charger]

Not cool man. White guys built the USA and won wars, like WW2.

[Astral_Weeks]

Originally Posted by 69Charger

Not cool man. White guys built the USA and won wars, like WW2.

Are you p-h-u-c-k-I-n-g serious? LOL.

Here's a clue for you: they had a little help along the way.

[NyWriterdude]

Originally Posted by Astral_Weeks

Archie Bunker may have had a beer belly but he also had a union job, a union health plan and a defined benefit pension plan. That social glue and economic cushion eroded a long time ago. Layer in the explosion and widespread availability of opioids and boom there goes a large swath of the white working class.

Yes, it's pretty horrible.