"Visit some formerly middle class suburbs of cities in the Midwest and you can see exactly why this is happening. No decent jobs, no social clubs, no children playing outside, sports tickets out of the budget of anyone but the 1%, no decent restaurants and obesity everywhere. Add decayed infrastructure and empty malls. You should see it. Horrific.
"
"These sad statistics should come as no surprise given the pummeling the middle class has taken since 1980. As middle-aged, white males have been fired wholesale by the tens of thousands, battling years of constant unemployment with few or no resources, they have literally reached the end of their means. Broken men are unable to escape from hearing everyday how the executives of their ex-employers are reaping massive profits and personal gains. Their lives are overlaid with exhausted savings and unemployment benefits; all the negatives in their lives beat down on their heads like a ceaseless hailstorm. Finally, swallowing their pride, they turn to the caring myth of family and friends only to find them replaced with the harsh reality of indifferent relatives and unhelpful acquaintances. Too young for Social Security and too old for today's employment prejudices, the unloved and unemployed white males have few options.
"
Parts of the US are turning into Third World conditions.
But don't tell the elite that. They're doing fine, and they have numbers that tell them how great everything is. Orwell meets pre-collapse USSR, with homages to a number of empires of yesteryear, overlaid with a Gilded Age veneer.
Something with as much momentum as the United States will not peacefully come to a full stop. It may continue to slide to a slow halt, or explosively disassemble in some fashion.
It's a sad state of affairs made worse by undereducated, lazy people who blame the government and simultaneously elect politicians who promise to solve the problem for them by handing out a gift-wrapped "american dream" that everyone feels they deserve. I see this kind of self-destructive philosophy/behavior every day, and I'm getting tired of it. It's always someone else's fault, yet it seems the "progressives" in our country keep shouting that the solution lies in more government involvement, forgetting that the only way we get decent jobs and favorable social and family conditions is by letting people fulfill their own dreams through hard work and less government intervention. The american dream isn't a gift - it's the idea that through blood, sweat, and tears, we can shape our own lives.
From my perspective, the problem is a manifestation of a shift in popular ideals and a growing sense of entitlement.
I'm in my 30s, male and ostensibly white by American standards and I've been watching these sorts of trends for a while. Distrust in our certain brand of capitalism has led me to regard America with a wary eye. It has influenced a lot of my life decisions, i.e. stack cash, stay mobile/agile, no spouse, no children, etc. so that I can continually pursue the best jobs no matter when/where they appear. I luckily was able to obtain an EU passport recently via my mother, giving me a few extra countries as potential markets for work but mostly as a hedge against a (probably) meaningless 401k or just the general depressive idea of eventually being an older person in the US. Basically I'll spend my good years putting money away, and as soon as I'm sick (read, need healthcare) or ready to retire, I'll bounce back to the mother country where retirement actually looks like living rather than dying.
This guy had eyelid surgery, shaved his head, and got a pair of Converse "Chucks" to look younger because he was worried about jobs (previous HN submission):
"To walk the streets of Austin during tech’s biggest annual confab, South by Southwest Interactive, is to experience a society where Boomers and Gen Xers have vanished into a black hole. Photos of those open-space offices favored by start-ups document workplaces where people over 35 are as scarce as women on the streets of Kandahar."
At least made me chuckle against the backdrop of an otherwise serious topic. Well-written piece.
Maybe my math is wrong, but the raising rate is .134 percent?
I'm in that group of guys now. I sometimes wonder if white males are getting enough vitamin D. I never really gave it much thought, until I saw a friend's blood work-up. His doctor is routinely checking his level of vitamin D. I just chalked it up to his good insurance plan.
I know I don't get the amount of sunshine my father got. My father always had a tan, and made sure to get outside as much as possible. I, on the other hand, spend too much time looking into a screen. Maybe I'll get a few more years in because I have exercised, but it's been at night for years.
Depressing. Sometimes the Internet is really depressing.
The death rate "increased by 134 deaths per 100,000 people from 1999 to 2014". Without the starting point (the death rate in 1999) we can't know the raising rate. If there were 268 deaths per 100,000 people in 1999 that would be a 50% increase for example.
I did an analysis a couple years ago and found that drug misuse kills about a third of Americans. Possibly even more if you include the new study that found that the surgeon general's report is undercounting tobacco deaths by 80k per year or whatever, which I didn't because that wasn't out at the time.
Alex interesting post, but I would not put too much value in the ADR numbers. Getting accurate information on the cause of death due to ADR is not easy given death in hospital rarely has a single cause.
I may be projecting, but I feel like this is a symptom of our deteriorating middle class. White, now middle aged, men have been hit over and over by free trade, out sourcing and cheap immigrant labor suppressing labor value. Now they're beaten and broken.
I've worked with these people and seen it first hand. In my anecdotal experience, depression and drug use isn't just a common case with working class whites, it's nearly the majority. These people know they've been abandoned by society, and a lot of them are just giving up. They're people who have put in 60 hour weeks of hard labor, with little to no health care, for decades and have next to nothing to show for it, and no hope of things improving.
What is naked capitalism as against, for instance, naked socialism? And how germane is all to this to the topic? Or is it just hand waving according to predilection?
I must be missing this. I read the article carefully and scanned the comments here. Looks like FUD-bait to me.
This is how I would write the article (and this is probably all there is to the article)
Over the past 15 years, death rates for whites per 100,000 people aged 45–54 remained basically the same, with the natural increase lifespan being offset by increases in both suicide and alcohol/drug issues. This difference is statistically significant, but it is on the order of 1 or 2 extra deaths per thousand people for their lives from 45-54. It is highly unusual for death rates to change like that. The last great change in the west of this magnitude was with the introduction of HIV/AIDS. For context, the average middle class white american would experience the same increase in risk if they took up canoeing over the same period.
But maybe I missed it. I got a graph where one line stays the same where others decline, and I got a graph where risk increases for a couple causes of death by a very small amount (out of dozens not listed)
Also I have approximately 50 comments lamenting the rise of third world conditions in places like Peoria and the death of all things good and decent in the USA. I believe if a little more context was provided by the news outlet in this case, perhaps our comments would be more aligned with the actual impact of the news being reported.
Don't think so. Simpson's paradox applies when you have two groups and independently rates of your variable are increasing within both, but the population of the lesser group is increasing faster. For example, if death rates for both whites and blacks were decreasing but blacks had a higher death rate, and the population of blacks was increasing, you would see overall death rates increasing. If death rates for both uneducated & college-educated white Americans were increasing but there were an increasing number of college-educated white Americans, you would see death rates decrease.
Neither of those seem to be the case here: it's just one group who, tragically, is killing themselves or self-medicating to death disturbingly frequently.
You'll never see a black activist or feminist show solidarity with these poor middle-aged white people.
The greatest success of capitalism has been dividing people along gender and race lines - not letting them show any class solidarity. If people did, they'd realize that the difference between a poor white and a poor black is a rounding error compared to the difference between a poor guy and a rich guy.
I recommend you read "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness". The relevant portion of which I'm thinking relates to the historical affinity between disenfranchised blacks and whites in the early 1800's, and how a race-based conflict was stoked by those fearing a coalition of these two groups. There is an interesting historical context for the point you're making.
It's much more complicated than that--how shitty a situation is for someone is highly contextual, and you can't make absolute statements about who has it worse, since so much depends on particular circumstances.
It is fair to ask why in recent years movements and media have focused more on race- and gender- based solidarities over class-based solidarity, compared to a century ago. And a strong argument can be made that Capital is the primary nexus of power in the world, and in the end it really doesn't care that much about safeguarding patriarchy or white supremacy. Hell, breaking down those barriers often just generates new grit to be thrown to the mill, so it's commonly profitable to break them down. It's much lower hanging fruit (though still fruit that's worthy of harvesting), so people focus on them more.
Along the same lines, our educational and media systems have given us the imagination to envision a world where racism and sexism don't exist. Not that they're easily achievable, but it seems almost natural that a century or two from now they'll be gone. But social and economic class? They seem as immobile as Mt Everest.
ETA: Also, I think you're doing a disservice by writing off black activists and feminists. Obviously every person has limited perspectives, but you're just trying to pick a fight that doesn't need to be picked. Never pre-emptively write off a potential ally.
Why would they, black people face a life time of unparalleled discrimination that white people won't ever experience.
The difference between a poor white guy and a poor black guy is that the poor black guy lives in a system where they've suffered generations of sustained oppression and subjugation.
The mortality rate for whites 45 to 54 years old with no more than a high school education increased by 134 deaths per 100,000 people from 1999 to 2014.
This should surprise no one. These are the people who work marginal jobs and they have been the most affected by so much manufacturing moving offshore, the resultant shift to service sector employment, and the downward push on service wages created by massive immigration of unskilled South American workers. (Not to mention the political and social demonization of this cohort.)
I don't think you can tie this to economics alone. After all, blacks and hispanics have been feeling the economic pressures as well.
Suicide, drug use, and alcoholism have deeper cultural ties. I have no idea what those ties are, but it likely won't be fixed by a 4% annual increase in wages.
I can't help but wonder if perhaps this increase in self destructive behavior is due to an increase in secularism. Blacks and Hispanics are more religious than whites, and with that religiosity comes greater church attendance which likely brings greater community support (a generalization, I know, but I'm guessing that this is probably more true than not).
"Census regions are Northeast (blue), Midwest (red), South (black), and West (green)."
I think they were picked manually. On the one hand, I think picking that makes them more memorable, on the other hand, it surprises me that people in the politically hypercorrect USA would pick those colors this way.
Speaking from experience Im 43 years old but been rejected by women my entire life in LA for being a "white guy" its certainly depressing that no matter how well you do you have to spend your entire life alone have to be ignorant of sexuality because its cut off from you , theres never any reward for my efforts no matter how well i do only puniahment for being born the wrong ethnicity.
I am 100% certain that you have not only been rejected for being a white guy. White people are the most sought-after race in the United States[1], partially because most people seek partners of the same race.
Furthermore, the language you're using is deeply concerning. Women aren't a "reward" for your efforts. Failing to find a sexual partner is not a "punishment". No one owes you sex, and there isn't a grand design that's keeping you from finding someone to have sex with.
I think it's very important for you to seek counseling or the support of a therapist. They'll be able to help you learn how to start and maintain a romantic relationship. There's always hope.
[+] [-] artur_makly|10 years ago|reply
"These sad statistics should come as no surprise given the pummeling the middle class has taken since 1980. As middle-aged, white males have been fired wholesale by the tens of thousands, battling years of constant unemployment with few or no resources, they have literally reached the end of their means. Broken men are unable to escape from hearing everyday how the executives of their ex-employers are reaping massive profits and personal gains. Their lives are overlaid with exhausted savings and unemployment benefits; all the negatives in their lives beat down on their heads like a ceaseless hailstorm. Finally, swallowing their pride, they turn to the caring myth of family and friends only to find them replaced with the harsh reality of indifferent relatives and unhelpful acquaintances. Too young for Social Security and too old for today's employment prejudices, the unloved and unemployed white males have few options. "
[nytimes comments]
[+] [-] zipwitch|10 years ago|reply
But don't tell the elite that. They're doing fine, and they have numbers that tell them how great everything is. Orwell meets pre-collapse USSR, with homages to a number of empires of yesteryear, overlaid with a Gilded Age veneer.
Something with as much momentum as the United States will not peacefully come to a full stop. It may continue to slide to a slow halt, or explosively disassemble in some fashion.
[+] [-] Steko|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mud_dauber|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] carsongross|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] curiousgeorgio|10 years ago|reply
From my perspective, the problem is a manifestation of a shift in popular ideals and a growing sense of entitlement.
[+] [-] zipwitch|10 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] mirimir|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] xacaxulu|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ageek123|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wyclif|10 years ago|reply
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/06/02/google-agei...
This guy had eyelid surgery, shaved his head, and got a pair of Converse "Chucks" to look younger because he was worried about jobs (previous HN submission):
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/27/us-valley-ageism-i...
"Don't hire anyone over 30":
http://anewdomain.net/2014/12/11/dont-hire-anyone-30-ageism-...
[+] [-] ak39|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] marincounty|10 years ago|reply
I'm in that group of guys now. I sometimes wonder if white males are getting enough vitamin D. I never really gave it much thought, until I saw a friend's blood work-up. His doctor is routinely checking his level of vitamin D. I just chalked it up to his good insurance plan.
I know I don't get the amount of sunshine my father got. My father always had a tan, and made sure to get outside as much as possible. I, on the other hand, spend too much time looking into a screen. Maybe I'll get a few more years in because I have exercised, but it's been at night for years.
Depressing. Sometimes the Internet is really depressing.
[+] [-] draven|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Alex3917|10 years ago|reply
http://alexkrupp.typepad.com/sensemaking/2014/05/the-one-sta...
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1407211#abstract
[+] [-] danieltillett|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] browseatwork|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] AlexB138|10 years ago|reply
I've worked with these people and seen it first hand. In my anecdotal experience, depression and drug use isn't just a common case with working class whites, it's nearly the majority. These people know they've been abandoned by society, and a lot of them are just giving up. They're people who have put in 60 hour weeks of hard labor, with little to no health care, for decades and have next to nothing to show for it, and no hope of things improving.
[+] [-] niels_olson|10 years ago|reply
Unrelated: the top NYT comments are better than HN. Sad day.
[+] [-] vixen99|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DanielBMarkham|10 years ago|reply
This is how I would write the article (and this is probably all there is to the article)
Over the past 15 years, death rates for whites per 100,000 people aged 45–54 remained basically the same, with the natural increase lifespan being offset by increases in both suicide and alcohol/drug issues. This difference is statistically significant, but it is on the order of 1 or 2 extra deaths per thousand people for their lives from 45-54. It is highly unusual for death rates to change like that. The last great change in the west of this magnitude was with the introduction of HIV/AIDS. For context, the average middle class white american would experience the same increase in risk if they took up canoeing over the same period.
But maybe I missed it. I got a graph where one line stays the same where others decline, and I got a graph where risk increases for a couple causes of death by a very small amount (out of dozens not listed)
Also I have approximately 50 comments lamenting the rise of third world conditions in places like Peoria and the death of all things good and decent in the USA. I believe if a little more context was provided by the news outlet in this case, perhaps our comments would be more aligned with the actual impact of the news being reported.
[+] [-] unknown|10 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] zeckalpha|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nostrademons|10 years ago|reply
Neither of those seem to be the case here: it's just one group who, tragically, is killing themselves or self-medicating to death disturbingly frequently.
[+] [-] littletimmy|10 years ago|reply
The greatest success of capitalism has been dividing people along gender and race lines - not letting them show any class solidarity. If people did, they'd realize that the difference between a poor white and a poor black is a rounding error compared to the difference between a poor guy and a rich guy.
[+] [-] uououuttt|10 years ago|reply
Speaking of "dividing people along gender and race lines".
[+] [-] wintyfresh|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] scarmig|10 years ago|reply
It is fair to ask why in recent years movements and media have focused more on race- and gender- based solidarities over class-based solidarity, compared to a century ago. And a strong argument can be made that Capital is the primary nexus of power in the world, and in the end it really doesn't care that much about safeguarding patriarchy or white supremacy. Hell, breaking down those barriers often just generates new grit to be thrown to the mill, so it's commonly profitable to break them down. It's much lower hanging fruit (though still fruit that's worthy of harvesting), so people focus on them more.
Along the same lines, our educational and media systems have given us the imagination to envision a world where racism and sexism don't exist. Not that they're easily achievable, but it seems almost natural that a century or two from now they'll be gone. But social and economic class? They seem as immobile as Mt Everest.
ETA: Also, I think you're doing a disservice by writing off black activists and feminists. Obviously every person has limited perspectives, but you're just trying to pick a fight that doesn't need to be picked. Never pre-emptively write off a potential ally.
[+] [-] cup|10 years ago|reply
The difference between a poor white guy and a poor black guy is that the poor black guy lives in a system where they've suffered generations of sustained oppression and subjugation.
I'm baffled at how you made this a race issue.
[+] [-] zeckalpha|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] baxterross|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] adamwong246|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] SHIT_TALKER|10 years ago|reply
This should surprise no one. These are the people who work marginal jobs and they have been the most affected by so much manufacturing moving offshore, the resultant shift to service sector employment, and the downward push on service wages created by massive immigration of unskilled South American workers. (Not to mention the political and social demonization of this cohort.)
[+] [-] vfrogger|10 years ago|reply
Suicide, drug use, and alcoholism have deeper cultural ties. I have no idea what those ties are, but it likely won't be fixed by a 4% annual increase in wages.
I can't help but wonder if perhaps this increase in self destructive behavior is due to an increase in secularism. Blacks and Hispanics are more religious than whites, and with that religiosity comes greater church attendance which likely brings greater community support (a generalization, I know, but I'm guessing that this is probably more true than not).
[+] [-] draw_down|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jmorphy88|10 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] rhizome|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Someone|10 years ago|reply
"Census regions are Northeast (blue), Midwest (red), South (black), and West (green)."
I think they were picked manually. On the one hand, I think picking that makes them more memorable, on the other hand, it surprises me that people in the politically hypercorrect USA would pick those colors this way.
[+] [-] shams93|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] smt88|10 years ago|reply
I am 100% certain that you have not only been rejected for being a white guy. White people are the most sought-after race in the United States[1], partially because most people seek partners of the same race.
Furthermore, the language you're using is deeply concerning. Women aren't a "reward" for your efforts. Failing to find a sexual partner is not a "punishment". No one owes you sex, and there isn't a grand design that's keeping you from finding someone to have sex with.
I think it's very important for you to seek counseling or the support of a therapist. They'll be able to help you learn how to start and maintain a romantic relationship. There's always hope.
1. http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/race-attraction-2009-2014/
[+] [-] unknown|10 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] yarou|10 years ago|reply
Nobody owes you anything, and based on your comment, it's clear you need an attitude adjustment and a new perspective.
You should probably work on yourself before pointing the finger at others when it comes to your problems.
[+] [-] reddytowns|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ballsohardy|10 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] venomsnake|10 years ago|reply
[deleted]