Why the White Working Class Rebelled: Neoliberalism is Killing Them (Literally)

Llewellyn Moss · Nov 18, 2016

Why the White Working Class Rebelled: Neoliberalism is Killing Them (Literally)

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |

The Democratic Party has been the Establishment for eight years, and the Clintons have arguably been the Establishment for 24 years. Since the late 1990s, members of the white working class with high school or less have seen their life-chances radically decline, even to the point where they are dying at much higher rates than they have a right to expect.

A year ago Anne Case and Angus Deaton, Princeton University economists, published a study with the startling finding that since 1999 death rates have been going up for white Americans aged 45-54. It is even worse than it sounds, since death rates were declining for the general population.

One of the big reasons for this increased death rate has been increased use of opiods and other drugs, leading to overdoses, along with liver disease from drinking too much alcohol and increased suicide rates. The problems were especially acute among working class and rural whites with only high school or less, and later studies found that they extended to younger members of this social class in their 20s and 30s. Loss of good-paying manufacturing jobs was clearly a primary reason for this despair.

Compared to 1999, white workers, according to another recent study in the Commonwealth Foundation: have lower incomes, fewer are employed, and fewer are married. This study found other causes for the increased death rates than just the ones mentioned above, but didnt deny the Princeton findings. Here is their chart:
Click to expand...

http://www.juancole.com/2016/11/rebelled-neoliberalism-literally.html

Log in or Sign up

Why the White Working Class Rebelled: Neoliberalism is Killing Them (Literally)

Llewellyn Moss Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Why the White Working Class Rebelled: Neoliberalism is Killing Them (Literally)

Llewellyn Moss Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches