Life expectancy in the United States is actually going down for the first time in our history. But as this map shows, that data point doesn't tell the whole story.
A lot of liberals look at that map and immediately blame red state policies, and they wouldn't be entirely wrong. But the roots of a 20-year span in life expectancy go even deeper. For example, compare the red areas across the southeast to this map of majority Black cities in the U.S.
Compare that to this map of the slave population from 1860.
What becomes clear is that life expectancy is significantly lower in areas populated by a concentration of Black and Brown people.
There are only two ways to explain that fact. Racists will blame it on Black and Brown people. Anti-racists will recognize the complex web of systemic racism that began with slavery and continues to this day.
Those maps are quite illuminating. Racism has been a scourge to the health of Blacks for centuries, and it's done nothing good for whites either. One example: when states refuse expanded Obamacare coverage, everyone is worse off.
ReplyDeleteAnother map that mirrors the ones above is one projecting the economic impact of climate change. Counties that will suffer the most damage include those in the South and Native American parts of Southwest.
https://www.axios.com/2017/12/15/where-climate-change-will-hit-the-us-hardest-1513303282
"If steps are not taken to lessen the rate of warming from climate change, counties in the South and lower Midwest — which on average tend to already be poorer and warmer — may lose as much as 20% of their income and may experience higher mortality rates."