In the reading for today, The Body Economic: Why Austerity Kills, I was fascinated and moved by a few different concepts. I have always, politically, had the same inkling that welfare is directly necessary for the health of our society. However, I didn’t realize the extent to which this was the case. This article woke me up in a certain way. I knew that many people became overwhelmingly depressed when faced with joblessness or lack of economy. Yet the rates on suicide following a change in economic activity was by all means terrifying. If we can visibly see this correlation, it seems necessary to me (and humane) to bring about the New Deal’s of this generation in order to give hope and peace to those who are struggling. And it seems very possible that through these actions, we’d see a bottom down revitalizing effect. People who were previously on welfare or unemployment could hopefully be presented with new job opportunities.
These steps towards a working America would clearly lower the suicide rate and provide citizens with a sense of meaning and personal choice.
Archives
11
Apr 14
Why Austerity Kills
28
Mar 14
Burnouts
I was incredibly taken aback by the enormous amount of evidence (that is still growing, mind you) that points to our own government ‘aid’ systems that were essentially plotting the demise of an extremely populous, and largely African American borough. How was it deemed necessary to slowly dwindle away a population that (while slightly overcrowded) was not a nuisance to other borough’s and was doing well for itself despite the squalid conditions of the Bronx ghettos. How could a fire department turn a blind eye to the needs of an entire community? This takes injustice to the point of no return. We are no longer speaking of injustice, we are speaking of systematic mass destruction. As with the case of the Native Americans when Europeans first set foot on American soil. They were plotting the demise of this population as well. If it got in the way of land that they wanted, then the population would need extermination. Yet how can a system, that we are supposed to trust, be that simple with its thoughts and that inhumane with its actions? It’s a startling fact to consider, but it MUST be taken into account as we go about our daily lives. We must take action to REVERSE these government implementations and help the life around us flourish. I am more than disheartened by this reading, I was rather crushed by it. And i’m sure my feelings in no way come close to mimicing the feelings of all those who lost their friends, family, and loved ones in this untimely manner.
Annaliisa
21
Mar 14
Urban Renewal
I was taken aback by the in depth research done by the author of the Urban Renewal article. I found their data to be shocking yet completely representative of the ways in which white imperialism has its way with our country and beyond. I especially found the anecdote with the indian and alien to be especially hilarious. Although I will admit I was slightly ashamed when I laughed. For this is the harsh reality of our woven history and our ‘ancestors’ of America. They used financial gain and land development as a ridiculous excuse to drive many people off their lands and then import other populations of people to do their work for them. It is difficult to maintain an even public health standard when our country’s socioeconomic differences were so stark at the beginning. Especially in modern times with all our talk about public health care and subsidized health care. Where will this fit in to our especially marginalized areas?
Annaliisa
