According to Francis Fukuyama, he argues that technology will soon make us to rethink our definition of humans. Using the trait ‘Factor X’ to coin the essential trait that people have as leverage or protection from the norm. So the question then becomes what do you consider to be Factor X? I consider the fact that the top 1% of people in this country has access and privileges to some things that the rest of us don’t, many such as health, medicine, education and influence and also protection. Medicine and health is one of the many subjects that separates us. With much of the wealth that these people have, they have access to more than the average person. For instance Magic Johnson and his fight with aids for twenty years. Money played a great factor in that seeing as how 18,000 people die annually the not so fortunate people might not have the means or the ability to afford medication or the care that they desperately need. The high price of medication also proves the drastic difference. Recently a life-saving infection pill was increased from $13.50 to a whopping $750!. This just goes to show you the drastic opportunities that people with …show more content…
One of the many perks of having a lot of money is being able to donate to political campaigns and/or politicians, most of the time they are in a position to make a policy or law. This can get them laws and bills passed to be in favor of them or their businesses. For example the top 1% was responsible for a quarter of all political donations in 2010, and in turn for all of that generosity they are essentially buying special favors. The wealthy business companies also send a lobbyist over to Washington to lobby or sway lawmakers in Washington to pass certain laws that could help their company make the most money possible. They would have more Factor X than the normal person or even business owner, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to affect the world in such a way or laws for that
Along with Obama, Vogel mentions Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid as critics of large donors, who then also were leading in super PAC fundraisers. Though Vogel mentions many people and events, he never goes into great detail about any of it. Even with the immense amount of information that is left to the reader to decipher and research, one must ask themselves this question, “what are the effects of big money on modern politics.”
Francis Fukuyama describes Factor X as, “the one essential human quality underneath that is worthy of a certain minimal level of respect”(Fukuyama 186). Factor X is the center-point of what is known as human dignity. In today's society, there is a regression in the amount of Factor X and a decline in the amount of human dignity shown. In the past, it was common for people to show each other respect as well as respect themselves as it was just common place in society at that time. The treatment of women by both men and other women best shows the drastic f...
...ts taken away before they even have the chance to used them. They no longer have the choice in how they want to live their lives, political feelings or social interactions because they are either different or do not possess Factor X. These people posses what are as Fukuyama calls them accidental characteristics, that make them unable to be categorize under Factor X.
The video “In Sickness and In Wealth” is about how healthy your body is connected to your means of health. In this video it views the life of four individuals with different lifestyles and different levels of income. In this video it displays the life of a CEO, lab supervisor, janitor and unemployed mother, all from Louisville, Kentucky. It explained how their social class affect their standard of living as well as their health. In this video demonstrate how social class shapes access to control, resources and opportunity, resulting in a health-wealth incline.
Variations in life expectancy and its changes are one major cause of rising income inequality. How long a person lives, as well as their quality of health, can have an important and huge impact on their income and social mobility. The life expectancy of the bottom 10% increases at only half the rate that the life expectancy of the top 10% does (Belsie). This shows that improvements in medicine benefit the wealthy more than the poor. The less wealthy have decreased access to good medical insurance and cannot afford more expensive, quality medical care. The poor are less likely to invest in healthy food and exercise, lowering life expectancy and overall health. These changes result in a cycle that causes the poor to be less healthy, and the less healthy to become increasingly poor. On the other side, the rich have different variations of habits, education, and environments, which can affect life expectancy, often positively for the
Nordqvist, Christian stated some facts about health, “ health can be defined as a physical, mental, and social well being, and a resource for living a full life. It refers not only to the absence of disease, but the ability to recover and bounce back from illness. Factors for good health include genetics, the environment, relationship, and education.”(page2). Health can be defined in many factors, but they all relate to a person's status and where their class in the economy. If one is wealthy, he or she can have access to healthcare that provides treatment to any of their health issues. But for the people who have low income, they can not afford health insurance and have a higher risk of becoming ill because they don’t have the resources to live a full healthy life. Most of those individuals have mental health issues because they often stress about living and surviving everyday with so little income. Christian Nordiqvist also said, “According to the WHO, the higher a person's socioeconomic status (SES), the more likely they are to enjoy good health, a good education, a well-paid job, afford good healthcare when their health is threatened” (pg.2). Christian is correct because the wealthier a person is, the higher chance of being in good health because he or she has the privilege of good health
One reason, stated the author, for the state of health for Black Americans is “in dire straits” is because blacks have fallen behind other races in getting quality health care and insurance. Dr. Michael Floyd of Meharry Medical College in Nashville Tennessee, who specializes in internal medicine, was used to explain the medical aspects of the article. African Americans have a tendency wait until we’re sick to visit the emergency room instead of visiting a primary care physician. Visiting a primary care physician may lead to an early diagnosis in people and an offering of sound advice on leading a healthier lifestyle. The weakening economy is largely a benefactor in the lack of adequate health care in blacks. Politics and the economy play a role in our access to quality healthcare and how we deal with diseases and medication, but much of respon...
has become the norm for them because of their living conditions. They may not be able to afford medical care, and it is possible that they are not well educated, so they do not understand the severity of leaving a medical condition untreated. For these reason they may never seek medical attention. In contrast, someone who is of a higher class will be better educated on what to do when they feel ill. They will most likely seek medical help right away, because to them illness is not the norm. They can also afford private medical care if needs be.
It is hard to imagine life without health insurance. If you have any type of medical problem that requires attention, and you have appropriate health care insurance, you can be cared for in the finest of private hospitals. You can get great treatment and your ailments, depending on the severity, can be treated as soon as possible. Doctors, physicians and surgeons are willing to put out a big effort if they know that they are dealing with patients who are insured and have the money to go under extensive medical treatment. But imagine life without such luxuries. For example, what happens if a relative requires much needed surgery, but does not have health insurance to cover the procedure? What happens if a lack of medical insurance prevents you or your family from seeing a doctor, which could result in health problems that had not been identified but could have been treated before they became life threatening? These scenarios may seem far-fetched, but these types of situations happen to people who lack health coverage everyday. There is a true story about a patient who was insured and diagnosed with treatable cervical cancer. Unfortunately, she lost her job and with it her insurance. She was then unable to see her private doctor, and was turned away from other hospitals because ?cancer treatment is not considered an emergency in a patient who can?t pay? (?Help for D.C.?s Uninsured?). The woman later died at her home without ever being treated. This example raises the question, since when are people with less money less deserving of health care or appropriate treatment?
I grew up in India, where access to food healthcare was very rare. However, my family and I were very fortunate to have many Doctors in our family. This was the only reason why I was able to get good doctors for monthly checkups, and vaccinations as a kid. There were also shortage of pharmacies, however I personally never had to experience any hardship. That does not mean others had the same. Many people were not as fortunate as I was. People who were poor or lower caste had no proper medications or healthcare. They did not have regular health checkups or proper funds to have three meals a day. Poor people are always the target of many unfortunate situations. “You wont see inequality on a medical chart or a coroner's report under 'cause of death.' You wont see it listed among the top killers in the United States each year. All too often, however, it is social inequality that lurks behind a more immediate cause of death, be it heart disease or diabetes,
Michael Marmot’s book, The Status Syndrome, addresses how an individual’s socioeconomic status contributes to their quality of healthcare and eventually their life expectancy. He states that there is a social gradient that guarantees a better health outcome for those who are wealthier in comparison to those who are not. His book also depicts the following as indicators that influence an individual’s status: income, race, and gender. Marmot’s thesis revolves around this increasing “Status Syndrome”—a condition that reflects how the unequal social gradient relates to the health disparities of individuals in countries around the world.
The documentary stated that over that 47 million Americans do not have healthcare coverage. 7% of Americans reports very good to excellent health. 37% of lower income Americans has poor health (California Newsreel, 2008). The middle class numbers are not too far from the lower class. Good health decreases significantly as the socioeconomic class status gets lower. “Low income increases one’s exposure to a host of health risks, such as crime, poor housing, and poor nutrition. Conversely, sick people both tend to work less and tend to accrue medical bills, thus lowering their household earnings and accumulated wealth. Therefore, low income can damage health, and sickness can lead to the loss of income” (Peter Muennig, 2008). This increases the
is very expensive, and yet in many local hospitals there are nursing shortages. In many rural areas, there are also physician and nursing shortages (Holtz, 2008). Physicians and nurses are paid well for their jobs in the U.S. there is just an increase need of more health care providers. There are major health disparities in the U.S. amongst different races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses (Holtz, 2008). People who are poor, or of low income, probably will not have the health care they need, and have a higher chance of having a mental illness in comparison to those from higher economic status (Holtz, 2008). With that, it is clear that there is an uneven distribution of health care in the United States. Lessened minorities are less expected than the greater minority to have good health care, with less opportunity to access diagnostic examinations, medications, and surgical practices (Holtz,
Living in a capitalist society, the richest Americans enjoy larger homes, nicer cars, better education and even health care. Even if we lived in a capitalist society where everyone had access to the same basic healthcare program, the rich would still be able to afford better care. The wealthy are able to pay more in co-payments, prescription costs, and the ability to go outside of the healthcare system in this country to seek help. When you have the disposable resources then the sky is the limit, where the poor have very limited options. They will be confined to their healthcare coverage program and do not have the luxury of seeking additional assistance. “Poor patients often receive less quality care in the hospital, have more barriers to recovery, and experience higher morbidity and mortality than do patients with higher incomes” (Dracup).
It is easier for wealthy people to pay for their needs, such as health care and dental care. If any abrupt situation approaches dealing with their health, a wealthy person will be financially stable to pay and fix it. According to an article, "Happiness Around The World: Is There More To It Than Money?" by Bozionelos, Nikos, and Ioannis Nikolaou, “One would expect that money is more important when it helps meet basic needs, and this should be especially true in poorer nations. However, as already seen, the relationship between income and general life satisfaction was mainly explained by whether material aspirations (such as buying luxury goods) could be fulfilled.” In other words, one’s concept of happiness can vary from nation to nation. For example, people living in poor nations and having a low income tend to be satisfied by having just enough to meet their necessities. While, on the other hand, people with higher income tend to be satisfied if they have enough to buy luxury goods. Being wealthy does not lead one to happiness; it can help some people to obtain happiness, but it can also lead others to have unwanted experiences. Having a minimum amount of money is necessary to be happy. Having the minimum amount of money to pay bills, have medical assistance, buy groceries, and clothing is considered as the basics needed for one to be happy. Money is a tool that can help a person obtain objects that can help him or her to have a comfortable life. However, money should not become the reason why a person is happy. Happiness comes within a person as a human being and money will never replace a friend, nor a loved