Book Review: The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger In The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett have successfully demonstrated that societies with greater equity fare better among eleven health and social outcomes than those with less equity. The authors shed light on this complex subject by incorporating a vast amount of detailed statistical findings that provide a comprehensive picture of the correlation between more equal societies and better outcomes for all of their members. Wilkinson and Pickett approach this work from a public health perspective, where their epidemiological foundation is self-described as “evidence-based politics.” With this foundation, …show more content…
I found this section to be the most fascinating. Unsurprisingly, inequality is proven to deteriorate social relations and community life. Wilkinson and Pickett state that we all tend to use differences in living standards as indication of status differences and select friends from our in-group, and remain distant from those seen to be in the out-group, thus trust of different groups is difficult (51). This describes the dynamics of my very rural hometown of Big Piney, WY. The community is homogenously white, conservative, and Christian and though trust in fellow community members is high, I have overheard numerous discussions by community member throughout my life expressing wariness of Mexican migrant workers prevalent in the area. The statement ‘they just don’t live like us’ applied to a plethora of out-groups, such as minorities, “city folk”, hippies, and most foreigners. Resistance to diversity is reflected in the lack of progressive intellectual and political thought apparent during my lifetime of associating with the …show more content…
However, this type of ‘group density’ theory does not seem to apply to Native American Reservations of the U.S. where health indicators are poor despite ethnic segregation. High rates of alcohol and substance abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and shocking percentages of murdered and missing females are identified in numerous reservations throughout the country. Many of the regression lines comparing U.S. states showed favorable performance regarding inequality in some of the more rural states, such as Wyoming or Montana, however these states contain reservations that remain in a consistent state of poverty. Are reservation statistics figured into state comparison data? Are the problems on the reservation strictly the results of inequality, or are there conflating factors present in health and social trends? Additionally, autonomous tribal governments are consistently resistant to interference from white Americans. What can white Americans do to promote equality, deeper democratic and egalitarian institutions on reservations? How integrated is reservation economy with the mainstream U.S.? What specific economic and social development do reservations
The systematic racism and discrimination in America has long lasting effects that began back when Europeans first stepped foot on American soil is still visible today but only not written into the law. This racism has lead to very specific consequences on the Native people in today’s modern world, and while the racism is maybe not as obvious it is still very present. These modern Native peoples fight against the feeling of community as a Native person, and feeling entirely alone and not a part of it. The poem “The Reservation” by Susan Cloud and “The Real Indian Leans Against” by Chrystos examine the different effects and different settings of how their cultures survived but also how so much was lost for them within their own identity.
In conclusion, the persistent disparities in American Indians and Alaska Natives communities are deeply rooted in historical trauma. To improve the health status of AI/AN there needs more American Indian/Alaska Natives delivery health care to the community. More importantly, tribal leaders and the AI/AN community must participate in raising the health status of the community. It should not take a congressional action to decrease the disparities plaguing the American Indian/Alaska Native communities.
Historical trauma has brought psychological effects on the Native American community. Many suffer from alcohol and drug abuse, depression, and poverty. I wondered why they do not get help from the government and after watching the documentary California’s “Lost” Tribes I began to understand that in any reservation the tribe is the government, so they do not have the same rights as a city outside the reservation. Many of the the reservations were placed in areas where they could not do any form of agriculture, so they did not have a source of income. Many of this reservations have to find ways to get themselves out of poverty and many of the reservations within California have found a way to get out of their poverty by creating casinos
Hooks, Gregory, and Chad Smith. “The Treadmill of Destruction: National Sacrifice Areas and Native Americans.” American Sociological Review 69.4 (2004): 558-575. EBSCO Host. Web. 01 December, 2009.
White, Tracie. “Broken Promises: The state of health care on Native American Reservations.” Scopeblog.Stanford.Edu. Stanford Medicine. Web November 2013
Wilkinson, R. and Pickett, K. (2010). The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone. London: Penguin.
The analysis of tribal and federal law is complex, confusing, and does not offer a “catch-all” answer to the issues at hand. To reiterate my research questions from the beginning, I hope by discussion and critical thought, we are able to come up with practical and reasonable solutions to our problems. “How can we reduce the instances of sexual violence and streamline prosecution, creating a safe and supportive environment for American Indian women?” My question probes at an area that seems to be lacking in the research. What are some of the possible explanations to the high rates of sex crimes on reservations and how can we create changes to lower these rates?
Native-Americans make up one of the smallest portions of our population, but are still victims of mass incarceration and police brutality Many Native-American reservations have high unemployment rates. Poverty in these areas is also common. Reserved, sacred land for Native-Americans is also disappearing as more and more land is being taken away by United States government. The government also disobeys treaty rights by exploiting their land for natural resources to gain profit. Low graduation rates are common in Native school districts. Suicide is much more prevalent among Native-American youth when compared to the rest of the nation. They also generally receive poor healthcare. Violence and abuse of children and women is more common in Native-American communities as well.
A long family tree of mistreatment and undue suffering in addition to present lack of resources and poverty has resulted in considerable distress among tribal members and families living within the majority of reservations today. As a result of such distress and despair, many Native American families living in reservations have been torn apart as alcohol, drugs and family violence have become rampant within their communities. Furthermore, the inaccessibility of most reservations combined with lack of resources proves challenging to provide proper housing for families. In addition, the American Indians make up a minority of the least educated, sickest and poorest people within our country. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for Native American youths in the 15-24 age group and 2.5 times the national rate.
Although poverty rates on some reservations are getting better because of gambling enterprises and natural resources, most reservations have unusually high poverty rates. In 2000, the poverty rate of the entire United States was about 11.3%. Compare that to a 25.9% poverty rate for Native Americans living on reservations. The poverty rate of Native Americans in 2000 was higher than the peak of the poverty rate of the Great Depression, which was 21.7% (Native American Statistics”). This statistic alone shows that Native Americans are not doing well financially.
Many people believe that Native Americans are a disadvantaged group of individuals in many ways. Culturally, in that many of the cultures of the various tribes across the Americas were taken from them by Europeans and their descendants. Socially, in that they are unlike other minorities in the United States because of their extra-constitutional status; and even medically, stemming from the general belief that Natives are at a higher risk for disease than other ethnicities due to tobacco and alcohol use, especially when used together (Falk, Hiller-Sturmhöfel, & Yi, 2006).
Ungen, M. M., Siegel, M. M., & Lauterbach, K. W. (2011). Could inequality in health be cured
With the exception of a few tribes who were fortunate enough to retain allotments rich with natural resources, the reservation system did nothing but hurt Native Americans. It not only stripped them of their traditional ways of life but it also separated many people from their families. It has contributed to innumerable cases of disease and death and has stripped many of their identity. Many live in an emotional state of limbo because they are not truly accepted in non-Native society nor are they fully accepted within Native society. This is exactly what the U.S. government has been trying to achieve from the beginning; the continuing disruption of Native American society with an endgame of total
The circumstances the Native American people endured clarify their current issues. American Indians have poor education and a high percent are unemployed when equated to “U.S. all races” (Spector, 2009, p. 205). Many American Indians still live on reservations and work as a
Sandefur, G. (n.d.). American Indian reservations: The first underclass areas? Retrieved April 28, 2014, from http://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/focus/pdfs/foc121f.pdf