June 23rd Reading

NYT Ch. 2: Scott, Janny. “Life at the Top Isn’t Just Better, It’s Longer.”

In this chapter, Scott illustrates 3 people who all had a stroke, with different healing processes. Ironically the levels of care and promotion of health decreased with class levels. Gora, in the lower class, struggles mercilessly after the stroke and ends up with a plethora of medical problems as a result. Wilson, in middle class, has minimal effects. And Milele, upper class, is better off than he started and is more physically and financially sound than both Wilson and Gora combined. The notion that social class that is defined in this chapter as an ‘elusive combination of income, education, occupation, and wealthy played a powerful role in Miele’s, Wilson’s, and Gora’s struggles to recover. I also agree with Scott’s statement that ‘class is a potent force in health and longevity in the US. The more education and income people have, the less likely they are to have and die of heart disease, diabetes, and many types of cancer’ and I see this as a major issue in our socioeconomic system. Why is it that there are large amounts of wealth and resources concentrated in the upper classes? The notion of the American dream validates the illustration in this chapter. Because Gora was in the working class, she did not have access or even have a chance to become familiarized with heart healthy food choices (i.e. whole grain, quinoa, asparagus, etc). Both Wilson and Milele had access to resources and had resources readily there for them because of their incomes. The unequal distribution of wealth and resources is to marginalize many and enable a select few with privilege.