Once people voted in their own best interests, now they vote in the billionaires best interests.
"Whoever owns the media owns the simple minds"
Naom Chomsky.
The bible belt. Also the poverty belt. The undereducation belt. Highest teenage pregnancy belt. Highest uninsured belt. Highest high-school drop out belt etc, etc. But yea, Republicans are SO good for the average American and do so much to me their lives better. 🤦♀️
Moral of the story: Angry miserable people die young. Also people who don’t believe in science, medicine or affordable healthcare. But mainly angry miserable fks.
Early deaths of the masses is the GOP goal. It's all about reducing government spending to have more government money to steal. This is why they want the whole country red.
Y'all are gross. Lower life expectancy is directly linked to poverty. The south is fucking poor. Y'all talking like there aren't liberals and leftists down here fighting for our lives. Get off your high horses
Well, I am three weeks short of my 83rd birthday and I live in one of the dark red counties, Macon Alabama, I am a retired demographer, Auburn University professor. Alabama male life expectancy is 70.1. In ranking of states and countries I merged Alabama is 160th out of 247.
It is also partly caused by a high percent, based on knowing several, Evangelicals relying on preachers for health care through prayer. Correlation, r, between state percent evangelical and age 20-64 death rate is r=0.72
By an Alabama retired leftist demographer.
I have run multiple regressions including several other variables. The strongest is percent black, the second strongest is percent evangelical. There has been a lot of research showing that the black death rate is higher but as far as I can find I'm the first to examine evangelical.
Given also that we know that at least some of the reason for worse health outcomes in black communities is due to lack of/ worse access to care. It may also have an impact on overall Healthcare infrastructure?
Looking at some of your other replies, it kind of looks like delayed effect? Like, policy decisions these folks have voted on while healthy are now affecting them when they need care.
I think there is an error in the printed data. South Carolina has generally has more increasing death rates than other states over the recent years. I am trying to find out how to address this. Over the years I have found several errors in published population data.
I hate that we're looking at this through the lens of political affiliation instead of what structures may exist in those states that keeps these people from accessing healthy foods, medical care, clean water and education about healthcare.
Grew up in Al. The people they repeatedly vote into office are the reason for the lack of access to healthy foods, medical care, clean water, education in general as well as about healthcare. They choose misery over progress because they prefer that the people in charge stay in charge.
When you don't have the education about incoming candidates, you're gonna vote for the incumbent. Some of it is a party thing, but we cannot deny that education plays a role in this.
Rather odd how all of those “right wing” leaders seem to live into “infinity”. Perhaps, they do not practice what they preach? I was going to go into the Wolf in sheep’s clothing, but there’s no point. Ignorant fools.
…we’re all going down. 🇺🇸
Yeah, but the food is damn good. I'll trade a couple years.
Look, I live in the least red Alabama county on that map. But not all of this is healthcare related. (Some is). It is significantly lifestyle related. And that's a choice. Maybe an uneducated one. But an enjoyable one.
All I'm saying is that while people definitely vote against their own interests, you have to take cultural norms into account. You can't assume this statistic is directly correlated to ideals or political beliefs. That is a false equivalency.
Thank you for sharing. I am surprised to find relatively higher life expectancy in the Texas counties that straddle the U.S. - Mexico border. Especially when the rest of the state possesses lower life expectancy save for the metro areas.
Jesus Christ, lots of fucked up cynical responses to this. Can we be a bit more responsible? A lot of these places are underfunded food deserts with brain drain of professionals.
for context:
a significant reason for this lowered life expectancy comes from the average diet there(its pretty bad), potentially alongside a lack of knowledge about exercise
the hot weather can also impact that exercise drive
not to draw any conclusions from that, but that's the main reason why.
I'm inclined to agree with you that there are other factors at play other than just politics. Looking at the Dakotas, the only red areas appear to be Native American population centers, which have voted Democratic more than Republican. The OP's reading of this map is incorrect.
same with arizona. the red patch on the top right that carries over into new mexico? exactly where a reservation is. this is more about systemic failures than voting inclinations
Now show me a map of black population percentages by county. The south is literally the blackest part of the country. Dismissing the south as some dumb white conservative region is shortsighted.
The life expectancy in the south isn’t short for the reason that everyone here seems to think it is. It’s because these are the poorest areas of the United States, and most of us can’t afford proper nutrition or healthcare (1/2).
Agree with all of this but time after time most citizens vote for Republicans. That hasn't changed in decades. Also, obesity rates are higher in these states, as one would expect.
This is true (I am from Florida and have seen it firsthand), but it is just exhausting to see other comments viewing the south as a republican monolith and seemingly celebrating what is a tragic flaw in our economic system, especially when I have no choice but to live here.
Sorry, that can be frustrating and alienating. Data is useful if it is used to identify issues and work to solve them. I don’t think calling people dumb and fat is very helpful. It might get you elected to public office… But for me, I want to eat more, watch tv and withdraw.
The South is still living with the aftermath of its aristocratic past. It was the richest part of the country but concentrated in a few hands and their investments did not go to manufacturing but to slaves. The South keeps voting for people who literally refuse to take help from liberal governments.
Overlay teacher salaries and you get a similar look. The more you pay your teachers the more blue you are and the longer healthier you live. Correlation is the causation.
This is a legitimate question. Given what absolute dire shit show we are about to witness over the next year+ as related to public health & Jesus tot’s n pears medicine in these areas. Question is: will there be another election.
They cling to sameness. They insulate themselves from the rest of US.
Their elected officials do nothing to help them.
Their education is lacking and holds them back.
But if anyone discusses that they turn off.
And they historically ignore advice about how to improve.
That’s psychological harm.
One could quibble about county-level data, but for this purpose it really lets the viewer seize on relevant information. These are the wages of right-wing, faux Christian, gun happy, agendas overlapping w poor renter protections, poor maternal support, vilified public education, and GOP dominance.
Grew up in southeastern NC, the buckle on the stroke belt. Ashamed to admit my age when I had my first salad. People would openly mock you if you had a banana at breakfast.
What do we have? Poverty? Redlining? Guns? Food deserts? Stigmas against mental health? The effect of the opioid epidemic? High rate of military service? Dangerous industries? Republican dominance? I vote blue in the south but being vague about why so many people are or deserve to die isn’t helpful.
I'm in Indiana. The county I live in has made it into national news a few times, never anything good, but one of those times was for how many were infected with COVID per capita as we were 3rd highest in the nation. Third highest.
I've noticed that our medical providers are people who are from this region. They go to school, come back, but maintain their outdated ideas. And these ideas and lack of care contribute to these statistics, unfortunately.
It is hell to live here if you have an ounce of intelligence within you.
I'm also disabled and immunocompromised. When I was sick with COVID each time ("each time" because no one would mask up in this town), my doctors waved it off as if it were nothing more than a cold. It almost killed me. I continue to have long COVID now. And it's still being researched, of course.
Lake County: A somewhat higher number of native americans compared to other California counties, and a serious drug problem (methamphetamine) among non-natives (poor whites).
I'm not from California, but that looks like Lake County. It's very rural/underpopulated. The area has 68,000 people. So maybe that's it? Wikipedia also says it has some of the cleanest air around and they lean D politically ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This map isn't a lifestyle thing. It's idiology and hate of "the other"
The US has far too many poor ppl (under poverty line) but blue areas have a minimum of services for low/no income where red ignores and even have distain for the poor.
Now the Reds will teach the Blues how to live by their rules, heal by their rules, all to earn the right to wear a red baseball cap instead of using their brains!
hey, uhm do not generalize the south please,, as a liberal southerner i cant stand when people say the south is a conglomerate of solely bigots and conservatives. trust me i have met my fair share of fear-mongered right wingers but it just feels disrespectful when people say “the south” like that
I appreciate you being a blue dot in a sea of red. But the South remains and likely will always remain deeply entrenched in racism. Your views are a minority there, but wish they weren’t. It’s been that way for over 200 years. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still try and make that change though.
I honestly think a lot of it is rooted in family tradition. Like well my great grandparents always voted Republican so did my grandparents and my own parents so I must do so as well. And well if minorities we hate vote Democratic they must be bad.
Most don’t even know the GOP platform.
You get the exact same map when you look at infant mortality, teen pregnancy, college degrees, tax revenue generated, reliance on federal subsidy, GDP, etc.
It’s pretty remarkable. Those are the people that vote, and they never vote in their own interests.
I live there. It is a medical desert there very little physicians. My mom and dad still live there. They just opened their first medical school in the whole state a couple years ago they way behind the power curve as far as healthcare.
I'm surprised at all the blue in the most northern states. They hardly get sun and it's fvckin cold in the winter. I would have guessed they had low life expectancy.
In Mitch McConnell's state of Kentucky there is a lot of poverty, cancer, obesity and drug abuse. They build those factories but don't want to pay the people and feed them right.
Maybe refer to them as Native Americans, not Indians? But your point is correct - southern Black persons and Native Americans have significantly shorter-than-average lifespans.
Comments
"Whoever owns the media owns the simple minds"
Naom Chomsky.
stupid autocorrect.
By an Alabama retired leftist demographer.
…we’re all going down. 🇺🇸
Look, I live in the least red Alabama county on that map. But not all of this is healthcare related. (Some is). It is significantly lifestyle related. And that's a choice. Maybe an uneducated one. But an enjoyable one.
but yeaaa... politics does play a factor too lmao
a significant reason for this lowered life expectancy comes from the average diet there(its pretty bad), potentially alongside a lack of knowledge about exercise
the hot weather can also impact that exercise drive
not to draw any conclusions from that, but that's the main reason why.
What stage of grief is that?
We are also the most educated state
Why doesn’t my vote count in Presidential elections? 🤷🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Remember RFK Healthcare is coming.
Will they survive the childhood diseases?
I am actually *not* being snarky. The lack of critical thought will kill us *all* if it doesn’t get them first.
Their elected officials do nothing to help them.
Their education is lacking and holds them back.
But if anyone discusses that they turn off.
And they historically ignore advice about how to improve.
That’s psychological harm.
I see a lot of such maps going around and you know they're not helping right ? =/
It is hell to live here if you have an ounce of intelligence within you.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_County,_California
The US has far too many poor ppl (under poverty line) but blue areas have a minimum of services for low/no income where red ignores and even have distain for the poor.
Most don’t even know the GOP platform.
-signed, an apostate.
But most of those will wise up in their teens and rebel against it.
not bothered either.
they voted for this.
consequences.
It’s pretty remarkable. Those are the people that vote, and they never vote in their own interests.
Welcome, btw, there is a strong culture of including alt text here. It is also much appreciated.