Dear Editor,
For some time, studies have documented that communities of color, and notably Blacks in America, have lower life expectancies than whites. It has been suggested that systemic racism factors such as discrimination in healthcare access, long-term inequities in education, and poverty have been contributors. Recognizably, the level of stress in meeting living expenses increases with unemployment.
So, what factors have contributed to the overall decline in U.S. life expectancy by 2.7 years from 2020 through 2021? I believe that, to some degree, partisan polarization has driven stress and anxiety among citizens resulting in adverse health outcomes.
In 2017, not long after Donald Trump’s election as president, the American Psychological Association published a report warning that politics is a significant source of stress for the average American. A hesitancy to participate in political discussions was associated with greater anxiety. Reduced interactions with members of the other political party resulted in the loss of trust among neighbors, friends, and even family. Those individuals who perceive their communities to be politically polarized reported poorer health.
With each subsequent political cycle, politicians and party spokespersons are becoming overly invested in defining differences that promote divisiveness. In addition, the media seems always poised and ready to add fuel to this fire. With the arrival of the COVID-19 virus, we saw how even science could become a partisan issue – i.e., mask or not, vaccination or natural immunity, isolation or return to work.
An October 2020 Scientific American article referred to “a rise of political sectarianism-the growing tendency of one political group to view its opponents as morally repugnant.” Furthermore, political divisiveness “creates a feedback loop of hatred and leaves the U.S. open to manipulation by foreign powers that wish to further these internal rifts.”
Russian disinformation is an example.
As Republicans and Democrats continue to compete in this highly sectarian political world, politicians are seemingly losing the incentive to compromise while losing the perspective of being responsive to the entire population.
Right now, and perhaps more than ever before, we need collective reassurance from our elected officials of their partnership in making the world a safer place. I believe, right now, we all would benefit from cultivating a pure intention to live a life of brotherliness, of genuine kindness, in order to realize our full potential, and our common humanity.
Peter Wibell, Rutledge