Arms, Conventional Wisdom, and Public Health Prevention

Abstract

Every year, 8 million small arms and 15 billion rounds of ammunition are manufactured in the world. Every day, 700 people worldwide (more than 2.5 million in a decade) die from firearms such as pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, or machine guns. Between 1968 and 2011, there were 1.4 million gun-related deaths in the United States (including suicides, homicides, and accidents) compared with 1.2 million North American deaths in all wars. This article looks at the historic and cultural context that has generated and shaped the U.S.'s “gun culture” and prevailing mentality regarding the right to bear arms, critiquing the vision that such a pro-arms mentality is an intrinsic and unchangeable element of U.S. culture. It exposes the neoliberal roots of the current U.S. gun violence epidemic, asking the question of “why?” in order to move toward an alternative conventional wisdom and overcome this urgent public health crisis in the U.S. and elsewhere.

At Work in a Pandemic: Black Workers’ Experiences of Safety on the Job

“…Although there is some emerging research in the field of public health that considers precarious labor as a determinant that affects workers’ social health and safety, little research examines how health and safety issues contribute to precarious work (Benach and Muntaner 2007, 2011). In addition, although a large subfield in labor relations examines health and safety, it typically does not view safety issues through the lens of precarity.…”

“…Social reproduction theorists focus on the labor done to reproduce daily life, including in schools, hospitals, and households. This reproductive labor, which is a cornerstone of contemporary capitalism, is disproportionately performed by women and workers of color and devalued (Bhattacharya 2017). COVID-19 has exposed the key role of both women and workers of color in the life-sustaining activities required to survive the pandemic, from health care workers to supporting children when schools moved online (Jaffe 2002).…”

“…Rather, they have been subjected to the secondary labor market, which is populated with less safe, less secure, and lower pay jobs (Bonacich 1972; Branch 2011; Branch and Hanley 2018). Many of the jobs for workers of color, particularly women, in this secondary labor market involve the work of “social reproduction,” and include low pay and devalued work of care (Bhattacharya 2017). This work of social reproduction often falls into the category of “essential” work, if we use the lens of the COVID pandemic.…”

Why Social (Political, Economic, Cultural, Ecological) Determinants of Health? Part 1: Background of a Contested Construct

“…The scientific approach to social inequalities in health and the social determinants has a long preamble and a short text. From the work of early population health researchers such as Friedrich Engels or Salvador Allende, and many others beyond Europe and America, to the Black Report and the Whitehall studies, population health and social scientists have been building evidence on how social-that is, economic, political, and cultural-processes (eg, Benach and Muntaner 1 ) affect the health of populations. 2 The term Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), used as well to explain health inequalities and health inequities, [3][4][5] achieved wider recognition and scientific legitimation with the WHO Commission on the SDOH(WHO-CSDOH) 2008 report, Closing the Gap in a Generation.…”