Dying of Whiteness

1. The Paradox of "Dying of Whiteness": Self-Sabotage for Perceived Privilege

When politics demands that people resist available health care, amass arsenals, cut funding for schools that their own kids attend, or make other decisions that might feel emotionally correct but are biologically perilous, these politics are literally asking people to die for their whiteness.

A Seeming Contradiction. The book details a profound contradiction: working-class white populations often vote for politicians whose policies directly harm their own health and well-being. This phenomenon, termed "dying of whiteness," describes how an investment in maintaining an imagined place atop a racial hierarchy ironically threatens the aggregate health of white Americans as a demographic group. It's a modern form of kamikaze, where death is slow, excruciating, and often invisible.

Beyond Economic Self-Interest. While scholars have long noted how white working-class voters might act against their economic self-interest, this research reveals a deeper level of self-sabotage—against their biological self-interest. Voters prioritize political positions that claim to restore white authority, even when these positions lead to:

• Cuts to health care delivery systems
• Weakened financial regulations
• Reduced environmental protections
• Underfunded public infrastructures

The Invisible Sacrifice. These actions, often framed as making America "great" or "white" again, shred safety nets and provide tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthiest. The invisible sacrifices of lower-income whites materially benefit those higher up the socioeconomic ladder, whose agendas depend on these embodied forms of demise.

2. Racial Resentment as a Potent Driver of Self-Harmful Policy

These increasingly unified forms of conservatism advanced politically through overt or implicit appeals to what has been called white racial resentment.

Backlash Governance. Conservative political movements, from the Tea Party to the alt-right, gained power in Southern and Midwestern states by appealing to white racial resentment. This was a dual process: politicians used racial resentment for class exploitation, and the language of white resentment became a broadly accepted way to discuss whiteness. This dynamic transformed theories of backlash conservatism into practices of backlash governance.

Overt and Covert Appeals. Racial agendas were sometimes explicit, such as:

• Posters of President Obama as an "African witch doctor" at anti-ACA rallies.
• Politicians stating, "You're not racist if you don't like Mexicans."
• Asia-bashing advertisements funded by Tea Party Patriots.
  Other times, racial underpinnings were obscured, as with debates over guns, health insurance, or public schools, whose racially charged histories were often forgotten.

A Mortal Cost. Policies shaped by these appeals often negatively affected the health of middle- and lower-income populations. While vulnerable minority and immigrant groups suffered most direly, the data shockingly reveals that the health and well-being of white Americans also suffered significantly. These policies, claiming to restore white authority, silently delivered lethality.

3. Missouri's Gun Deregulation: White Male Suicide as a Consequence of "Freedom"

As gun laws were liberalized, gun deaths spiked… among white people.

A "Natural Experiment." Missouri, once having some of the strictest handgun laws, became a "natural experiment" in gun deregulation. Laws were loosened to allow concealed and open carry without permits, lowering the legal age, and negating local gun control. This was framed as enhancing "freedom" and "constitutional rights."

The Unseen Victims. While gun advocates implied that loosened laws would protect against criminals or inner-city gang members, the data revealed a different reality. The primary victims of increased gun mortality were:

• White Missourians, particularly white men in rural areas.
• Deaths primarily occurred via gun-related suicides, partner violence, and accidental shootings.
• These rates outpaced African American gun deaths from homicides.

Mortal Costs of "Freedom." Lax gun laws set Missouri on a path to becoming a top state for gun suicide, even among other pro-gun states. This resulted in:

• Roughly $273 million in lost work between 2008 and 2015.
• Over 10,506 years of productive white male life lost.
  The rhetoric of patriotism and protection collided with extraordinary trauma and pain, with survivors often reluctant to blame the guns themselves.

4. The Historical Legacy of White Gun Privilege and Black Disarmament

For much of American history, laws and customs “duly afforded” the rights, advantages, and immunities of civilian firearm ownership for non-Hispanic US white persons in general, and non-Hispanic US white men in specific, and restricted them for everyone else.

Guns as Symbols of White Authority. From early colonial America, firearms were tools of white upper-class power, bestowed upon lower-class whites to differentiate them from people of color. Laws in 17th-century Virginia allowed whites to carry guns while forbidding African slaves and Native Americans. This historical pattern enshrined guns as particular weapons of white male authority in the Southern United States.

From Militias to "Man Cards." The Second Amendment, while guaranteeing the right to bear arms, initially extended this privilege primarily to white men for militias. Post-Civil War, "Black Codes" and white terror groups like the KKK actively disarmed Black communities. This legacy continued into the 21st century, with campaigns like Bushmaster's "Man Card" explicitly linking gun ownership to white male privilege and status.

Racialized Responses to Armed Citizens. This history explains the starkly different societal reactions to armed white versus Black citizens. White men brandishing guns are often seen as "protectors," while Black men doing the same are perceived as "threats," leading to tragic outcomes. This implicit bias is rooted in centuries of laws and customs that racialized not just bodies, but the guns themselves.

5. Tennessee's Healthcare Rejection: "Cost" as a Proxy for Racial Anxiety

Even on death’s doorstep, Trevor wasn’t angry. In fact, he staunchly supported the stance promoted by his elected officials. “Ain’t no way I would ever support Obamacare or sign up for it,” he told me. “I would rather die.”

The "Doughnut Hole" of Desperation. Many low-income white men in Tennessee, like Trevor, found themselves in a "doughnut hole" of healthcare: too well for Medicaid, too poor for private insurance, and burdened by chronic illness. Despite the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and "Insure Tennessee" offering potential lifelines, these men vehemently rejected them.

"Cost" as a Coded Message. Their primary reason for rejection was "cost," but this wasn't just about dollars and cents. "Cost" served as a proxy for deeper racial anxieties:

• Fears of "Mexicans or welfare queens" draining resources.
• Belief that government assistance was "socialism" or "communism."
• Resentment of paying for "irresponsible" others.
  This ideology led to a willingness to suffer, or even die, rather than participate in a system perceived to benefit minority groups.

Historical Echoes of Resistance. This resistance echoed historical Southern opposition to federal intervention, particularly when linked to racial integration (e.g., Medicare desegregating hospitals). The ACA, coming from an African American president, became charged with these historical tensions, making "public welfare spending" taboo for many white voters, even when it could save their lives.

6. The Quantifiable Mortal Cost of Denying Healthcare Expansion

On an aggregate level, Tennessee’s failure to expand Medicaid potentially cost every single adult black and white resident of the state somewhere between two and five weeks of life.

A Tale of Two States. While Tennessee's politicians repeatedly blocked ACA and Medicaid expansion, neighboring Kentucky embraced it. This created a stark contrast in health outcomes and coverage rates, allowing for a quantifiable assessment of Tennessee's choices. Kentucky saw significant drops in uninsured rates and increased doctor visits, while Tennessee's rates stagnated or worsened.

Lives Lost, Years Forfeited. Statistical analysis, comparing Tennessee's mortality rates to those of Medicaid-expanding states, revealed a devastating human cost:

• Between 1,863 and 4,599 Black lives might have been saved from 2011-2015.
• Between 6,365 and 12,013 white lives might have been saved from 2011-2015.
  This translates to a minimum of 21,565 and a maximum of 28,933 Black life years, and 73,181 to 138,115 white life years, potentially lost.

The Illusion of Savings. Politicians argued that expanded healthcare was "too expensive," yet data showed that:

• Federal subsidies would cover 90-93% of expansion costs.
• Expansion would bring billions in federal money and economic activity.
• Tennessee residents paid more for healthcare and skipped more doctor visits due to cost than Kentuckians.
  The rejection of expansion, driven by racialized "cost" concerns, ultimately led to higher costs and poorer health for all, turning whiteness into a perilous category of risk.

7. Kansas's Tax Experiment: Education Cuts and the Erosion of Public Good

If people only knew the ways we’ve stopped supporting our schools. A principal’s job used to be to provide vision. But now so much of what I do is shift money around.

Austerity Fever. Under Governor Sam Brownback, Kansas became a "real live experiment" in supply-side economics, enacting massive tax cuts that primarily benefited the wealthy and corporations. This agenda, backed by the Koch brothers and the Tea Party, aimed to prove that shrinking government would spur prosperity.

Dismantling Public Services. The experiment led to:

• Over $1 billion diverted from the Department of Transportation, leading to crumbling roads and bridges.
• A staggering loss of state revenue, resulting in budget deficits and bond rating downgrades.
• Elimination of anti-discrimination laws and cuts to social services.
  The promised job boom never materialized; instead, Kansas lagged in job growth and saw its economy implode.

Targeting Education. Public schools, once the pride of Kansas, became a prime target. Budget cuts eliminated $200 million in education spending, changed funding formulas to disadvantage poorer urban districts, and led to:

• Larger class sizes and rising fees for kindergarten.
• Elimination of arts programs and teacher layoffs.
• A state Supreme Court ruling that the state failed its constitutional mandate for equitable school funding, disproportionately harming minority and low-income students.

8. The Boomerang Effect: Austerity's Harm to White Working-Class Communities

The wealthiest in Kansas saw [tax] reductions, and that was all fine and good up until the point where their schools started sucking, they were having their children shoved into classrooms with thirty other kids.

Reinforcing Inequality. The Brownback tax cuts, while framed as benefiting all, exacerbated racial and economic disparities. They effectively increased taxes on the poorest 40% of Kansans (disproportionately minority households) through sales tax hikes, while providing overwhelming reductions for the wealthiest (mostly white Kansans). This reinforced existing hierarchies under the guise of economic progress.

Buyer's Remorse. Initially, many white Kansans supported these policies, believing they would lead to prosperity or punish "wasteful" minority districts. However, as cuts deepened and affected their own communities, particularly schools and infrastructure, a deep "buyer's remorse" set in. Parents, teachers, and even some Republican politicians began to question the agenda.

The Fires Reach Home. The "fires" of austerity, initially perceived to target "somewhere else," eventually reached the homes of middle- and lower-income white Kansans. This led to:

• Declining student performance and rising dropout rates across all demographics.
• A loss of the state's competitive advantage due to a less educated workforce.
• A realization that communal resources were being sacrificed for upstream wealth concentration.

9. The Invisible Toll: Long-Term Health Impacts of Defunded Education

US adults without a high school diploma can expect to die nine years sooner than college graduates.

Education as a Health Predictor. Extensive research demonstrates a strong correlation between educational attainment and lifelong health and longevity. Lower educational levels are linked to:

• Shorter life expectancy (9 years less for non-high school graduates).
• Higher rates of chronic diseases like diabetes.
• Increased smoking rates and fewer doctor visits.
  These health disadvantages are exacerbated by structural factors like social relationships, access to healthy food, and socioeconomic policies.

Eroding Educational Foundations. Kansas's school budget cuts, while not directly targeting healthcare, set in motion systemic changes that eroded educational progress across the state. This included:

• Sharp cuts to health education courses (emotional, mental, drug, tobacco, violence, sexual health).
• Declining scores in reading and math for all students, with disproportionate impact on minorities.
• Rising high school dropout rates and falling college completion rates.

Lost Years of Life. The cumulative effect of these educational declines has a quantifiable, long-term health cost. For example, in the four years after the cuts:

• 801 more Latino/a students dropped out, potentially leading to 7,217 lost life years.
• 688 more white students dropped out, potentially leading to 6,195 lost life years.
  These figures represent an invisible, slow-acting plague, where politically induced educational decline translates into future morbidity and mortality for thousands of Kansans.

10. The Castle Doctrine: Policies of Protection Leading to Self-Inflicted Harm

She protected a castle.

Becca Campbell's Tragic Emblem. The death of Becca Campbell, a white single mother who accidentally shot herself while waving a gun and joking about "getting ready for Ferguson," embodies the book's central narrative. Her actions, whether driven by racial animus or a desire for self-protection, were shaped by policies and a charged environment. Her death highlights how the mortal risks of whiteness extend beyond individual beliefs to structural factors.

The Illusion of Security. Campbell's decision to carry a gun, and her subsequent death, occurred within a context of:

• A highly segregated St. Louis with deep racial and class divides.
• Reduced police funding and infrastructure, leading to feelings of insecurity.
• Loosened gun laws (like the Castle Doctrine) that made firearms easily accessible without training.
  These policies, intended to provide "protection" for white citizens, inadvertently created a more perilous environment, even for those they claimed to serve.

The Boomerang of Privilege. The "Castle Doctrine" metaphor extends beyond guns to other policies. When white America defines itself as a "castle under siege," and enacts policies to defend this perceived privilege (e.g., tax cuts, healthcare rejection), these actions often boomerang. They weaken the very foundations of society, leading to:

• Crumbling infrastructure and underfunded public services.
• Less accessible healthcare and education.
• Increased rates of self-inflicted harm (suicides, accidents).
  The pursuit of an imagined white supremacy ironically leads to a biology of demise for the very group it purports to protect.

11. A Path Forward: Collaboration and White Humility for Collective Well-being

What might American politics look like if white humility was seen not as a sellout or a capitulation but as an honest effort to address seemingly intractable social issues?

Beyond Polarization. The book argues that American polarization thrives by resisting compromise and closure, constantly re-igniting old conflicts. Policies driven by racial resentment, amplified by figures like Trump, divide communities and undermine the common good. However, the experiences in Missouri, Tennessee, and Kansas also reveal pockets of resistance and a potential path forward.

The Power of Self-Reflection. Centrist Republican politicians and activists, like Melissa Rooker and LeEtta Felter in Kansas, demonstrated a willingness to challenge party orthodoxy and address "inherent institutional racism." Their "shaming realization" of their own privilege led them to advocate for policies that benefited all Kansans, not just a select few. This suggests that white humility and self-reflection can be powerful catalysts for change.

Building Healthier Alliances. A renewed focus on equitable structures and infrastructures can improve individual and communal health. This involves:

• Honest conversations about guns, racial fantasies, and violence.
• Community health initiatives that reward collaboration across racial and economic lines.
• Reimagining economic models that welcome immigrants as collaborators, not rivals.
  By fostering alliances based on common interest and recognizing our interconnectedness, society can move beyond divisive politics towards a healthier, more just future for everyone.