is it possible to place people who die as members of violent organized crime (such as gangs or cartels in Latin America) in this category of deaths of desspair? There are many statements from young people who know that they are entering a "job" where they will not live long, but who do so because they see no other opportunity in life. This sounds like a kind of suicide.
I'm so sorry to hear about your stepmom, and my heart goes out to you and your family. Unfortunately, throughout my life, I have also been forced to deal with such dark truths. In fact, my sixteen-year-old daughter's boyfriend died early in the morning on Friday, November 21, not even two weeks ago. His sister found him hours later that morning when she came over to see if he wanted to do something. He had been sober since March and relapsed, it was accidental; they think it was laced with fentanyl. His single mom works hard and works nights, so nobody was home; no one was there to hear his cries for help. I can't imagine her heartbreak. This has been extremely painful for my daughter, and I'm just trying to help her through this, and I'm beyond scared that it will hit her so hard that she'll get upset at some point and end up hurting herself or worse (she used to self-harm and has been hospitalized a few times for wanting to kill herself). My poor, sweet baby girl... I apologize for rambling on. Thank you for bringing this important topic to light, and I wish you and yours a safe and joyful holiday season. 🙏💔🕊️
"It would require that we begin to see that capitalism has not only killed us off too early, we must see something worse, namely that capitalism has disrupted our very capacity to see how it is killing us. Such a vision would be set on restoring dignity to our shared social existence." -- Daniel Tutt
Your point here at the end crystallizes your entire essay, and focusing on the deaths of despair as a social condition created by capitalism is critical, as you state. You're absolutely right — we clearly have lost our ability to see what's killing us. A collective reclamation is necessary, and its ramifications are enormous. I think it could do more than restore dignity. Don't you think this social question, this focus on the deaths of despair, could raise class consciousness for those who lack it?
Wonderfully moving, and I mean that in both the individual and collective sense of the word: to be moved into political action. Thank you.
is it possible to place people who die as members of violent organized crime (such as gangs or cartels in Latin America) in this category of deaths of desspair? There are many statements from young people who know that they are entering a "job" where they will not live long, but who do so because they see no other opportunity in life. This sounds like a kind of suicide.
I'm so sorry to hear about your stepmom, and my heart goes out to you and your family. Unfortunately, throughout my life, I have also been forced to deal with such dark truths. In fact, my sixteen-year-old daughter's boyfriend died early in the morning on Friday, November 21, not even two weeks ago. His sister found him hours later that morning when she came over to see if he wanted to do something. He had been sober since March and relapsed, it was accidental; they think it was laced with fentanyl. His single mom works hard and works nights, so nobody was home; no one was there to hear his cries for help. I can't imagine her heartbreak. This has been extremely painful for my daughter, and I'm just trying to help her through this, and I'm beyond scared that it will hit her so hard that she'll get upset at some point and end up hurting herself or worse (she used to self-harm and has been hospitalized a few times for wanting to kill herself). My poor, sweet baby girl... I apologize for rambling on. Thank you for bringing this important topic to light, and I wish you and yours a safe and joyful holiday season. 🙏💔🕊️
This is excellent. Thank you.
"It would require that we begin to see that capitalism has not only killed us off too early, we must see something worse, namely that capitalism has disrupted our very capacity to see how it is killing us. Such a vision would be set on restoring dignity to our shared social existence." -- Daniel Tutt
Your point here at the end crystallizes your entire essay, and focusing on the deaths of despair as a social condition created by capitalism is critical, as you state. You're absolutely right — we clearly have lost our ability to see what's killing us. A collective reclamation is necessary, and its ramifications are enormous. I think it could do more than restore dignity. Don't you think this social question, this focus on the deaths of despair, could raise class consciousness for those who lack it?