Divided We Stand: Nationalism & Morality

Why do many working-class white Americans support politicians whose policies are literally killing them?

Prominent expert on gun violence and mental illness Jonathan Metzl’s book Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America’s Heartland is a serious look at how cultural attitudes associated with “whiteness” encourage white people to adopt political views—like opposition to gun laws, or rejection of the Affordable Care Act in the South—that undercut their own health.

The book is not about racism at the individual level—for Metzl, the key question is how did a politics of racial resentment become so powerful that it overwhelmed even the basic instinct for self-preservation.

Professor Metzl will talk with Professor Christina Greer, Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University, about how intolerance and racism are fueling policies that can have potentially devastating consequences for everyone, oftentimes particularly working-class white populations.

Thank you to Basic Books for their generous donation of ‘Dying of Whiteness’, all sales of which support our lifesaving services!

Professor Christina Greer is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University. Her research and teaching focus on American politics, black ethnic politics, urban politics, quantitative methods, Congress, New York City and New York State politics, campaigns and elections, and public opinion. Her book Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream investigates the increasingly ethnically diverse black populations in the US from Africa and the Caribbean. She finds that both ethnicity and a shared racial identity matter and also affect the policy choices and preferences for black groups. She is the host and producer of The Aftermath with Christina Greer on Ozy.com. Follow her on Twitter.

Jonathan M. Metzl is the Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University, and director of its Center for Medicine, Health, and Society. He is the author of several books and a prominent expert on gun violence and mental illness. He hails from Kansas City, Missouri, and lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Follow him on Twitter.

Divided We Stand is a series of public discussions examining critical but contentious issues affecting Americans locally and nationally, bringing audiences together with prominent intellectuals, activists, organizers, writers, journalists and academics working on the frontline of challenging political issues.

This series is supported by funding from Humanities New York through the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this series do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.











When: Mon., May. 6, 2019 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Where: Housing Works Bookstore Cafe
126 Crosby St.
212-966-0466
Price: Free
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Why do many working-class white Americans support politicians whose policies are literally killing them?

Prominent expert on gun violence and mental illness Jonathan Metzl’s book Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America’s Heartland is a serious look at how cultural attitudes associated with “whiteness” encourage white people to adopt political views—like opposition to gun laws, or rejection of the Affordable Care Act in the South—that undercut their own health.

The book is not about racism at the individual level—for Metzl, the key question is how did a politics of racial resentment become so powerful that it overwhelmed even the basic instinct for self-preservation.

Professor Metzl will talk with Professor Christina Greer, Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University, about how intolerance and racism are fueling policies that can have potentially devastating consequences for everyone, oftentimes particularly working-class white populations.

Thank you to Basic Books for their generous donation of ‘Dying of Whiteness’, all sales of which support our lifesaving services!

Professor Christina Greer is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University. Her research and teaching focus on American politics, black ethnic politics, urban politics, quantitative methods, Congress, New York City and New York State politics, campaigns and elections, and public opinion. Her book Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream investigates the increasingly ethnically diverse black populations in the US from Africa and the Caribbean. She finds that both ethnicity and a shared racial identity matter and also affect the policy choices and preferences for black groups. She is the host and producer of The Aftermath with Christina Greer on Ozy.com. Follow her on Twitter.

Jonathan M. Metzl is the Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University, and director of its Center for Medicine, Health, and Society. He is the author of several books and a prominent expert on gun violence and mental illness. He hails from Kansas City, Missouri, and lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Follow him on Twitter.

Divided We Stand is a series of public discussions examining critical but contentious issues affecting Americans locally and nationally, bringing audiences together with prominent intellectuals, activists, organizers, writers, journalists and academics working on the frontline of challenging political issues.

This series is supported by funding from Humanities New York through the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this series do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Buy tickets/get more info now