Discussion 2

Please watch the course documentary in Kanopy, “Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick” (Episode “In Sickness and in Wealth”) to discuss the following:

1. In the documentary, laid-off workers found that unemployment payments or wages from available jobs cut their income by at least 50%. Further, psychologist Rick Price reminds us that, “involuntary job loss isn’t just something that affects a particular individual…it ripples through whole families and communities.” Assume that earners in your household were laid off and your household income was reduced by half. Explain how these changes would affect your family and community and how they might come to impact your and others’ health (broadly defined) in the short and/or long-term. For example, consider some of the following ways in which job loss or reduced wages might affect:

• Where you live
• What you and others typically eat
• Yours and others’ mental health, optimism, and sense of hope for the future
• Relationship with parents, siblings, other family members, neighbors
• Ability to pay off mortgages and/or other debts
• Property values and home sales
• Upkeep and maintenance of physical spaces
• Public services (e.g., libraries, community programs)
• Schools and senior centers 
• Business development and investment
• Crime and personal behaviors