Why Some Politicians Are More Dangerous Than Others

Description

Politicians and the political process, even in ostensibly democratic countries, can be deadly. James Gilligan has discovered a devastating truth that has been "hiding in plain sight" for the past century - namely, that when America's conservative party, the Republicans, have gained the presidency, the country has repeatedly suffered from epidemics of violent death. Rates of both suicide and homicide have sky-rocketed. The reasons are all too obvious: rates of every form of social and economic distress, inequality and loss - unemployment, recessions, poverty, bankruptcy, homelessness also ballooned to epidemic proportions. When that has happened, those in the population who were most vulnerable have "snapped", with tragic consequences for everyone. These epidemics of lethal violence have then remained at epidemic levels until the more liberal party, the Democrats, regained the White House and dramatically reduced the amount of deadly violence by diminishing the magnitude of the economic distress that had been causing it. This pattern has been documented since 1900, when the US government first began compiling vital statistics on a yearly basis, and yet it has not been noticed by anyone until now except with regard to suicide in the UK and Australia, where a similar pattern has been described. This book is a path-breaking account of a phenomenon that has implications for every country that presumes to call itself democratic, civilized and humane, and for all those citizens, voters and political thinkers who would like to help their country move in that direction.

Reviews

"A quirky book that deserves to be taken seriously ... Gilligan's inferences are standing up." New York Review of Books "Gilligan offers far more than a statistical argument. In Republican ideology, dependence is associated with dishonour and shame. Gilligan offers a compelling model of how this ethic triggers intolerable feelings of being discounted, disrespected, or 'dissed' that issue in violence." Times Literary Supplement "By fusing together the scientific rigour of evidence-based medicine with a wealth of theoretical insights from the social sciences, Gilligan's book (provides) new and exciting ways of understanding the social and economic determinants of health andwell-being." LSE Politics Blog "Gilligan's book deserves a wide audience. It is inspiring to find a social/behavioral study that may turn out to be of great importance, and one that may also prove useful in furthering investigation of the emotion of shame." Contemporary Psychology "Irrefutable evidence that the politics of the right can actually kill you." Morning Star "If you believe politicians can make a difference then these statistics will confirm your beliefs." Sydney Morning Herald "The Republicans and Conservatives are bad for your health. They should come with the same warning that took years to become emblazoned on cigarette packets. This book goes a long way in working towards that." Tribune "For everyone interested in American politics, this book is a must. It will change the way you think about our two major political parties." George Soros "James Gilligan has given us a new formula for thinking about American politics: smoking is to cancer as republicans are to suicides and homicides. His findings are not guesswork or political wishful thinking, but based on old-fashioned digging through thousands of pages about data. Gilligan is telling us, in essence, that how we vote is a life or death decision." Seymour M. Hersh "A hugely important book, which needs to be widely known - not simply for its impact on voting, but also to make politicians more aware of the consequences of their actions and the non-voting public more aware of the importance of politics." Richard Wilkinson, author of The Spirit Level

Author description

James Gilligan is collegiate professor and MD at New York University.

Table of contents

INTRODUCTION A Murder Mystery CHAPTER ONE A Matter of Life and Death CHAPTER TWO What Kind of Man Are You? CHAPTER THREE Nothing Succeeds Like Failure CHAPTER FOUR The Shame of It All CHAPTER FIVE Who Wants to Be Redundant? CHAPTER SIX Red States, Blue States: Honor vs. Guilt CONCLUSION The Mystery Solved APPENDICES: FIGURES AND TABLES REFERENCES INDEX