Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Undermine Individual and Societal Health and Well-Being
In the era of Donald Trump, many working class- and middle-class white Americans were drawn to politicians who pledged to make their lives great again. But as physician Jonathan Metzl’s book Dying of Whiteness shows, those policies actually placed white Americans at ever-greater risk of illness and even death. Racial resentment fueled pro-gun laws in Missouri, caused resistance to the Affordable Care Act in Tennessee, and drove cuts to schools and social services in Kansas. The results of these policies? Increasing deaths by gun suicide, rising dropout rates, and falling life expectancies. In this powerful presentation, based on his critically acclaimed book, Dr. Metzl reveals why racial hierarchies, or the struggle to preserve white supremacy, is leading our nation towards its demise. Thoughtful, poignant, and vital, this talk offers a smart and necessary plan for working collectively toward a society that would be healthier for everyone.
Mental Illness, Mass Shootings, and the Politics of American Firearms
In this talk, Dr. Metzl breaks down four frequent assumptions that often arise in the aftermath of a mass shooting: 1) that mental illness causes gun violence, 2) that psychiatric diagnosis can predict gun crime, 3) that shootings represent the deranged acts of mentally ill loners, and 4) that gun control “won’t prevent” another shooting. “No current psychiatric diagnosis manifests itself in core symptoms that include aggression toward others, and many mental illnesses in fact produce the opposite effect,” explains Metzl. Even when mental illness is a factor, these events almost always reflect larger cultural stereotypes and anxieties about race, class, and politics. Unfortunately, those issues become obscured when mass shootings come to stand in for all gun crime, and when “mentally ill” ceases to be a medical designation and becomes a sign of violent threat. In this thought-provoking presentation, Metzl uses scientific evidence and engaging story-telling to paint a nuanced picture of the increasingly lethal realities of American life—and how we can move forward.
COVID and Society: How The Pandemic Has Reshaped Our World
The COVID-19 pandemic set into motion a series of events that will reshape society in lasting ways, from how we live, work, and learn, to the social issues we protest and aim to change, and the stories we consume. These changes will be shaped by innovations from fields including technology, medicine, architecture, humanities, politics, science, and economics. Ultimately, the post-COVID era will affect how we think about ourselves, our relationships with others, our sense of social and racial justice, and perhaps most importantly, our place in the world for years to come. In this Metzl explores the pandemic’s impact on our past, present, and future. By engaging in the narratives from politicians, artists, activists, doctors, scientists, educators, and many more, he paints an illuminating portrait of our current moment, as well as answers looming questions: How will we address diversity, equity, and inclusion? What is the future of our jobs and careers? What have we learned about battling misinformation? This is an important presentation that covers everything from structural inequality to public health to our social and economic futures.
Protest Psychosis: Race, Stigma, and the Diagnosis of Schizophrenia
In this thought-provoking talk, Dr. Metzl provides an analysis of how, within the sociopolitical context of the 1960s and 1970s, the intersection of race and mental health altered the way that schizophrenia was diagnosed, understood, and treated in the United States. Once considered a nonthreatening disease that primarily targeted white middle-class women, Metzl provides an historical exploration of how schizophrenia became associated with the perceived hostility, rebellion, mistrust, and violence of Black men during the Civil Rights movement. Part historical case study and part social commentary, Metzl utilizes the complex history of the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Ionia, Michigan to showcase the detrimental impact that shifting definitions of schizophrenia have had on Black men.
