After reading the review on Johnathon Metzl’s recent book “Dying of Whiteness” written by Lacey Storer, I was curious to read his book and learn how “whiteness” is now impacting the death rate of mid-western white Americans. What I found was not only disturbing but patently false.
Metzl refers to his research. Research as defined by Merriam Webster, and I would add understood by the common person. is a “studious inquiry or examination, investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws.” Nothing could be further from what this book provided to the reader.
As an example, according to Metzl, Becca Campbell died of a gunshot wound to the temple fired by her own hand from her own gun. The fact that she was driving and drinking, wheeling the gun over her head and the vehicle hit the car in front of her leading her to accidentally pull the trigger and shoot herself in her head is now defined as “(the) kind(s) of mortal trade-offs white Americans make in order to defend an imagined sense of whiteness.”
The conjecture is patently ridiculous as are most points made in the book. This is not research it is storytelling to fit a narrative. A narrative that more simply stated says “white lower- and middle-income voters” are too stupid to know being conservative is harmful to their health and as such should embrace the omnipotent brilliance of liberal elected leaders and scholars, like Metzl, that have the prescription for curing “white lower- and middle-income voters’ whiteness”.
Robert Cutler
Leawood, Kansas
