After reading Masha Gessen\u2019s \u201cThe Dying Russians,\u201d I almost immediately was skeptical of her ultimate claim that a lack of a \u201cgreater hope\u201d is what is ultimately behind low Russian birth rates and high Russian death rates. In fact, I find certain parts of Gessen\u2019s argument slightly contradictory, as she addresses events that would understandably lead to or are associated with a lack of hope, per se, such as \u201ceconomic shock\u201d and alcoholism, but then quickly determines that these things have little to no relationship to Russia\u2019s ever-increasing mortality rates. While I am by no means saying that Russia\u2019s admiration of vodka or the collapse of the Soviet Union are solely responsible for their mortality problem, in my mind these things tie in very closely to a lack of \u201cgreater hope,\u201d as Gessen even quotes Parsons in saying that \u201cdrinking is, for what it\u2019s worth, an instrument of adapting to the harsh reality and sense of worthlessness that would otherwise make one want to curl up and die.\u201d While this may very well be true \u2013 alcoholism is an unhealthy coping mechanism for people across the globe \u2013 I find it extremely hard to believe that it is completely innocent when investigating what is truly culpable for Russia\u2019s extraordinary mortality rate. With regards to the economic shock, Gessen fails to even acknowledge the extremely consequential effects that it has on Russian life and on individual Russians themselves. In addition to things like increased poverty and unemployment, economic shocks can lead to a lack of public education and access to necessary everyday items, directly correlating with a decrease in not only physical well-being but outlook on life as well. For Gessen to almost completely reject economic shock as at least partially leading to Russia\u2019s increased mortality rate is baffling, as her ultimate conclusion is framed in a way that has almost no quantitative data to back it up.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, I was surprised by the complete failure to mention anything related to political corruption and politically motivated killings. While obviously not the sole culprit in Russia\u2019s mortality problem, I find it hard to believe that in a country plagued by corruption (especially compared to the other European countries that Gessen uses as controls in her article) political killings have played absolutely no part in at least contributing to the lack of hope that, according to Gessen, sits inside of so many Russian people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After reading Masha Gessen\u2019s \u201cThe Dying Russians,\u201d I almost immediately was skeptical of her ultimate claim that a lack of a \u201cgreater hope\u201d is what is ultimately behind low Russian birth rates and high Russian death rates. In fact, I … Continue reading