Brandon Shea

For my assignment I was told to look into a health
issue relative to Provincetown Ma. This interesting location on Cape Cod
features many dynamics, although I choose to look at lung cancer incidents.
massCHIP enabled me to see who was affect, out of whites, blacks, Asians and Hispanic
individuals. The results were not what I was expecting but do make sense when I
take the time to think about it. In Massachusetts overall black individuals
have the most lung cancer, with 92.5 compared to 85 for whites. The reason this
is intriguing is because in Provincetown there was not a single instance of
lung cancer in black people within a 5 year count starting in 2010. In fact,
going back 5 years from 2010 the only instances at all of lung cancer in
Provincetown were to white people. 10 were white males while 14 were females,
unfortunate victims of this disease. The statistics for Massachusetts overall
show the leaders in lung cancer going from blacks to whites, followed by Asian and
Hispanic in that order. I was especially curious with this disease what age
groups it affected in Provincetown and it turns out my guess was right. I
figured that cigarette smoking from the last generation of adults would have a
large impact on the statistics, and in the last 5 years only people age 45 and
up were affected. Those in the 45-64 year range were females and the majority
was between ages 75-84. When I asked myself why there were not more in age 84
and up, it became evident that with lung cancer in your 70’s and into your
early 80’s it is highly unlikely you live much further. Within the Provincetown
area, there is more woman than men who get diagnosed with lung cancer, although
this differs from the state of a whole. Overall, men get diagnosed with lung
cancer more than women unanimously across all ethnic groups. Statewide, the
disease looks to affect people at an age of 45 and up much more frequently than
teenagers or young adults. It seems to me that lung cancer is a disease related
to longevity and is something that builds over time. It is also an issue that
affects different ethnicities statewide but not so much in Provincetown, most
likely due to the lack of diversity in the area.

Bronchus and Lung Cancer Incidence:   Provincetown

Copyright © 2010 Massachusetts Department of Public
Health – All Rights Reserved, Printed: 12/6/2010, 16:04:55

The results of
searching for white vs. Hispanic/Latino income and poverty rates were
interesting and yielded results I was not expecting.  It turns out that Hispanics and Latinos have
a much higher annual income than the average white household. It breaks it down
further into 2 family homes, 3, 4, and so on, yet the overriding conclusion is
that the average annual income is still heavily in favor of Hispanics/Latinos. The
average income for a white family was just under 47,000, while the Hispanic average
was almost triple that. I expected results maybe the opposite of what I found,
but it is interesting because I knew nothing about Provincetown before this
research. The poverty in Provincetown was 15.7 percent, and what I found there
was also surprising.

The
amount of white people in poverty in Provincetown were far superior to any
other race in comparison. There were 314 white compared to 98 black, and this
was in absolute numbers. Families with 2,3, or 4 people in them weren’t too
different in terms of how poverty stricken they were, but the biggest sign was
who was working within those families. In the Provincetown breakdown, 58
percent of poverty stricken families featured no working parents. Part time
work accounted for 37 percent, while only 4 percent featured both parents
working. This clearly displays the significance of full time work and the lack
of a sufficient economy.

Thirdly,
poverty levels for native born people as opposed to foreign born was a telling
case as well. Just over 15 percent of native born people were below the poverty
line, while 26 percent of foreign born people were in the same category. This
tells me that is harder to succeed coming into Provincetown as opposed to
living there from the start, and with the economy already struggling it will be
tougher for foreign born people to get work once coming to the town. Per capita
income for white people in Provincetown was just above 41,000, while every other
race averaged out was right at 40,000. This shows a relatively good balance,
yet the initial numbers of whites compared to Hispanic/Latino families tells a
different story. It is interesting to look into places you have never been
to/heard of, and that was the case here.

Median household income in 2009 ($)

white: 46,777

Hispanic or Latino: 159,063

This assignment involving interviews on the topic of white privilege was intriguing due to previous material covered in class. I was interested to see how three of my peers felt about white privilege because it definitely exists and has an undermining effect on daily life in our country. I interviewed three friends who are of the same racial background as myself, white, and got similar feedback with different reasoning in each case. All three thought white privilege exists today yet they differed on how to deal with this issue, with a general consensus that it will be nearly impossible to completely eliminate it from our country as a whole. All acknowledged that change is needed, yet the change has to come from an extremely high level where the issue is originally rooted.

            The patterns of responses I received were interesting and all had a unique twist. The first person I interviewed felt that white privilege is so deeply rooted in our country due to our past that it is essentially impossible to eliminate it completely from our existence. No matter how hard we try to say racism does not exist anymore and we live in a melting pot which provides equal opportunity for all, this clearly isn’t true and my friend felt strongly about this. The more we try to downplay the reality involving disparities between education, income, and health, the farther from a solution we go. He agreed when my final interview yielded statements about how our government is set up in such a way that we will continue to see predominantly white males as those in power in America. This was the most essential point he and my other friend made, one I will come back to momentarily.

            The other person I interviewed felt that white privilege is similar to the infiltration of drugs in America. Over time, there have been substantial efforts to rid our country of both hard and lesser drugs, but it is clear that they will always find their way in somehow. He noted how the right thing to do is to keep trying to eliminate the drug trade, but the likeliness of total success is slim. With regard to white privilege, we have had white people in power for such a long time that it is nearly impossible to change that and create equal power distribution, although efforts should continually be made regardless. He made a point about the racial background of our presidents up until Obama, where it has been one white male after another. The lack of diversity in our upper class is shocking due to the amount of diversity overall in our country. This leaves the question of how it keeps ending up this way when there are so many races and ethnic backgrounds circling our nation every day.

            The answer came in part from responses of two people I interviewed but also from knowledge any person can gain simply by paying attention to our country and its political action. The term “money primary” refers to the concept of how you need the most campaign funding and donations in order to emerge as a real presidential candidate in today’s day and age. Capitalism is a real phenomenon that starts with the elite upper class and leaves nothing for the poor. First, the people who have the most money and resources to begin with are those who get their voices heard. This gives them the ability to gain publicity through advertising and shut down competitors with marketing techniques. We then have rich white men running for president, getting financial influence from other rich white men on Wall Street, lobbyists, and big businesses or corporations. Who are the owners and CEOs of these corporations? Rich, white men. What is happening is our two-party system leaves no room for a labor party or working class influence, and even less room for the poverty stricken lower class that needs their voice heard the most.

            Our government is set up so that money guides who makes it big, and to gain wealth as a candidate you need to appeal to businesses and gain trust amongst those who have the potential to fund your political campaign the most. This distraction of campaign funding leaves less time for actual policy work and ultimately discourages participation from the lower class in voting. Obama gave hope for minorities and has had a huge influence on our country, but as one friend I interviewed stated, he can’t make up for the CEOs of the big banks and all other Wall Street influence that continually keeps the upper class predominantly white. Ultimately, our government is set up to keep producing rich, white males. Until our two-party and overall system is shut down and rebooted, the trend will continue in this fashion.

The MBTA, aka the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, is proposing two different price increases and significant service cuts to cut costs relative to the $161 million deficit for the fiscal year starting in July. The two potential plans would both involve hiking fairs for trains, busses, and commuter trains, while also featuring less stops for all forms of transportation. Both plans will feature tougher financial situations for those affected by the increases, such as students, middle/working class workers, lower class poor, as well as the elderly who choose not to drive. Although the deficit is significant and something has to be done about it, these changes translate to a form of oppression towards all those who have no say in the matter. There are more people taking the train and busses due to the city aspect of Boston, and this decision is crucial to a large population of the city. The people of Boston are retaliating through public rallies and voicing their opinions in gatherings with MBTA executives, so resistance is fierce and will not die down until a firm and final decision on the changes is made.

            The social structure instituting these changes is the MBTA, and their deficit to the state is the driving force behind the potential planning to cut costs. Clearly the people of Boston, if not affiliated with the MBTA, have no real say in what happens. The subway rides would increase by $.70 per ride, and the busses $.50 from $1.25 to $1.75. (NECN.com) These changes would directly affect students who travel throughout the city from class, to work, home, and then repeat this most days if not all days of the week. It also directly affects the poor, who may not have vehicles and rely fully on public transportation to execute daily tasks. The elderly, who may have given up driving and take the train or busses, also will be affected directly by such changes. This shows three of the most vulnerable social classes in Boston and how they can essentially be manipulated at will because the MBTA dug them such a deep deficit and now have no other way to react. Their primary source of revenue is sales tax and rider fares, according to Transportation Secretary Richard A. Davey.

“Our customers care; they’re passionate, and I think they have a good understanding of what the real challenge is, which isn’t an annual management crisis. It’s really a crisis of debt.” (Anderson, Boston Globe)

 The MBTA has an outstanding $5.5 billion in principal on its debt, with over $1.7 billion from costs relative to the Big Dig. No matter how educated the riders and other citizens are on the current issue, it doesn’t change the fact that they are being oppressed with minimal opportunity for significant resistance. Mayor Thomas M. Menino commented on the issue at a public hearing hosted by the MBTA at Boston Public Library.

“For many people, the T isn’t their first or second transportation choice; it’s their only choice.” (Anderson, Globe)

The mayor also added how these changes will be harming the state’s most vulnerable residents and stifle economic growth. This is a harsh reality, and although some at this hearing said they will sacrifice higher pay to avoid service cuts, it is clear the method of gaining revenue is flawed for the MBTA. Relying on the sales tax is risky and Secretary Davey suggested a change in direct appropriation from the Legislature. He also added that a “roughly $20 Million surplus in the state’s snow-removal budget could be transferred to the MBTA if the weather holds off.” (Anderson, Globe)

This shows that if we can maintain good weather and save that budget, a small portion of the debt could be immediately eliminated and may be enough to stave off price increases, or at least make them more manageable. For now, protesting MBTA users are gathering at these public hearings as well as outside in public view to show their form of resistance. Denysha Jackson, 18, who attends Fenway High School attended a rally and voiced her opinion on how the changes would affect students.  “I take the train every day, everywhere.” (Anderson, Globe) John Robinson, 63, of Somerville is vision impaired and relies on the commuter rail on weekends to visit his father at his assisted-living facility in West Concord. The proposed plan would eliminate weekend commuter rail services.

This is a clear, direct form of oppression and he is being dominated by a greater social institution that will most likely not hear his personal side of the story. The more people like John who step up at the public hearings, the better chance this resistance has of making any substantial noise. It will be tough to make a cost changing impact, yet the people must fight.

MBTA Fares/recent proposed changes to cut costs

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