Socilaism could be bad for your health

...and, conversely, personal responsibility could be *good* for
your health

Not strictly a matter of kids' health, but an interesting article
nonetheless. This study confirms what I've long suspected: Those who
take responsibility for their own health are healthier.

The entire article can be found at
http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/health.cfm?id=765012003

Politics could be bad for your health

Dr Raj Persaud

Could your political beliefs determine how long you live? New
research [published in the Journal of Health and Social Behaviour] from
sociologist Dr William Cockerham and colleagues from the University of
Alabama in the United States has found that differences in attitudes to
looking after your body and your health are predicted by your political
allegiances.

It seems those who believe the state should take responsibility
for most aspects of life also tend to eschew personal responsibility for
taking care of themselves. As a result, they are more likely to engage
in lifestyles hazardous to their health, including drinking to excess
and not exercising.

The just-published research was conducted among Russians,
comparing those who longed for a to return to the old-style Soviet
system with those who preferred the free-market approach to the economy.

[...]

Psychologists identify a common person-type found in Russia and
known as homo soveticus - defined as a person with a collectivist
orientation who does not like to assume any individual responsibilities.

[...]

The theory is that Soviet-style socialism eventually induces
passivity toward health promotion in the population. After all,
previously the state provided for personal needs and the individual in
turn gave up personal reliance and freedom. The state was a shelter as
it provided free health care and education, old-age pensions, low-cost
housing plus food and guaranteed employment.

However, the totalitarian nature and paternalism of such
centrally-planned economies has been viewed as responsible for the
development and spread of a psychology of passivity and
irresponsibility. If they got sick, people knew that the government
would take care of them and so this situation was not likely to feature
a strong sense of personal responsibility for health.

[...]

This new research is important because it suggests that a vital
aspect of a nation's health status has been neglected, and previously
even not measured at all, which is how prevalent the culture of personal
responsibility for health is. Self-reliance would seem to be something
to be encouraged rather than a passive over-reliance on the state, as
those who take more responsibility for their health seem to indeed be
healthier as a direct result.

Anti-socialists in Dr Cockerham's research not only had healthier
lifestyles but they also rated themselves as generally more healthy than
pro-socialists.

The dilemma in politics is that some kind of safety net for those
unable to look after themselves seems desirable, yet if the net becomes
too extensive it may act as a disincentive for fostering individual
personal responsibility for looking after one's own health.

Solving this dilemma is an urgent requirement of modern politics
because it could even determine how long we live.
======================================
Dr Raj Persaud is a consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer at
the Maudsley Hospital in south London. He is the author of the
best-selling self-help manifesto for looking after your own mental
health, Staying Sane: How To Make Your Mind Work For You, published by
Bantam Press.

"JG" wrote in message
...

Getting tired... Make that *socialism*....

And I guess this explains why western countries like Canada with
socialized medicine where everyone is covered by government run
insurance have better health stats on every front than the US.

You guys can't really believe your own plonk on this, can you?

Mary G.
In evil Canada where no one worries an illness will wipe out their
familiy financially, and as a population, we're healthier than you
guys because we can all go to the doctor when we need to.