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China overtakes U.S. for healthy lifespan: WHO data

reuters.com

71–80 of 213 posts

Re: China overtakes U.S. for healthy lifespan: WHO data

#71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

60,000+ people are overdosing in the US. The Fentanyl China is dumping into the US killed 20,000 people in 2016, up from 3,000 just a few years prior. By comparison, Cocaine killed 10,000, Heroin killed 15,000, and prescription opiods killed 14,000. The reason it disproportionately impacts life expectancy, is because a lot of the people overdosing are young. If you suddenly have 250,000 people under 40 years of age o…

Some quick maths. an increase of +17k Fentanyl deaths in a year. Let's say they all died at 20. Of the ~2.5million annual deaths, which average to be life expectancy (78.8 years). Life expectancy goes down to 78.4. A net change of 0.4 years is not insignificant, but I think you're ignoring the elephant in the room (China's rapid development in the last decade). On another vein, I'd argue overdosing on drugs is an int…

That matches the observed life expectancy numbers in the article - U.S. life expectancy decreased from 79 years to 78.5 years.

Re: China overtakes U.S. for healthy lifespan: WHO data

#72
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't be put on the no-fly list for shoveling bigmacs down my throat.

Respectfully I disagree. Some airlines will make you buy a second seat, but if there is no second seat, you could be bumped from that airplane due to incredible obesity. Likewise, with enough big Macs, you might grow to such large size that you present safety issues for other passengers. As such, you might be denied boarding.

It's fine if a business judges you on all the information they can get; for example, in hiring new employees, etc.

But the government is not an institution that should be rewarding or penalizing behavior that is within the bounds of law. Obviously, you get -10000 points let's say if you commit a felony in the US. But you don't get +5xp for praising the government or being a good neighbor, or -5xp for being rude to a waiter or something. That's like, a few orders of magnitude of closer government behavioral management.

Re: China overtakes U.S. for healthy lifespan: WHO data

#74

The US lifespan is decreasing due to opioid overdoses. Similar to Russia in the 90's with alcohol.

A quick google search would show this is untrue. Opioid overdoses kill 40,000 a year. 2.7 million Americans die per year. Even if you were talking about a decrease in healthy lifespan, Opioids do not generally cause a person to transition from healthy to unhealthy (they are prescribed to treat a preexisting condition). Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm

Washington Post recent headline: "Fueled by drug crisis, U.S. life expectancy declines for a second straight year"

Quote: "Experts pointed then to the "diseases of despair" — drug overdoses, suicides and alcoholism — as well as small increases in deaths from heart disease, strokes and diabetes."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/fuele...

Re: China overtakes U.S. for healthy lifespan: WHO data

#75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"This is true in the west as well. Especially now in 2018, if someone you're even tangentially connected to does something deemed to be unsavory you are expected to immediately and forcefully disavow them or face the social consequences. Even then, you still may be tainted by association." No, this is generally not true. Unless you're a public figure and only then in specific circumstances. Almost nobody holds people…

Please point out where I am actually defending the PRC's various "social credit" systems rather than criticizing the west for having similar systems of social control. Speaking of Clinton, is "immediately and forcefully disavow" not exactly what his Sister Souljah moment was? Ditto for Obama's Jeremiah Wright moment.

The big difference is that in the west, the public is the judge of your social standing... NOT the government. The government is an institution of power. Imagine the IRS targeting people with a low social points level because they might be more likely to cheat on their taxes. People should be able to say whatever they want and be judged by the public, but not parented by the government.

Re: China overtakes U.S. for healthy lifespan: WHO data

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

没有共产党就没有新中国

Or maybe it wouldn't have taken so long. ;p

If you consider 50 years to go from having 99%, while also stabilizing an entire nation's food supply, and becoming an economic super power on par with EU/US then I hate to see what you consider fast.

Oh we should also talk about their entire coastal region we’re devistaed by land war and Japanese occupation.

Re: China overtakes U.S. for healthy lifespan: WHO data

#77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I posted a BBC article about mental health and it received complaints about being off-topic and it was removed.

Probably an article's involving the USA increases its perceived on-topicness. Although a large majority of people on here aren't from or in the USA, 'Americans' on here often talk as if it's a 99.5% US discussion taking place on US soil.

The article was not specific to any country

Re: China overtakes U.S. for healthy lifespan: WHO data

#78

This study is backward looking; it hasn't taken account of China's current set of factors that could skew the lifespan down tremendously for average Chinese citizens. Factors such as 1.) Air pollution. In your typical big cities, e.g Beijing, it average AQI 100-150 for the past 10+ years https://young-0.com/airquality/ . In other lower tiered cities, it average between 50-100. Just to compare, WHO recommend only AQI…

How is it backward looking?

Do you think the data is wrong? Or interpreted wrong? You’ve presented some news articles about issues in China but I don’t know how these affects overall life expectancy in combination with all the other factors. Do you?

They seem to think they’ve taken account of likely future trends and ongoing health issues because they’ve said:

> Chinese newborns can look forward to 68.7 years of healthy life ahead of them

Do you think they’re mistaken somehow?

Re: China overtakes U.S. for healthy lifespan: WHO data

#79
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're talking about SAT scores right? Or did you mean US credit scores, which are maintained by three opaque and unaccountable private corporations. More seriously, yes, the explicit social credit system that China seeks to establish is evil. But the west isn't much different.

SAT scores decide where one can go for university. Credit scores decide interest rates and loan approvals. Social credit score decides whether one can board a plane or a train, or whether your child can get into a school of their choice. Furthermore, your score is influenced by the people you associate with, and vice-versa. One of those concepts is very different from the other, in practice.

> Credit scores decide interest rates and loan approvals.

They decide a lot more then that. Housing, job applications, sentencing, whether or not you can get an education...

Re: China overtakes U.S. for healthy lifespan: WHO data

#80
post #18

Congratulations to China and the Chinese people who have managed to measurably improve their livelihoods over the last few decades.

As a developing nation, China should indeed be experiencing an increased lifespan. But under normal circumstances, China's life expectancy increases should be getting closer and close to the curve of developed nations without actually touching - because all countries should be making progress.

So the obvious story here is the actual decrease in US life expectancy, a situation broadly reflecting declining living conditions in the US.

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