Why does the media refer to the heroin epidemic as affecting middle class whites?

[Anonymous]

I always hear it referred to as an issue that is affecting largely middle class whites, but from what I've seen that isn't true. It seems to be affecting poor and working class whites. I haven't seen anyone touched by it among the middle class white people I know.

[Anonymous]

Many of those people were once solidly middle class

[Anonymous]

Then you don’t know too many people OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always hear it referred to as an issue that is affecting largely middle class whites, but from what I've seen that isn't true. It seems to be affecting poor and working class whites. I haven't seen anyone touched by it among the middle class white people I know.

My guess is that you may be one of those people who thinks someone making 200k a year is middle class.

Or as a PP said, you just don't have a big sample size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always hear it referred to as an issue that is affecting largely middle class whites, but from what I've seen that isn't true. It seems to be affecting poor and working class whites. I haven't seen anyone touched by it among the middle class white people I know.

Check CDC stats if you want to know who it affects. Just because you don't know anyone personally, it doesn't mean it isnt happening.

[Anonymous]

Of course it affects middle class whites. It affected my UMC family. Sadly my parents are no longer UMC because they enabled my brother... Now they are destitute, as is my brother.

[Anonymous]

Very few people want to think they're "lower class" or working class. Even my relatives that make 30k working at a factory refer to themselves as middle class.

[Anonymous]

In a number of states, black overdose rates exceed those of whites. This is true in the hardest hit state, West Virginia, and the black overdose death rate in the District is seven times that for whites. Demographics are important so assistance can be properly targeted.

[Anonymous]

Historically it had been a problem in predominantly black inner cities.

Then the prescription drug market kit the addiction fire in white communities. Likely because of racism. Doctors implicitly or explicitly thought black patients were more likely to become addicted, so they prescribed opiates less often to them. Much more often to white patients. And addiction boomed in white communities at all income levels.

It has transitioned now from pills back to heroin and now to fentanyl. Since access is primarily from illegal sources, addiction is more equal opportunity.

In short, everyone should care. But people only started really caring when it hit white people.

[Anonymous]

Working class and Middle class are the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Well for one...middle class and poor don't really have clear distinctions. No one wants to call themselves poor.

For another, there's a hell of a lot of young people dying that grew up in two parent households often with dual incomes and dad was a doctor/lawyer/professional of some sort.

Heroin epidemic is hitting a lot of suburban/exurban communities hard regardless of income.

[Anonymous]

Because it is hitting families that you never would have thought had the socio economic background that typically would lead to drug addiction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always hear it referred to as an issue that is affecting largely middle class whites, but from what I've seen that isn't true. It seems to be affecting poor and working class whites. I haven't seen anyone touched by it among the middle class white people I know.

My guess is that you may be one of those people who thinks someone making 200k a year is middle class.

Or as a PP said, you just don't have a big sample size.

Or OP doesn’t live in a red area.

One of the biggest problems in America right now is the rural/urban divide.
Our economy in cities is doing great. Lots of jobs are being created, often driven by the tech sector (an industry where we lead the world, still, despite GOP efforts to destroy it by demonizing immigrants for votes.)
Our economy outside of cities is often quite depressed.

Go to York county PA. You will meet very very many non-wealthy white people and all will have stories about opiate abusers.

[Anonymous]

Here are some demographics for you. 78% of opioid deaths were white in 2017. And if look at the info state by state, you can see it hits rural states very hard.

https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/opioid-overdose-deaths-by-raceethnicity/?dataView=1&activeTab=map¤tTimeframe=0&selectedDistributions=white-non-hispanic&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D

[Anonymous]

sorry, this is the better link
https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/opioid-overdose-deaths-by-raceethnicity/?dataView=2&activeTab=map¤tTimeframe=0&selectedDistributions=total&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D