The concept of social murder was introduced in the mid-19th century. The German philosopher Friedrich Engels coined the phrase in describing the political and social power held by ruling elites over laborers in England. Engels wrote about poor workers dying prematurely. Today, during the current pandemic, the term has been revived.  The British Medical Journal says, “Social murder may describe the lack of political attention to social determinants and inequities that exacerbate the pandemic.” Enormous discrepancies in income and wealth have huge health consequences. Failure to address them has no doubt contributed to the global death toll from the pandemic which now exceeds 5 million. The actual number must be much higher. The economic and class realities exposed and magnified by Covid-19 cannot be ignored or spun away. The need for a system that is equitable has never been more apparent.

This content originally appeared on AlternativeRadio and was authored by info@alternativeradio.org.

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