I would be interested in comparisons with other groups, too, in terms of whether or not they encounter the same problem with white male doctors (women of any race, LBGQT+ folks). I know this is a problem I have heard anecdotally with my women friends and their male doctors.
But yeah, the core issue is that we need to deconstruct institutional racism across the board.
I had several questions after the episode. Did the black docs have better outcomes universally, or was it just with blacks, or just black males? Do female docs do better with female patients? (anecdotally, I would say yes, but thatâs just me) I really do not want to think that the answer to education (also briefly touched on in this episode) and health inequality is segregation! âSeparate but equalâ has a rather bad odor to it. As you said, the question of LGBT docs / patients, etc, etc. I would hypothesize that the deciding factor is whether the doc is able to see the patient as a viable human being due all the respect and care that devolves to such, and the patientâs ability to see the doc as a responsible, educated professional. Based on how I have seen my mother-in-law react to a black female doc she saw the other day, I would say that is a very real factor! I had thought of this as a generational issue, but I am honestly not so sure anymore.
Good questions⌠For myself, the doctors I regularly see are a black woman (my PCP), and an Indian-American man (my ENT). The last doctor I saw who was a white man was for a foot issue, and he kind of did sort of ignore me (a white woman). And of course, the whole âwe need more than one studyâ applies here.
Unfortunately, I donât think it is a generational issue. People since the 60s have been arguing that itâs the older generation is a problem, but itâs proven not to be the case. Racist views are transmitted within communities and among family members, plus, our entire political and economic structures are built on racism, so itâs far more deeply ingrained⌠on top of that, there is the harder to root out biases which we all suffer from, that are reinforced in our socialization and in our cultural norms. Stokely Carmichael was right when he told the white members of SNCC that they needed to go back to their communities and root out racism there. Racism is a problem FOR black people, but itâs a problem OF white people. I donât remember the exact quote, but James Baldwin said that as long as white people believe they are white (and all the assumptions that entails), he canât talk to them.
As far as segregation goes, I agree with you that itâs not what should be done, but in this case, I understand it, coming from the perspective of black folks. As long as we still live in a society shot through with racism, having safe spaces and people who have their background and have lived through some of the same struggles is still a necessity. If this works to improve black menâs health outcomes in the short term, while weâre still dismantling the structures that reinforce racism, Iâm all for it.
But of course Iâd love to see more white, male doctors step up and be more conscious of their own internalized biases (which is hard for all of us). I donât know many MDs socially, but a friend of mineâs brother in law is an MD, say he sees these issues pretty regularly with regards to his colleagues, who tend to be more politically and socially conservative.
Agree with all of the above. I wish it could be as simple as âlet the olds die off and it will endâ but it is not the case. I actually recall vividly having a classmate in med school ask me if I agreed with her that âblacks just are not as evolved as we are.â I think the look on my face made her uncomfortable, because she really did not talk to me much after that. That convinced me that education is not necessarily the answer either. As someone who grew up socializing with pretty much all black friends, who still feels more comfortable in a black crowd than in a white one, realizing just how much shit you put up with if you happen to be melanin enriched was a shock. I will continue to live by the âif you canât change the world, change your corner of itâ mantra. But I find I have very little patience for assholes anymore.
What the actual fuck!!!
It can be part of it, but youâre right that itâs not the entire answer, especially in the modern âfake newsâ/ filter bubble landscape we all live in.
Indeed. And promoting small scale local change via example most certainly helps, too.
NYPD.
It isnât just the GOP.
Outrage fatigue is a thing, but this shit cannot be allowed to become normal.
Take away their badges.
Take away their guns.
Bring them in for 72 hours observation.
Then clean out that cesspit police department.
Thread:
To quote from upthread:
&
Because how dare a white boy be held responsible for a little thing like calling black kids in his school ânr jocks" and then bragging about how he was "really good at typing nr because practice makes perfect.â No, fuck him and his privileged right wing supporters too.
Hmm, OK, donât use â*â to represent letters you would rather not type. You know what it means, right?
In honor of Juneteenth tomorrow:
The religious roots of racism, still.
âHow dare you criticize white people? Donât you know that is the core of our readership?â Damn, this shit makes me ill.
Related, speaking of MemphisâŚ
And from a couple of years ago, about the same band:
https://afropunk.com/2017/07/wtf-facebook-bans-hardcore-band-negro-terror-for-hate-speech/
Well, shitâŚ
Thread.
