← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · il ragno
Thread ID: 4961 | Posts: 7 | Started: 2003-02-12
2003-02-12 23:22 | User Profile
Not only are we being bankrupted by 'diversity' - as an economy, as a nation and as a people - we're being psychologically ground into a fine powder by the cruelest, longest-waged program of terror-conditioning ever experienced by any society in the history of mankind. As the following shows, the machinery has been grinding for so long now that we can't recall a time when its gears weren't churning: the terror-conditioning is now an end in itself. And it cannot be derailed by facts, history, tradition, common sense, or the sounds of gunfire and breaking glass outside the door (that already *has five locks on it).
Or in other words, translated from the Yiddish: the best defense, a good offense, itz!*
[url=http://www.gazettenet.com/02112003/health/4225.htm]http://www.gazettenet.com/02112003/health/4225.htm[/url]
**How race affects medical care ** KEVIN GUTTING
Doctors, nurses, social workers and other hospital staff packed the conference room at Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield recently to hear Joshua Miller *of Smith College describe ways to spot racism in the medical setting. *
Tuesday, February 11, 2003 -- Cindy Churchill, a nurse at Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, was born on the small Caribbean island of Antigua. Although she has been a resident of the United States for almost two decades and has lived in Greenfield since 1996, Churchill said that she still experiences the sting of racism at her job.
"I've had problems dealing with some patients before that don't want me to be their nurse because of my color," said Churchill, who is black. "Usually I'm polite to them and switch with another nurse, just because it will cause both of us less grief. However, it hurts to know that some people wouldn't want me to help them because of the color of my skin."
According to Joshua Miller, an associate professor at the Smith College School for Social Work in Northampton, this is the type of racism that manifests itself in almost every facet of our lives. That is one reason he was invited recently to speak about what he calls the "web of institutional racism" to a group of social workers, nurses, psychiatrists and doctors who packed a conference room at Franklin Medical Center. Cindy Churchill was part of that audience.
"I think there is a big need to speak about this all over the country," Miller told his audience. "In this area, I think it's especially important, because as you get further away from Holyoke and Springfield, you usually have a more predominantly white community and you don't have to think about these kinds of things as much."
Mostly white staffs
That statement was supported by William Mailler, the assistant director for behavioral health at Franklin Medical Center, who pointed out in his introduction that of the 500 or so managers or supervisors in the Baystate Health System, only about 15 or 20 are minorities. In addition to Franklin Medical Center, Baystate Health System includes Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and Mary Lane Hospital in Ware. As a result, he said, discussing racism is necessary for the welfare of the medical centers.
"We have an ongoing commitment to cultural competence here, and having this type of event is one way to show that," Mailler said. "We're very committed to improving the quality of care here, and being able to attend to the differences of the unique, individual patient is very important to us."
Joshua Miller said that because many of the communities and medical facilities in this area are predominantly white, it is easy for the topic of racism to be pushed to the back burner. That, he said, is a big mistake.
"Because white people are the majority in the United States, they don't always see the racism that goes on around them," Miller said. "It's like fish that can't see the water because they are in it."
"Most white people feel that racism is actively discriminating against other people, like in the 1950s," Miller added. "But it can be expressed by white people moving to predominantly white neighborhoods and not interacting with people of color, or even with white people taking their children out of public school and sending them to a primarily white private school, or just generally avoiding contact with people of different cultural backgrounds than them."
Subtle but real
He said racism can appear in medical settings in subtle ways.
"First, you have to see who are the people on the staff, who are the doctors," Miller said. "Do they represent the full diversity of our culture, and if not, do they have the cultural competence to understand different cultures?"
National statistics recently compiled by the American Association of Medical Colleges in Washington, D.C., show that in 2000, African-Americans and Hispanics made up nearly a quarter of the general population, but only 6 percent of the pool of physicians. The trend doesn't seem to be improving: Between 1996 and 2001, the number of black medical students fell by 11 percent.
The cultural makeup of the staff is just one of the many problems that minorities face in health settings, according to Miller. Statistics show that minorities are uninsured at a much higher rate than whites. According to a 2001 study done by the Institute of Medicine, which is part of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., "insurance status, perhaps more than any other demographic or economic factor, determines the timeliness and quality of health care, if it is received at all."
While 33 percent of the Hispanics, 19 percent of the African-Americans and 18 percent of the Asian-Americans have no health insurance, only 10 percent of the whites are lacking regular coverage.
Miller also pointed out several studies that show that in medical systems minorities are misdiagnosed at a much higher rate than whites and receive services from workers with less training.
Another problem non-whites face, said Miller, is that the majority of medical theories used today were written by people of European descent, especially psychological theories. He said that while this doesn't mean they are wrong, the theories do reflect a cultural bias that the Euro-centric experience is "normal." One example, he said, is Freudian theory.
"This is a theory that was created by white, European, Victorian males, and it makes a lot of generalizations about human nature," Miller said. "Some of these generalizations may be helpful, but how applicable can this theory be to all people of different cultures, races, when we know that we have such different backgrounds?"
For instance, Freudian theory holds that it is healthy for a person to break away from his or her family at some point. While this may be true for some, Miller said, he believes that it neglects significant cultural differences.
"This theory has been criticized by African-Americans, Asian-Americans and women who feel that it does not take into importance the family structure," Miller said. "In some cultures, separating yourself from the family can be seen as betrayal."
Tackling the problem
Miller advised his listeners that as clinicians they should be aware of how their own backgrounds differ from those of their patients. "Having this type of understanding will make any interaction better," Miller said.
To improve the racial climate of its medical center, Miller said, the organization must first recognize there is a problem. Then, he said, administrators should draw up a mission statement and set goals to address diversifying the staff and also helping current employees to become more culturally competent. He said a monitoring committee could be created as well as a system for ongoing, consistent feedback. He said records should be kept to track progress.
"Making changes in this area is a combination of individuals making changes internally, but also an organization making changes collectively," Miller said. "The two go hand in hand."
Changing population
Mailler said later that Franklin Medical Center staff would take Miller's words to heart and that the issue would be discussed extensively in the near future, especially considering the changing atmosphere of the surrounding community.
"Ten years ago, when I drove through the streets of Greenfield, you almost never saw a person of color, and that is certainly changing today," Mailler said. "My hunch is that the racial profile of our area is changing, and because of that, our patient profile will be changing, and we need to have the ability to give all of our patients the best care possible."
Interviewed after the talk, Cindy Churchill said that by inviting Miller, the medical center's administration showed that it cares about an issue that is important to her.
"Something like this is really a step in the right direction, it's really excellent," Churchill said. "I've had my problems in the past and I'm currently the only person of color working in my hall, but I really feel like this organization is behind me and that I have the ability to move up."
"Hearing Mr. Miller talk about things that I worry about all the time was very therapeutic for me," Churchill added.
While Miller said he was encouraged that Franklin Medical Center would take the initiative to schedule a lecture like his, he emphasized that it is just the beginning of a long and arduous process.
"Something like this is a good start, but it must go on," Miller said. "These are conversations that must not stop here. People here must continue to have them.
"We have an obligation to try to change things, not just for our clients and ourselves, but for our children and our grandchildren."
2003-02-13 00:01 | User Profile
I keep trying, and failing, to understand why "people of color" is properly respectful and courteous- but "colored people" is a deadly insult denoting deep-seated racism. Somebody help me out here.
Sayyyy....you don't suppose it could just be a semantic firecracker to light and toss at Whitey just for the fun of watching him jump... do ya?
2003-02-13 00:11 | User Profile
Originally posted by il ragno@Feb 12 2003, 18:01 ** Sayyyy....you don't suppose it could just be a semantic firecracker to light and toss at Whitey just for the fun of watching him jump... do ya? **
But I thought white men couldn't jump, IR?
:(
2003-02-13 09:10 | User Profile
**Another problem non-whites face, said Miller, is that the majority of medical theories used today were written by people of European descent, especially psychological theories. He said that while this doesn't mean they are wrong, the theories do reflect a cultural bias that the Euro-centric experience is "normal." One example, he said, is Freudian theory.
"This is a theory that was created by white, European, Victorian males, and it makes a lot of generalizations about human nature," Miller said. "Some of these generalizations may be helpful, but how applicable can this theory be to all people of different cultures, races, when we know that we have such different backgrounds?" **
Why restrain ourselves to medical and psychological theories when we can undo the whole harvest of western civilization ââ¬â all stained with Euro-centric cultural bias, which ââ¬Åneglects significant cultural differences?ââ¬Â
I have never seen or heard of a ââ¬ÅSlavinââ¬Â before, but the name --discarding the first consonant-- appears that it belongs to a zhid. Anyone? That would explain the article, but it does not account for the inclusion of some Freudian theory masquerading as an example of the shortcomings of ââ¬Ëwhiteââ¬â¢ inventions with respect to cultural differences. Perhaps Ethan was pressed for time and reached for a sampling of whatever his liberal education happened to furnish, and what does it matter if goyim think the cocaine addicted Semite as white.
2003-02-13 13:20 | User Profile
**National statistics recently compiled by the American Association of Medical Colleges in Washington, D.C., show that in 2000, African-Americans and Hispanics made up nearly a quarter of the general population, but only 6 percent of the pool of physicians. The trend doesn't seem to be improving: Between 1996 and 2001, the number of black medical students fell by 11 percent. **
No sh*t it's not improving, and it won't improve until blacks and browns somehow manage to shift their mean IQ to the right by, say, 10 points.
It never ceases to astonish me how the press can simply ignore the "Bell Curve." It's really a study in doublethink.
They're DUMB, you ninnies! Deal with it!!
Walter
2003-02-14 19:58 | User Profile
I used to be a reporter, and I can tell you that writing stories like this -- about racism in some sector of American life -- is easier than falling off a press kit. You show up to the talk, find your "anecdotal lead" (a black person who will, surprise, confirm for you that racism is a terrible problem in America), jot down the quotes from the racism "expert," end with a quote about how America needs to change, send it off to your editor, and go home. I can assure you that the editor will not demand a quote from someone to "balance" the anti-racism expert, will not demand details about how bad racism in America is, and most certainly will not question the assumption that racism is awful, that blacks and Hispanics are blameless angels, and that unnamed "Victorian whites" are behind it all. Every ridiculous utterance from the big lips of the oppressed is vaulted to the heavens, caressed, celebrated, stroked... the characters are lovingly and reflexively ennobled as Jewish editors break into big smiles as they scan your story.
Example: "Leroy Washington knows the sting of racism. Washington, a Vietnam veteran and father of four, remembers the time he walked into a Smithville hardware store looking for picture-hanging nails. He was hoping to help his sister in Morganville with a few projects around the house. But as he poked around, a White customer approached him and asked where the duct tape was. 'I don't work here,' Washington replied, as he went about his shopping. But the damage was done. The White customer assumed that Washington, who happens to be black, was an employee of the store. Washington is still wounded. 'People just don't think,' he said, wiping a tear from his eye. 'It's something that we black folk face every day. Why can't we all just get along? What about Dr. King's dream?' David Bursitis, a policy analyst at the Washington Center for Progress and Diversity, agreed. 'What happened to Mr. Washington can happen to any black person in America, any time, anywhere. What we need is to come together. We need to celebrate our cultures and our peoples. Whites need to understand that we are full and equal citizens, and that not all of us work at the hardware store. Racism is alive and well in America. It's up to all of us to fight it.'"
No thought, no analysis, no nothing. Just turn on the journalistic automatic pilot.
2003-02-20 04:04 | User Profile
**For instance, Freudian theory holds that it is healthy for a person to break away from his or her family at some point. While this may be true for some, Miller said, he believes that it neglects significant cultural differences.
"This theory has been criticized by African-Americans, Asian-Americans and women who feel that it does not take into importance the family structure," Miller said. "In some cultures, separating yourself from the family can be seen as betrayal.**
I'm supposed to take this seriously? Blacks criticizing a Jewish theory because it downplays the family. This from a people who birth above two thirds of their children out of wedlock? How often do you hear of a black who was raised, at all, by their father? Chances are if you have an intelligent black friend he was one of the rare exceptions to the rule.