I went to medical school in Charlottesville. I know white anger well

[CC27]

Star Member JHan (5,898 posts)

I went to medical school in Charlottesville. I know white anger well


For four years, my task was to learn to treat people who were sick. Even the ones who wore their Confederate pride openly, even the ones who threatened to shoot me on home health visits. My task was to learn from experienced physicians how to help people get well. Even when they witnessed racist behavior directed toward me. Even when they glossed over that bigotry.

The response to the violence in Charlottesville has had its fair share of denial — people saying, this is not the city I know, the protesters came from elsewhere, this is not the America I know.

Such statements are infuriating.

In Charlottesville, this was exactly the America I knew. This was the Virginia I knew. This was the medicine I knew. Even on graduation day, one the happiest days of my life, my family broke bread at a restaurant I later learned was owned by a man affiliated with the University of Virginia who had made controversial and racist statements.

This is the quiet racism of every day — the small transgressions that we gloss over in our daily lives. The outrage that only comes when men carrying tiki torches march openly. The America I know tolerates racism as long as it’s quiet, as long as it doesn’t cause a scene. Until it kills an innocent protester.


*snip*

As for me, a few weeks ago, an angry patient kept referring to me as “that woman.” Another patient refused to look at me, a black doctor, as she believed black people, “are more prone to violence.”

This is the America I know, the medicine I know. Bigotry in a hospital gown — it’s a risk I face every day when I go into work.

But, during the first incident, a nurse intervened, reminding the patient that I was her doctor, Dr. Okwerekwu, and deserved her respect. And during the second incident, my attending spoke up, telling the patient that her views were misinformed.

And after the second incident, my attending asked me how I was doing, how I was coping. That woman hadn’t been the first patient that week to spew racism. A team social worker, an occupational therapist, and even a medical student I was working with offered their support.

What happened when I talked about what others ignore — racism in medicine
This is the America I want. The medicine I aspire to.


https://www.statnews.com/2017/08/14/charlottesville-protest-white-anger/

https://www.democraticunderground.com/118762790

One stupid protest in Charlottesville and all of a sudden "white anger" has been there for years?  Screw off.

[DLR Pyro]

Even the ones who wore their Confederate pride openly,

showing you are proud of your heritage is you are from the south is baaaaad. 

Openly showing gay pride, brown pride or black pride is good. 

whatever DUmmies...

[SVPete]

Hateful whites exist in Charlottesvile, VA? Who knew? Let me give you 2 clues, Sherlock: there will be white racists in C'ville a hundred years from now; there will be black racists in C'ville a hundred years from now. It's sad, wrong, etc., but predictable.

[DumbAss Tanker]

I have been there many times.  C'ville has more spoiled rich kids per square meter and undergrads driving expensive German cars than any place outside an Ivy League town, and the arrogance of the school, faculty, and students flows like a river.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Hateful whites exist in Charlottesvile, VA? Who knew? Let me give you 2 clues, Sherlock: there will be white racists in C'ville a hundred years from now; there will be black racists in C'ville a hundred years from now. It's sad, wrong, etc., but predictable.

And likely, all Democrats.

[hillneck]

Oh, Charlottesville is infested with liberals.  Like cockroaches.

[SVPete]

And likely, all Democrats.

You're right. I should have given Sherlock this third clue: there will be Democrats in C'ville a hundred years from now, many of them racists.

[Old n Grumpy]

Of course there is white anger, you left wing progressives have been poking us with a stick and calling us names and blaming us for all the worlds ills for to long. Now we are going to put an end to it.

[wasp69]

Star Member JHan (5,898 posts)

I went to medical school in Charlottesville. I know white anger well

Interesting...  Charlottesville is home to the University of Virginia, home to a lot of libtards (has been for decades), and is administered by libtards.

Hmmmmm...  It seems rather obvious where you should place for the blame for all of this "white anger", but you probably won't.

[thundley4]

I never noticed much racism in Norfolk or the  Hampton Roads area in general.

When I first moved there for duty, I accidentally walked into a predominantly black bar, had a couple of beers talked to some of the guys and left.

Almost got in a fight doing the same thing in Chicago.

[SVPete]

I never noticed much racism in Norfolk or the  Hampton Roads area in general.

When I first moved there for duty, I accidentally walked into a predominantly black bar, had a couple of beers talked to some of the guys and left.

Almost got in a fight doing the same thing in Chicago.

In the Hunters Point neighborhood of SF you might not have gotten inside the bar before being challenged.

[BlueStateSaint]

You're right. I should have given Sherlock this third clue: there will be Democrats in C'ville a hundred years from now, many of them racists.

Let me add a fourth point:  Just as the many Democrat racists will be in Charlottsville a hundred years from now, there will be at least as many human cockroaches in Charlottsville 100 years from now.

[SVPete]

Let me add a fourth point:  Just as the many Democrat racists will be in Charlottsville a hundred years from now, there will be at least as many human cockroaches in Charlottsville 100 years from now.

There's a difference? Or are some human cockroaches too lazy to register as Ds?

[USA4ME]

I'm just surprised Ralph Sampson made it out of there alive.

.