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DanaC · 09-24-2004, 08:26 AM

Marichiko i think you make an excellent case. If incomes divide along racial lines thne the services which are accessible to people will naturaly also follow along those racial lines. However, in much the same way that article lets the economic system off the hook yours to a degree lets the racists off the hook as individuals. Yes, problems arise partly because the system is skewed in favour of some groups and against other groups but they also arise because the nation which creates that system is threaded through with racism at an individual level. When individuals who have been given ( or achieved) the role of caregiver in any form, are themselves harbouring racist views or psyches then it stands to reason that those racist tendencies may influence the manner in which they give care to those of a different race.

In the UK we have a National Health Service which in theory means every British subject is entitled to basic all encompassing healthcare from cradle to grave regardless of their economic status. If you have a very low income you pay no fees for any service; if you have a reasonable income then you pay a nominal fee for prescriptions, dental care and chiropody. You can even get an NHS osteopath or physiotherapist though you may have to wait and in reality many areas cannot provide those facilities.

The economic factor is not an issue unless you are in the unfortunate position of being on a 6 month waiting list and are therefore considering a detour into the private sector; nonethless there is still a disgraceful disparity between the care given and recieved by ethnic minorities and the care given and recieved by the majority white population. This cuts across every discipline. A black man is far less likely to be put forward for surgery to deal with a heart problem. A black man or woman is 3 times more likely to be treated custodially for mental illness, and I believe also 3 times more likely to be given electro shock therapy whilst in psychiatric care.

The economic factor does play a part however in the ability of the patient to navigate the system. If you have been disillusioned by your country before you even completed your primary education and have dropped behind your white counterparts eduationally or if you have been ghettoised into an area with high unemployment and a school that cant cope with the number of students it serves; then you may well have grown up to find officialdom prohibitively intimidating. More importantly officialdom might find you prohibitively intimidating for a whole other set of reasons.

At the end of the day though, even if the economic imperatives could be wiped from your system right now, I dont think your healthcare professionals would become racist free. If people have fixed ideas in their heads about another race and they are in a position of import to people of that race it will affect how they deal with those people. It has to.

09-24-2004, 08:26 AM	#11
DanaC We have to go back, Kate! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Yorkshire Posts: 25,964	Marichiko i think you make an excellent case. If incomes divide along racial lines thne the services which are accessible to people will naturaly also follow along those racial lines. However, in much the same way that article lets the economic system off the hook yours to a degree lets the racists off the hook as individuals. Yes, problems arise partly because the system is skewed in favour of some groups and against other groups but they also arise because the nation which creates that system is threaded through with racism at an individual level. When individuals who have been given ( or achieved) the role of caregiver in any form, are themselves harbouring racist views or psyches then it stands to reason that those racist tendencies may influence the manner in which they give care to those of a different race. In the UK we have a National Health Service which in theory means every British subject is entitled to basic all encompassing healthcare from cradle to grave regardless of their economic status. If you have a very low income you pay no fees for any service; if you have a reasonable income then you pay a nominal fee for prescriptions, dental care and chiropody. You can even get an NHS osteopath or physiotherapist though you may have to wait and in reality many areas cannot provide those facilities. The economic factor is not an issue unless you are in the unfortunate position of being on a 6 month waiting list and are therefore considering a detour into the private sector; nonethless there is still a disgraceful disparity between the care given and recieved by ethnic minorities and the care given and recieved by the majority white population. This cuts across every discipline. A black man is far less likely to be put forward for surgery to deal with a heart problem. A black man or woman is 3 times more likely to be treated custodially for mental illness, and I believe also 3 times more likely to be given electro shock therapy whilst in psychiatric care. The economic factor does play a part however in the ability of the patient to navigate the system. If you have been disillusioned by your country before you even completed your primary education and have dropped behind your white counterparts eduationally or if you have been ghettoised into an area with high unemployment and a school that cant cope with the number of students it serves; then you may well have grown up to find officialdom prohibitively intimidating. More importantly officialdom might find you prohibitively intimidating for a whole other set of reasons. At the end of the day though, even if the economic imperatives could be wiped from your system right now, I dont think your healthcare professionals would become racist free. If people have fixed ideas in their heads about another race and they are in a position of import to people of that race it will affect how they deal with those people. It has to.