minoanmiss: A Minoan Harper, wearing a long robe, sitting on a rock (Minoan Harper)
minoanmiss ([personal profile] minoanmiss) wrote in [community profile] agonyaunt 2022-06-08 06:42 pm (UTC)

"Slurs are not physical harm"

I'm not sure it's as cut and dried as all that.

https://theconversation.com/racism-has-a-physical-impact-on-the-body-heres-how-141587

I agree that the doctor would have been unethical to discharge the patient, but I don't think it's a good idea to downplay the impact of slurs and other bigoted language, especially in the context of the near-constant barrage of bigotry many people have to endure day in and day out, and also because downplaying the impact discourages any attempts to ameliorate that impact such as offering counseling or discussion groups to staff.

"I strongly believe that someone who assumes the responsibility of caring for people in this way must continue to do so no matter what the patient believes or says. " This is true, but it's not *easy*. When one is a nineteen year old medtech with patients screaming "slut" and "Whore" and "N-word" at one every day and accusing one of stealing their belongings, and the charge nurse always asks if one took the purse or whatever, and when one goes to sit in the breakroom and ask the nurses for advice one sees the nurse who was loudly praising Trump smirking... it's not easy. Sometimes it's disproportionately difficult.

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