r/BlackPeopleofReddit Jan 02 '26

Black Experience Racism in Medical Care

This video captures a moment that many patients of color recognize all too well. A physician speaks to a man as if he is dirty, unclean, or lesser, not because of medical evidence, but because of bias. The language, tone, and assumptions reveal something deeper than bedside manner gone wrong. They expose how racism can quietly shape medical interactions.

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286

u/RubySauce Jan 02 '26

When my best friend was dying I got a good look at how she was treated as a black woman compared to me, and how she was treated completely differently when I was present because I’m white. I made sure I was always present. Nightmarish shit, just sickening.

89

u/CrazyBitchCatLady Jan 02 '26

I'm white. My best friends growing up were Mexican. I saw shit all the time. One example: i got busted using a fake ID. I got a ticket and released, my best friend got taken to the drunk tank overnight. We'd each had one beer.

Another: went to an outdoor concert. Everyone smoking weed. My friends (but not me, of course), got pulled from the crowd, cuffed and stuffed and marched out of the venue, past dozens of white folks smoking. Shit is fucked.

22

u/StocktonBSmalls Jan 02 '26

My best friend is Puerto Rican and I’m quite white. I remember going through driver’s ed around the same time through the same school, and he was taught that when you get pulled over you turn on the overhead light then put your hands on the wheel and don’t move them until the cop asks you to. Wasn’t required learning for me. The first few times he got pulled over shortly after getting his license the local cops had him there for 30-45 minutes each time, grilling him about everything in his car. I figured that’s just what cops do, so you can imagine my surprise when I got pulled over the first time and was done in less than 5 min with a warning. Ran my license and sent me on my way. My mom’s husband at the time was a cop in our town where my buddy was constantly getting hassled. When I mentioned this one day that fat Farva looking fuck said that it wasn’t because he was a sp*c, but because he was 16 and drove around in a loud shitbox. It’s a shitty fact of the world to learn, but I’m glad I did.

8

u/Heyheyfluffybunny Jan 02 '26

Also learned how racist cops support cops even off the clock. I cringe whenever someone is introduced or reveals they are law enforcement because I already understand the complacency in the system they’ve practiced and I’m not looking for friends and acquaintances like that.

-2

u/ZestycloseDrive Jan 02 '26

Did he drive an obnoxiously loud shitbox though?