this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2025
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Kennedy’s hearing signifies how close a man with medically racist beliefs is to becoming the US’s leading health official

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[–] ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world 171 points 2 weeks ago (32 children)

This is what is known as scientific racism. The US has always been the world's #1 producer or it

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_racism

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[–] Gork@lemm.ee 92 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

Is it really too much to ask for Secretaries to at least have some experience or education in the industries they are the head of?

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 54 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It's apparently too much to ask for Secretaries to not be super fucking racist.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 30 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
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[–] expatriado@lemmy.world 31 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

shhh, DEI is the real source of unqualified positions

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[–] b161@lemmy.blahaj.zone 23 points 2 weeks ago

It’s all in Project 2025. They’re purging everyone. Qualifications don’t matter, as long as you’re a Trump bootlicker.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Monkey's paw curls

Okay, now you've got a fracking company CEO as Secretary of Energy.

spoiler


(Never mind that "DoE" is historically really more of a euphemism for the "nuclear department" and thus a fossil fuels dude isn't actually as "qualified" as he might seem at first glance anyway.)

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

It's much more important that they are loyal to the orange dickhead and his agenda of destroying America.

[–] RamenJunkie@midwest.social 5 points 2 weeks ago

Nah, educated people don't agree with conspiracy theory nonsense enough to be useful tools.

[–] 2ugly2live@lemmy.world 79 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

During Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Senate confirmation hearing on 30 January, Angela Alsobrooks, a Democratic senator from Maryland, pressed the nominee on his past claims that Black people have a stronger immune system than white people and thereby, should receive vaccines on a different schedule than them. “What different vaccine schedule would you say I should have received?” Alsobrooks, who is Black, asked the health secretary nominee. Kennedy then referenced a “series of studies” showing that “to particular antigens, Blacks have a much stronger reaction”.

I randomly rewatched The Help and one of the racist white ladies was talking about how black people have different germs. "How ridiculous," I thought. And yet here we are.

Again.

[–] Cosmonauticus@lemmy.world 49 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

They were still telling students in med school as recent as the past 4 years that black ppl need less painkillers because we, "Tolerate pain better than other races."

Ppl surprised by this rhetoric haven't been paying attention

It’s well documented that black people get less care and are prescribed less painkillers because of this myth, as well as the racist assumption that block people seeking out pain relief are just after drugs

[–] sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz 8 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I've heard that about redheads, but never about black people.

[–] charade_you_are@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 weeks ago

Red headed black people shouldn't need painkillers at all.
(I bet I could write a 5 sentence research paper and send it to this dipshit and he'd quote it)

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[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Pretty fucked up if they were teaching that despite a lack of evidence.

That said, the concept itself isn't completely far fetched... Red heads need more anesthesia than everyone else for some genetic reason. Another group needing less for genetic reasons seems plausible.

[–] RunawayFixer@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Redheads are probably less genetically diverse than the rest of the population, iirc it's mostly caused by a recessive gene. So if someone is a redhead, then the chances are high that they share other special genes with other redheads.

Africans on the other hand are more genetically diverse than people from other continents. It's possible that some African population groups require different levels of medications, but you won't be able to tell those population groups apart by the color of their skin.

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[–] alberttcone@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Redheads need a lower opioid dose than the general population to achieve the same effect. At least those who are redheads because of a mutation in their MCR1 gene, which is about 75%, IIRC. Interestingly, the same mutation group also have worse tolerance of cold, which seems odd given that scotland is the global redhead centre!

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[–] falynns@lemmy.world 53 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Someone just say the racist old man is a racist old man with racist views. But then they would be the target of attacks for "not being civil" to the racist. This country sucks.

[–] eagleeyedtiger@lemmy.nz 22 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Everyone needs to remember the Paradox of tolerance. Allowing intolerance will only breed more intolerance. Everyone should speak out and shine a light on it when they can.

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[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 34 points 2 weeks ago

I mean, he already said covid was engineered not to be as bad for Jewish people. We knew who he was.

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 33 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It's just super old school racism is what it is. I'm talking like 17th century racism.

[–] StopTouchingYourPhone@lemmy.world 18 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Creating Caucasians/Aryans remains the stupidest science. Bunch of hateful twits obsessed with bullshit like where Noah's Arc was and measuring their own heads. Filthy rotten fuckers, every one of them. Paved the way for shit like

A 2016 survey revealed that of 222 white American medical students and residents, nearly 60% thought Black people’s skin is thicker than white peoples, and 12% thought Black people’s nerve endings were less sensitive than those of white people.

jfc...

[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago

This is a huge problem, the stats are way worse for nurses as I recall. Even some textbooks still claim that black people have higher pain tolerance and need less medication. Black people are denied opioids and treated as “drug seeking” far more than white patients. They can have problems accessing treatment for opioid use disorders too.

In 2021, maternal mortality rates for black women were about 2.6 that of non Hispanic white women. Its not hard to see why.

[–] HertzDentalBar@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Some of the dumbest people I've ever met have been doctors and nurses, the more the specialize the worse shit to, they are so hyper focused on their jobs they just fall into the stupidest shit.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

As the old joke goes: what do you call the person who finishes last in their class at medical school? Doctor.

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[–] ricketyrackets@lemmy.ml 32 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

What I really think America needs is an unqualified heroin addict that is a self proclaimed arm chair scientist.

[–] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 9 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Well would you rather have a DEI hire black doctor who has a GPA slightly less than a non-DEI white doctor? /s

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[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 29 points 2 weeks ago

Elect Republicans, get racists.

Pretty simple.

[–] UncleGrandPa@lemmy.world 21 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

the insistence on there being differences between the racists is central to Fascism.

they NEED it to be true to bolster their ideas and goals.

[–] Jeffool@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

I think you made a typo, and meant to say "races".

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[–] zovits@lemmy.world 17 points 2 weeks ago

"Samudzi is concerned that a Kennedy appointment could result in policies that halt research and dismantle demonstrably proven health interventions."

I assumed it is already well-known that this is exactly the goal of his nomination.

[–] MithranArkanere@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago

The republican who was a doctor ultimately caved in.
Makes you wonder what sort of scheme or threat they may have used to force that decision.

[–] kepix@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

how it started with the jews back in the day.

[–] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (20 children)

Actually how it start with black people. Classical race science was invented to prove how black people had thicker skulls and felt less pain in order to excuse slavery.

Fun fact "The origin of species" is only half of the name of Darwins book. Don't ask about the other half.

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[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

RFK Jr is the embodiment of unscience. If there was ever a god of unscience RFK Jr would be its avatar.

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