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I think the point people are missing is how both disinformation (not misinformation), as well as medical racism are killing Black people. I know a lot of people are saying “who cares about the technicalities”, but the technicalities absolutely do matter. https://twitter.com/kim_buh_lee/status/1334743668788514821
Anti-vaxx rhetoric that inaccurately discusses Black trauma in medicine/science is harmful. We have to:
1) be able to understand how diseases infect our community accurately
2) identity why it was unethical
3) connect that specific lack of ethics to today’s practices
1) be able to understand how diseases infect our community accurately
2) identity why it was unethical
3) connect that specific lack of ethics to today’s practices
4) see how the denial of consent, information, and access to healthcare is reflected in our society currently.
While medical racism still exists and there is skepticism, we have to be educated on today’s current state of science. Skepticism isn’t an excuse to spread narratives that has been promoted by the US government, eugenists, and hoteps that have KILLED Black people.
“Harm is harm” only undermines and over simplifies the insidious traumas we have experienced. In addition, being anti-vaxx or spreading anti-vaxx “facts” is inherently and consequently anti Black and ableist.
While Black doctors and scientists are doing the work to acknowledge a history white America has ignored, we have to do our part to listen to the technicalities. We have to absolutely listen to the ways science and ethics have changed.
At the end of the day, the goal is to make sure our community actually gets help when we ask for it. A trustworthy relationship needs to be formed between Black people and science because disease is ravaging our community as we speak.
