Because the Doctor is a Racist B*stard [Why Blacks Aren't Seeking Out Health Care]

I'm on day 5 of my strep throat experience. This is the part where most of the pain has subsided (yay!), and I'm just getting a little of my energy back. Friday was undoubtedly the worst day; the most painful, the most uncomfortable. All of this was compounded by the fact that it's the day I went to the doctor.

Having tested positive for strep, the doctor's first words upon walking into the exam room were, "I don't have to touch you, do I?" It was downhill from there.

He started off normally enough (aside from his completely inappropriate reaction to the strep test), by asking me where I've gone to school and what I studied, what I teach. But it was apparent that he'd already made up his mind about me; inevitably it came out that I studied music of the African Diaspora.  He said, "Why'd you do that? That's an easy topic, something you already know." Because apparently, all black people know everything about all black music ALL OVER THE WORLD.

From there he went on about black music, about the one time he sang gospel ("hey, do you know you sing it without any written music? And it actually sounds good!") and subjecting me to stories of the two or three black people he knows in the world (only slightly different from the "i have lots of black friends" cliché). It was awful.

And the worst part? I just had to take it. I was helpless, sick, devoid of energy, and didn't even have the heart to invent any snappy comebacks, and he knew it. I was sitting there, leaning against the wall, praying for it to be over. Meanwhile, I listened to his inappropriate prattle and his talk of his favorite hobbies and his bad jokes and thinly veiled insults. He also made it clear that he's close friends with someone I work with, so any mention of job stress was out of the question. I can't believe it was only a 15 minute visit.

I've been discriminated against by doctors before, either because I'm overweight, because I'm black, or both. The medical community's discrimination against the overweight is well documented, and anecdotal research seems to suggest that blacks, regardless of size, are subjected to crappy treatment as well.

"Real" research, on the other hand, says that the level of medical treatment blacks get is comparable to that received by whites. But what about emotional & verbal treatment? Doesn't that matter?

It's true that blacks are less likely to seek out treatment in the first place, and the reasons for that are infinitely complex. I know my reason, and I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. Who would want to visit a doctor who's a jerk?

Comments

[Matt M.]

That is outrageous. How did you end up at this doctor? Time to find a new one.

Hi Matt, thanks for your comment! :) Well, I ended up at this doctor due to a combination of an HMO any-doctor plan and a regular doctor who decided to work just 6 hours a day. I could have waited a week to see my regular doctor, but that would have been dangerous, with such a raging case of strep throat.

[Cibilla]

I completely understood and fully related to your experience. As I've had my share of them. The common problem is finding a doctor who has a clue regarding cultural, differences, etc. I live in a predominately white state (meaning I can go for weeks w/o seeing another face of color) and travel to out of state to receive the yearly checkups, etc., that my family and I need. Granted emergencies are a different scenario all together.