Comments on: Speaking Up Is Hard to Do… http://antibias.wordpress.com/2006/10/23/speaking-up-is-hard-to-do/ Changing the world means starting with myself. Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:08:39 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Mortimer Prime http://antibias.wordpress.com/2006/10/23/speaking-up-is-hard-to-do/#comment-2 Mortimer Prime Mon, 30 Oct 2006 16:21:07 +0000 http://antibias.wordpress.com/2006/10/23/speaking-up-is-hard-to-do/#comment-2 One of the problems that leads to moments like this is that, to my knowledge, there is, at present, no internationally recognized single standard or guarantee of competence. The core issue which is being discriminated in favor of is, simply put, competence. A lot of people are not willing to take any risks whatsoever with their doctors, whether those risks are real or perceived, because, very simply, they want a guarantee of competence, and the highest commonly accepted guarantee of competence at present tends to be graduation from medical institutions in technocratic, industrialized cultures where the rigor of the scientific method is accorded its dues. One key, core, indispensable aspect of competence in a medical practitioner is a mastery and complete understanding of the scientific method, and it is a plain and simple fact that, in the present day, certain cultures and institutions foster rigorous inquiry into the mechanics of the physical world and some do not, or do so to a lesser, and less acceptable extent. How long did it take before it was understood that the carriers of bubonic plague were the fleas present on rats and other mammals? How long did it take before it was understood what a bacterium was, and how many types there were, and what they did? How long did it take before the means were present to make an analysis of the chemical composition of aspirin, and to understand exactly why it had the effect that it does? The fact is, in some parts of the world, there are people who think you can cure HIV or AIDS by having genital contact with a virgin girl, that witches can cause diarrhea or drought, that perhaps one could eradicate a tumor with a poultice of peanut butter and some syllables chanted in repetition until the chanter is hoarse. All the understanding, the work and insight that it took to break free from ignorance, this is in no small part enabled through what is valued and esteemed within a culture. (Aside 1: We as a nation are definitely not prioritizing the spirit of relentless inquiry within our educational system-- not for everyone, at least. Children are tracked and stratified at a very early age into the prep process for the creator/producer class, the administrative class, the subservient drone class, the minimal skill-set class, etc. etc. etc. Infuriating, yes. A whole 'nother can of worm-beans, possibly.... certainly a related point.) (Aside 2: Why is it that people talk about "race" when what they really mean is culture? When you confuse the two everything goes to the dogs. One is almost entirely fictional, literally skin deep differentiation, the other is the social construct which governs the very real ongoing process by which we form our own brain connections.... Something we do in fact have a varying amount of control over.... ) Case in point: Not too long ago in our species' past, there were non-European cultures and institutions which deservedly put the best European doctors and practitioners of "physic" to total shame, because the scientific method of inquiry was cultivated in those times and places and explored strenuously and rigorously in a way that had not yet taken hold in Europe. (Again... culture, culture, culture.) Perhaps the results were not always perfectly understood, but the important thing was the refinement of the process, the method of discovery, the scientific method, the never-ending examination and analysis, the insistence on reproducible results and consistency. That is the thing which allows progress/advancement/developement/evolution.... and it takes time, resources, infinite curiosity, and cultural settings where those things are highly valued and carefully fostered. (Final aside:) What is unfortunate is that here and now, primarily in the U.S., the educational process that leads to competence is overly profit-driven, which follows directly from the industry itself. The medical establishment makes the argument that cost is a direct function of the practitioners' competence and the effectiveness of the methods used, with all the time, effort and resources that make that competence and effectiveness possible being implicitly stated. This is partly true, but there is still an overriding profit motive, as opposed to any altruistic motive. There has not, at least in the United States, been enough pressure from anywhere that would force the majority of the medical and insurance establishment to make the profit motive of equal or secondary concern to the welfare of tax-paying U.S. citizens. This is something of the highest importance that needs to be figured out. (As a final, final aside, I would recommend any books recently written by John McWhorter for some pertinent thoughts on American cultures and the values held within/by them. One is entitled "Losing the Race" and a following book is entitled "Winning the Race". Both are published by the Manhattan Institute, I am pretty sure. He also tackles the fascinating subject of language and linguistics in other books. He is a professor (?) of that subject at U of Cal., Berkeley. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McWhorter for more complete info.) One of the problems that leads to moments like this is that, to my knowledge, there is, at present, no internationally recognized single standard or guarantee of competence. The core issue which is being discriminated in favor of is, simply put, competence. A lot of people are not willing to take any risks whatsoever with their doctors, whether those risks are real or perceived, because, very simply, they want a guarantee of competence, and the highest commonly accepted guarantee of competence at present tends to be graduation from medical institutions in technocratic, industrialized cultures where the rigor of the scientific method is accorded its dues.

One key, core, indispensable aspect of competence in a medical practitioner is a mastery and complete understanding of the scientific method, and it is a plain and simple fact that, in the present day, certain cultures and institutions foster rigorous inquiry into the mechanics of the physical world and some do not, or do so to a lesser, and less acceptable extent. How long did it take before it was understood that the carriers of bubonic plague were the fleas present on rats and other mammals? How long did it take before it was understood what a bacterium was, and how many types there were, and what they did? How long did it take before the means were present to make an analysis of the chemical composition of aspirin, and to understand exactly why it had the effect that it does? The fact is, in some parts of the world, there are people who think you can cure HIV or AIDS by having genital contact with a virgin girl, that witches can cause diarrhea or drought, that perhaps one could eradicate a tumor with a poultice of peanut butter and some syllables chanted in repetition until the chanter is hoarse. All the understanding, the work and insight that it took to break free from ignorance, this is in no small part enabled through what is valued and esteemed within a culture. (Aside 1: We as a nation are definitely not prioritizing the spirit of relentless inquiry within our educational system– not for everyone, at least. Children are tracked and stratified at a very early age into the prep process for the creator/producer class, the administrative class, the subservient drone class, the minimal skill-set class, etc. etc. etc. Infuriating, yes. A whole ‘nother can of worm-beans, possibly…. certainly a related point.) (Aside 2: Why is it that people talk about “race” when what they really mean is culture? When you confuse the two everything goes to the dogs. One is almost entirely fictional, literally skin deep differentiation, the other is the social construct which governs the very real ongoing process by which we form our own brain connections…. Something we do in fact have a varying amount of control over…. )
Case in point: Not too long ago in our species’ past, there were non-European cultures and institutions which deservedly put the best European doctors and practitioners of “physic” to total shame, because the scientific method of inquiry was cultivated in those times and places and explored strenuously and rigorously in a way that had not yet taken hold in Europe. (Again… culture, culture, culture.) Perhaps the results were not always perfectly understood, but the important thing was the refinement of the process, the method of discovery, the scientific method, the never-ending examination and analysis, the insistence on reproducible results and consistency. That is the thing which allows progress/advancement/developement/evolution…. and it takes time, resources, infinite curiosity, and cultural settings where those things are highly valued and carefully fostered.

(Final aside:) What is unfortunate is that here and now, primarily in the U.S., the educational process that leads to competence is overly profit-driven, which follows directly from the industry itself. The medical establishment makes the argument that cost is a direct function of the practitioners’ competence and the effectiveness of the methods used, with all the time, effort and resources that make that competence and effectiveness possible being implicitly stated. This is partly true, but there is still an overriding profit motive, as opposed to any altruistic motive. There has not, at least in the United States, been enough pressure from anywhere that would force the majority of the medical and insurance establishment to make the profit motive of equal or secondary concern to the welfare of tax-paying U.S. citizens. This is something of the highest importance that needs to be figured out.

(As a final, final aside, I would recommend any books recently written by John McWhorter for some pertinent thoughts on American cultures and the values held within/by them. One is entitled “Losing the Race” and a following book is entitled “Winning the Race”. Both are published by the Manhattan Institute, I am pretty sure. He also tackles the fascinating subject of language and linguistics in other books. He is a professor (?) of that subject at U of Cal., Berkeley. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McWhorter for more complete info.)

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