Cornell University’s medical school ignited debate across the internet by teaching a Critical Race Theory (CRT) class created by The Center for Health Equity.
Critical Race Theory
Critical Race Theory teaches that racism exists in Western society on an institutional and systemic level on the basis of society being created by White people for White people. It analyzes how laws and media shape, and are shaped by, social ideas about race.
Conservatives Are Fuming
The course is designed for faculty, students, and researchers and teaches individuals to be anti-racist by encouraging them to be aware of, and speak out against, injustice – particularly racism. As such, conservatives are absolutely fuming. The course is not mandatory.
Black Lives Matter and White Privilege
The course includes videos of activists explaining why the Black Lives Matter riots were necessary. It also delves into White privilege, a term used to describe the way White people, though they may face struggles in life, will never face hardship simply because they’re White. As an example, a law-abiding White person will never have to change the way they behave around a police officer in order to remain safe, while a law-abiding Black person always will.
The Meaning of “Privilege”
Conservatives routinely misunderstand the meanings of terms like “White privilege” and “male privilege.” The former doesn’t mean White people can’t face horrendous hardship; it simply means they don’t face hardship because of the color of their skin. Similarly, “male privilege” doesn’t mean men never struggle; it means they don’t face violence and discrimination because of their gender. The same logic can be applied to terms like “straight privilege” and “cisgender privilege.”
The Internet Was Divided
News of the course was shared across social media and, naturally, heated debate ensued. “History has been whitewashed and the truth must be told. Only then will we have peace and unity. The cause of this institutionalized racism has to be rooted out for the world to heal from the injustices,” one person wrote.
CRT and Medical Students
Some commenters wondered why the subject was relevant to medicine. “How does CRT relate to medical students? Utter nonsense,” one individual said. “Racism is rampant in the medical industry. Most medical research was done on White people. Symptoms can look different on a Black person but a lot of doctors don’t know because of institutionalized racism. Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than White women,” another hit back
CRT and Treating Disease
The aforementioned issue was discussed in more detail by other commenters. One person wrote: “What does [CRT] have to do with treating disease? I’d rather the medical school use that time for more medical training so the students can become better doctors,” one individual wrote.
Racism in Medicine
Replying to the aforementioned commenter, another individual hit back: “That’s because you’re White. A Black person would much rather have a doctor who’s aware of institutionalized racism and therefore aware that rashes, which can be precursors to serious illness, can look different on dark skin.”
The Commenter Continued Their Attempt to Educate
The commenter continued: “Believe it or not, for years, doctors were only taught what symptoms look like on White people because of the very systemic racism they’re trying to make these students aware of. Only 67% of Black people diagnosed with melanoma survive for five years. Guess how many White people survive? Yeah, 92%.”
Medicine Is in Desperate Need of Change
Others praised the school. “Good for Cornell. More schools should teach this in terms of how racism and misogyny affect people in so many walks of life. Medicine is in desperate need of change,” one person wrote. “Really good to hear. More colleges should be doing this,” another said.
First Amendment Rights on the Internet
Some commenters felt censored. “I can’t say what I’d like to because the mods have taken away my First Amendment rights,” one individual wrote. “I really hope that comment is satire but I can’t tell. If it’s not, please be aware that this is an international site and your ‘First Amendment rights’ do not apply,” another hit back. “Just say you’re racist and leave,” a third added.
The Meaning of “Woke”
A fair few conservative commentators accused the school of being “woke” as if it was an insult. As such, woke individuals hit back. “First of all, the definition of “woke” [came about around] 1940. “Woke” means “awoken” – alert and concerned about social justice and discrimination. You can’t sleep forever,” one person wrote. “Everyone saying the school is woke is, by definition, admitting that it’s aware of the truth while they’re not,” another wrote.
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