#Unmasking bias

[blackhistorychatgpt]

Black Doctors and the Legacy of Racism in Medicine

Before we get to the AI - go buy "Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine" by Uche Blackstock. She's a high school classmate of mine and on a recent AI panel I was on I told people that I thought should be required reading ( The other book I made required reading were "Weapond of Math Destruction " and " Unmasking bias" ) Why should book not explicitly about AI be required reading for those involved with AI? One of the major dangers in AI is that it uses data that contains bias from our current society to predict future outputs/outcomes. So if we don't understand the racism and bias that is in medicine right now, using AI anywhere in healthcare essentially calcifies these biases behind opaque mechanical systems.

Here's what Perplexity says about the book:

"Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine" is a memoir by Dr. Uché Blackstock, an emergency medicine physician and CEO dedicated to dismantling racism in healthcare. The book delves into the historic health care inequities and systemic racism, detailing Dr. Blackstock's family legacy of black female physicians and her own experiences as a physician and patient. It offers a searing indictment of the U.S. healthcare system, serving as a generational family memoir and a call to action. The book sheds light on the profound and long-standing systemic inequities that lead to far worse health outcomes for Black Americans and endangers the well-being of communities. It also addresses the flawed system that hampers the progress of Black patients and physicians, making it a compelling and necessary read for healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the general public[1][2][3].

Citations: [1] https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/66087028 [2] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/a-black-physicians-memoir-looks-at-the-legacy-of-medical-racism-in-america [3] https://www.harvard.com/book/9780593491287_legacy/ [4] https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/705871/legacy-by-uche-blackstock-md/ [5] https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Physician-Reckons-Racism-Medicine/dp/0593491289

So for today I wanted to highilight some other achievements of black doctors:

Some notable black doctors in American history include:

Dr. James McCune Smith (1813–1865): He was the first black American to earn a medical degree and practice in the United States. He also opened what is thought to be the country's first African American-owned pharmacy[3].

Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831–1895): She became the first black woman in the United States to receive an MD degree. After the Civil War, she moved to Richmond, Virginia, where she worked with other black doctors caring for formerly enslaved people in the Freedmen’s Bureau[2][3].

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams (1856–1931): He founded Chicago’s Provident Hospital, the country’s first black-owned, interracial hospital, and performed the first-ever successful heart surgery two years later[3].

Dr. Charles Richard Drew (1904–1950): Known as the "father of blood banking," he pioneered blood preservation techniques that led to thousands of lifesaving blood donations[3].

Dr. Louis Wade Sullivan (b. 1933): He became the founding dean of what became the Morehouse School of Medicine, the first predominantly black medical school[2].

Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller: He was the first black psychiatrist in the United States and became an authority on Alzheimer’s Disease research[3].

Dr. Marilyn Hughes Gaston: She published a study of sickle-cell anemia that led to a nationwide test for newborns and became the first African American and female director of a public health bureau[3].

These doctors overcame significant challenges, including racism and prejudice, and made pioneering contributions to the field of medicine in the United States[2][3].

Citations: [1] https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/african-american-pioneers-who-changed-healthcare/ [2] https://www.aamc.org/news/celebrating-10-african-american-medical-pioneers [3] https://www.auamed.org/blog/african-american-doctors/ [4] https://guides.mclibrary.duke.edu/blackhistorymonth/chronology [5] https://interestingengineering.com/lists/black-doctors-medicine

From Gemini: Pioneering Healers: A Glimpse into the Lives and Achievements of African American Doctors

From overcoming systemic barriers to making groundbreaking contributions, African American doctors have woven a remarkable tapestry of resilience, dedication, and excellence within the annals of medicine. Their stories, etched in struggle and triumph, not only illuminate their individual journeys but also shed light on the broader fight for racial equality in the United States.

The earliest documented Black physician in America, James Durham, emerged during the tumultuous years of the Revolutionary War. Denied formal medical training due to his race, he honed his skills through apprenticeships and self-study, eventually serving Continental Army soldiers and establishing a successful practice in New Orleans. Dr. Durham's story exemplifies the resourcefulness and determination that characterized countless Black medical pioneers.

Throughout the 19th century, figures like David Augustus Chisolm, the first Black graduate of Harvard Medical School, and Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first Black woman to earn an M.D. in America, defied prejudice and carved their own paths. They faced not only societal discrimination but also limited access to education and resources. Yet, their unwavering commitment to serving their communities propelled them forward, paving the way for future generations.

The 20th century witnessed a surge in Black medical advancements. Dr. Charles Drew, known for his groundbreaking work on blood plasma storage, revolutionized wartime medicine and saved countless lives. Dr. Dorothy Lavinia Brown, the first Black resident at New York Hospital, became a prominent surgeon and advocate for healthcare equity. Their achievements resonated far beyond the medical field, serving as powerful symbols of Black excellence and defying long-held stereotypes.

However, the journey towards equality has been fraught with challenges. Despite their qualifications and contributions, Black doctors have historically faced discrimination in hiring, promotions, and access to funding. The fight for equal opportunities continues, with disparities in healthcare access and representation still prevalent today.

Yet, the legacy of African American doctors remains an inspiration. Their unwavering dedication to healing, coupled with their courage in the face of adversity, serves as a testament to the enduring human spirit. Their stories remind us of the vital role they have played in shaping American medicine and underscore the continued need for equity and inclusion in the healthcare system.

Reading List:

"Black Doctors in White America: Mobilization & Progress During World War II" by Charles W. Eagles

"Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present" by Harriet A. Washington

"A Sickness in Our Land: Epidemics in the Atlantic World" by Virginia DeJohn Anderson

"Black Women Scientists in the United States" by Evelyn Fox Keller

"Charles R. Drew: The Man Who Saved the Blood" by Catherine Reef

"Dorothy Lavinia Brown: The Untold Story of the First Black Woman Surgeon" by Jessica M. Dorman

"Between Slavery and Freedom: Women of Color in the Civil War Era" by Stephanie Camp

"Medical Bondage: From Cotton to Crack" by Harriet A. Washington

"Black Skin, White Masks" by Frantz Fanon

"The Souls of Black Folk" by W.E.B. Du Bois

"Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America" by Stokely Carmichael and Charles Hamilton

"Medical Nemesis: The Expropriation of Health" by Ivan Illich

"The Color of Violence: The Incarceration of the Innocent and the Making of an American Epidemic" by Evelyn Hoenig Jarvis

"Medical Racism: Race, Ethnicity, and Health Care in the United States" by Carlos V. Hill

"Do Black Patients Get the Same Care? Understanding Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care" by Charles R. King

"Unbroken: A Story of Strength, Faith, and Survival in the Ever After" by Laura Hillenbrand

"Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race" by Margot Lee Shetterly

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

"Educated" by Tara Westover

"Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents" by Isabel Wilkerson

This list, though not exhaustive, offers a diverse range of perspectives on the experiences and contributions of African American doctors within the broader context of American history and social justice. Through these voices, we gain a deeper understanding of their struggles, triumphs, and enduring legacy in the field of medicine.

It is important to note that the experiences of African American doctors are diverse and cannot be homogenized. This reading list attempts to offer a general overview of the topic, but further exploration into specific individuals and historical periods is encouraged.

[drachenengel]

[fungi-maestro]

Questionable Images 1/2 - The Question #9 (1987)

[nyancrimew]

Do you think your race/nationality may influence on the consequences of hacking? Or like how far you can even get?

I'm asking because I very rarely see a "prominent" hackitvist that's not white European/USA

it is definitely a factor yes, especially with me, like the only reason im free rn is because switzerland doesn't extradite citizens. but another very big part of it is that to become a widely prominent hacktivist (and as with many other things) you either need to do things western media cares about or get in trouble with the law big time (in the west), which also usually implies being in a country that actively works together with primarily the US or other empires that actively and publicly work against hacking and hacktivists. there are lots of hacktivists in asia and latin america (specifically phineas fisher here also being a popular figure, who is believed to be in latam and has yet to be caught) as well especially (also elsewhere ofc but i dont know of as many), but they are either doing hacktivism within their communities which are usually not internationally that news worthy, or are out of reach enough for the US empire to never get unmasked.

in a lot of ways being a popular hacktivist as an individual is actually moreso a failing in staying safe from consequences by either you or people you work with (see in the history of lulzsec and most of the now well known anonymous figures in the US) or a conscious choice done out of the knowledge that you'll be relatively safe/recklessness. but i definitely feel like international (social) media bias towards western interests is also just a very big part of why you will mostly only ever hear of (assumed) white european/american hacktivists.

and also just as a quick closing note, i would not say that (even white) people in the US or the US sphere of influence are safe from consequences due to hacking in any way, the US is one of the strictest countries when it comes to persecuting hackers and goes to long ways to be as cruel as possible, and especially so with hacktivists. this goes so far that in the 2020 counterintel report the US government put hacktivists/leaktivists on the top 5 biggest threats to the US government, which is ofc both a honor (and shows it works and scares them) but is ofc also scary as fuck. it is this big spectacle they make out of persecuting hackers and making examples out of them that also leads to more of the very distorted prominence of western hackers.

[badaziraphaletakes]

The autistic community in this fandom has repeatedly said that Aziraphale is extremely autistic coded. Maybe we should start listening. Let's go. *SIGHS*

There's so much I could talk about the critiques I see over this mostly pretty harmless scene, but I'll try to focus on the ableism here:

Aziraphale's playfulness is called "roleplaying" and "dismissive of Crowley's feelings" here. And I must say, as an autistic person, I find it offensive bc this is an extremely autistic coded moment where Aziraphale was unmasking in front of the only person he allows himself to do so and that usually implies he was inviting Crowley to do the same, he was most likely aware of Crowley's anxiety there and making himself vulnerable to him by unmasking, inviting him into his space and vice-versa. (I think calling his special interest, magic, "horrible" is also anti-autistic bias btw)

We never see Aziraphale acting like this with any other character besides Crowley, with whom he does this repeatedly. It's not a new situation. Crowley knows this, and he is used to this kind of behaviour from Aziraphale. And he loves to complain about it btw, and Aziraphale indulges him on that. This is love. This is intimacy.

I know it isn't perfect, I know it lacks verbal communication, but this isn't abusive behaviour in the slightest. Better communication is something they both need to work on after 6k years of having to hide their feelings bc they were being persecuted and abused, the story is telling us this. We have a whole other season for that, the story isn't over.

Now, regarding the second paragraph, the plot made it painfully obvious that the clue was real, so Aziraphale was not going to Edinburgh for fun. He had to go, and Crowley knew it (he never even argued against it), bc of the mystery of Gabriel's situation thay could backfire on them in the future. Who knows what Heaven was doing to their angels (and what they could do to aziracrow!! That's why Crowley had an informant. Didn't Metatron prove this in the end, that the threat was real?). Sure, Aziraphale had fun, bc he was bonding with Crowley through the Bentley and he loves him, so that makes him happy, but that's it. We're allowed to make the most out of a bad situation, guys. It's also a way to deal with stress. Aziraphale and Crowley have different ways of dealing with stress, and both are valid, they're different people, it's normal that they react differently to a crisis.

This scene was a very married moment tbh, filled with comfort with you partner (enough to unmask), an old known and comfortable dance for the both of them, and even an invite to take a step forward in their relationship.

Food for thought: I've been wondering why the fandom likes to say Azi and Crowley are like a "married couple" but some ppl at the same time hate when they in fact act like one?

And finally, again, this is such an autistic coded moment that I, an autistic person, had the exact same interpretation as Aziraphale. I had never noticed, until I read this take, that Crowley could've meant anything other than "you don't know how to drive" lol. Aziraphale was being himself here. His true confident unmasked self. Bc Crowley allows him that. Bc Crowley makes him feel like he can. He wasn't pretending or intentionally misinterpreting or manipulating anyone. Assuming the absolute worst of him bc he interpreted something in a literal way is anti-autistic bias. Assuming the worst of him bc he doesn't use the same code as you to communicate is ableism. Assuming his decision-making logic is invalid bc of the way he acts when unmasking is both.

[dailycass-cain]

By unlocking 7,000 Followers on Twitter (thank you all 😊) has me doing this nice retrospective of Cass's time in James Tynion IV's Detective Comics run (aka Gotham Knights) that started in #934-#981.

I'll start with some context before I go deep into this run. So in 2016 (it's been 8 YEARS?!), DC Comics relaunched their comics with the "Rebirth" label.

Taking some things of the past and putting them in the "New 52" universe.

For Cass, it would mean she would be getting a mask closer to her Batgirl costume. As we know with the end of Batman & Robin Eternal, she'd be going with the new Orphan identity.

Now, this all happened back to back with one another. In, a greater context this helped the character of Cass. Cause, before this. DC Comics had this history of yanking the character or we'd be stuck with two months or more before we'd get more (aka Black Bat).

The other thing (a bit more controversial), is that the friendships with Spoiler and Red Robin would happen between Batman & Robin Eternal and this. So we'd never get this subplot of introduction again.

So right away Cass/Steph would be besties. Akin to their prior life.

#934 The first showing of Cass in this run is her in full costume (with said mask), and what she does vigilante-wise in the Orphan identity.

Helping out other orphans who are being trafficked illegally. A theme that would put up a few times in this run and her tale with Orca in DC: Doomed & the Damned #1 (a few years later in 2020).

The issue establishes the team dynamics and obviously digs into the "X-Men themes" of each member.

You can see these themes with each member of the Gotham Knights.

For Cass, it's easy to see she's the "Wolverine" of the team. Though with the writer, Tynion has a clear bias toward (I mean Claremont balanced the Logan stuff). Not that I mind this. 😶

As for the rest of this arc, Tynion does a good job showcasing some elements in the past that were classic Cass flaws like in the Mudroom she keeps fighting everyone's battles instead of her own.

Which is a problem would have. So it's a flaw I do enjoy.

Just that well... we never see this flaw ever again in the series. Cass does let everyone fight their own battle (Steph in particular), but will be there to help someone else (more on that later).

We also get the one recurring subplot in the post-B&RE with Cass and Harper being closely entwined with one another (though sadly this gets dropped after the second arc, and eventually dropped completely after #950).

I still get the reason "why" Harper was being slowly phased out with Cass/Steph coming back, around this time but she does bring a few things to the table that others don't.

But that's a thing I'm gonna go in a future series of posts.

Like I said before, Tynion favors Cass A LOT and it shows in this opening arc with her getting several moments to steal the show. Starting with her fighting the enemies of the arc when they raid the Bellfry.

She does lose (but man what a fight she puts up in this taking out four of them) and it is hilarious that it takes THIS many darts to knock her down. 🤣

Then of course, the next issue she gets THE moment I think most are still hyped to this day on.

I mean I GET IT. The moment is still a 🐐.

Though, if there's one nitpick I can see is that Tynion really isn't fond of the mask concept entirely as there are moments that Cass puts on and removes the mask. Never keeping it on fully at times.

Like I knew this was a recurring theme in this series, but I forgot HOW MUCH recursion it was. With Cass getting the mask damaged or her unmasking at various points in this run. A part of me wonders if Tynion did this given how meh the mask just looks without the bat ears?

The other bit is the tease for the League of Shadows in this and the whole "black eyes" thing that we got later in the arc with them. I still don't understand the whole motif with that.

I remember debating with a friend the whole "was it a possession"? And now that I think about it more was it a nod to anger back in the ye old Puckett/Scott run? When Cass would get REALLY mad she'd have pure black eyes.

Since we never really got an answer, I just have more questions that I know we'll never get answers for.

That's Cass's part in this opening arc in a nutshell. All action, with just a tiny bit of characterization. You can best symbolize this as well in the next arc, "Night of the Monster Men" which crossed over with Nightwing and Batman ongoings.

This is a big one for me cause I remember really enjoying this story back when it came out, and I still do. It's Batman, the Gotham Knights, Signal, Gotham Girl, and Nightwing taking on Hugo Strange and his Kaiju Men.

Cause that's what they are in this crossover. Freaking huge monsters.

Now this is a BIG moment for Cass, as well this is the first Batman crossover she DOES things since-- Batman: War Games (though you could cheat Batman: Battle for the Cowl, as she does appear but never has a central role within the series).

So 2005 (or 2009). It's only been-- 11 or 7 years since her last Batman crossover.

….

🙃🙃🙃🙃

This one is the bits are co-written by Steve Orlando with Tynion, and I just enjoy this story. First up this is the stuff that gives us REAL good Cass/Steph crumbs. Bestest crumbs we'd get until this run would end.

Cass/Steph's part for "most of the story" is helping those who are infected and also not from Hugo Strange's new Monster Men strain (that makes you violent or turns you into giant kaiju).

It's a nice little beat as they're cut off from everyone else and Bruce is all, "TRUST THEM. THEY GOT THIS." Throughout the bits him and the rest are dealing with the Monster Men.

And the two do. Like these bits are probably the best Cass/Steph content we got since well---

-- Batgirls. And that's just do to reasons given Steph drifts away from Cass (so it can set up both their solo subplots. Though Cass's gets more attention somewhat, and Steph's gets rushed).

But yeah these bits of Cass/Steph in the cave are really the first REAL moments in the series that feel like Cass/Steph of old. Just because in the prior arc, they don't mingle save one scene where Steph gives off panel plot summaries instead.

It's just natural, and good. Really, this crossover has aged like an underrated fine wine. There's only one real flaw to it (more on that soon). But in characterization? This story is Cass/Steph perfection.

This arc is notable for three other things too. #1 This is also the ONLY arc where Cass remains masked in the entire arc. Cass doesn't appear unmasked AT ALL. So it's interesting to see how artists manage this and well--

This arc is notable for three other things too. #1 This is also the ONLY arc where Cass remains masked in the entire arc. Cass doesn't appear unmasked AT ALL. So it's interesting to see how artists manage this and well--

#2 As you can tell this is the arc where artists began to draw the white lenses for Cass. A feature that would stick to the character this very day. I get this sets up the whole white/black lenses debate. But I totally forgot it was THIS arc that began the white lenses.

This is the first time Riley Rossmo draws Cass and well I do enjoy it. Rossmo makes the Orphan design work with its limited costume pallet. I get the little gremlin energy throughout this arc with his Cass.

#3 the climax (aka the one bit I find anti-climatic) where Nightwing, Batwoman, Spoiler, and Cass each get into a building and-- command giant freaking lasers. It should've been a giant Voltron Bat mech. IT REALLY SHOULD'VE.

But the real INTERESTING thing is note how EVERYONE says their codename but-- Cass. She just goes online. I get it simple words but it just feels like re-reading this how already the writer who co-created the identity was basically undermining the new identity himself by doing things like this.

Or maybe it was Orlando?

He's a sneaky sneak writer when it comes to Cass lore (see his Supergirl run where he casually drops Carolyn Wu-San or his Batman Beyond fill-in where has Babs say BATGIRLS). Just small little bits. I wouldn't be surprised if this was him.

But yeah this is a fun and underrated event crossover STILL. Which is probably why we had it given what the next arc does with Cass which lays seeds and is 💔 the first "Victims Syndicate" arc.

The seeds laid are the beginning bits of friendship in #943 between Cass and Clayface (Basil Karlo) aka one of the things most remember for this run. It starts with the beginnings of her being a rock for him.

Sadly, this issue also marks the final time Cass, Steph, and Harper are all together (only WFA uses them together now). 😭

So yeah seeing Cass, Steph, and Harper interacting with one another does make me truly sad as this is it. The last interaction between all three together.

It's also HIGHLY amusing as Harper and Cass are wearing their "disguises" from Batman & Robin Eternal #7-8 (probably due to Alvaro Martinez drawing these issues and the Tec one).

But this is really Steph's arc, and that's all the notable things Cass does other than having to do this 🥺🥺🥺while Steph leaves the Bat Family to do her thing.

Plus gets her sweeter full-on Spoiler Mask again too.

This and the next arc are the lesser of Cass stuff because well-- Cass gets her own story in #950! But before that, I must address PAIN. OH YES, PAIN!

Because during this chunk of arcs, Cass did show up someplace else, Red Hood & the Outlaws #15. Where she's drawn by Dexter Soy for the first time! 😀 She fights an Amazon for the first time too in Artemis! 😀😀

And it happens off-panel save the last one where Artemis beats her. 😑😑😑😑😑

Oh, and um yeah OTHER things too with a little OOC Cass is in the issue. But hey the net positive was Soy would draw Cass with a far better writer a few years later.

So yeah, on the bright side, Tynion always hyped up #950 as the start of a Cass-centric arc and is reunited with the artist who drew the best issue of Batman & Robin Eternal (#14), Marcio Takara and we get Christian Duce's first-time drawing Cass here too!

There are still a lot of pros and cons with this particular arc. The biggest pro is the opening issue to the prologue to the arc. Being told via Cass's eyes per say with the narration boxes capturing the turmoil but not her voice.

It's different than how Kelley Puckett went with in Batgirl Vol. 1, not the better ground Sarah Kuhn had with Shadow of the Batgirl, and not crazy north to where Batgirls went with their narration (who was the narrator of that series again?) this is more the middle ground.

For the story itself, it does work. Just it's also 💔cause almost ALL of this relating to Cass is never fully followed up on here (until the Batman & Outsiders volume a year after this run).

But other beats such as Cass's relationship with Harper Row are just dropped completely after this point. Like, Harper just shows up one more time during this run (in Steph's subplot which is rushed to heck).

But it's not just Harper who gets dropped after this arc. The story also introduces Christine Montclair, a ballerina, who Cass idolizes and might crush on.

It's an obvious play of the "Phantom of the Opera." With Cass being the Phantom.

Christine really does help Cass, and just when you think she's gonna show up more in this run (or even elsewhere involving Cass). We really never see her again. She does give Cass the pep-talk that's needed, but that's it.

Feels like a sad waste of story potential. I digress we're nearing the point of this run where Tynion had to cut A LOT of fat. Given, he was leaving this comic to become the lead writer on Justice League Dark, and the "Rebirth" era was ending.

Maybe this was some of that "fat"? I'm just surprised no future writer picked up Christine or added her to the Batgirls supporting cast. In a way, Cass's interest in ballet somewhat wanned after this arc too (with only Black Label BoP covering it and WFA).

I still think there's potential there for Christine to be a supporting cast member filling the void Brenda left.

But what we have here with Christine is still quite good, the best moments of the arc humanizing and getting through the problems Cass faces in this arc.

Even if ironically, Christine's mental teacher was a book by Carolyn Wu-San (again a subplot we never ever see picked up).

Still, this arc brings back the "Rebirth" method of putting back stuff. This case is Lady Shiva being Cass's mom, and them having to fight.

I digress the idea did hype me up slightly at the time.

Just in the end, there's no real dimension here to either. Shiva finds out, still decides to nuke Gotham to screw Ra's over. Basically, the stereotypical "murder mom" behavior that a lot of us criticized. That's been righted but hoping that the new Batgirl ongoing fully answers.

Cass finds out that she is brokenhearted and that her mom is Lady Shiva. But there's never any real means to establish the "how".

Cass finds out, is 💔at the revelation, and barely has time to interact fully with Shiva before it's taken away. Even the fight with Shiva has no real sauce or even clear indication like Batgirl Vol. 1 #25 or even #73.

That's not even accounting the ending with Shiva getting shot, rattling words (that were a location code), and a subplot Tynion had to drop.

So the positives for the arc are still there. #1 being the big fight in #955 vs. the Shadows and the hype Tynion lays the groundwork in the prior issue giving Cass her "Wolverine" moment in full.

It's an epic moment. Still drives a chill done my spine. Likewise the entire fight vs. all the ninjas. Takara really just shines with the art in #955. Like the fight is just stunning.

That leads into the problem with the Orphan identity as the cracks are in this issue particularly were they develop as Cass's answer to who she is to Christine is, her name. Not Orphan.

I can go into that, but that's more to one of my past series I dwell on that on why the Orphan codename became dated.

Another bit that works well is the friendship between Cass/Basil really begins to shine further here and it just reaches its apex of positive emotions in the next arc.

The final thing which I find underrated is how Kate becomes the unwilling mentor figure (given Babs is pushed away from having this relationship with Cass). It's an interesting dynamic that could've added more tragedy to what is to come with them.

The Batman stuff is gold here too. Again solidifies the fatherly stuff we had in the past with Cass. The only problem is other than this run only four writers would further this.

So yeah, this arc is a mixed bag of good and bad. I cannot fault Tynion fully that he never fully realized the arc's full potential cause well DC was gonna DC.

As it stands the "League of Shadows" arc is just a good read to have. Funny enough what truly is the pathos to Cass is what is to come.

That being Cass/Basil, as their friendship really moves the subplots going forward. Basil helps Cass with her reading disability. Cass helps him with the bad side of Clayface showing up. It's a nice two-way streak of them being there for the other.

On the action front, we get probably the best fight in the series. A brutal 1 v 2 fight between a brainwashed Azrael vs. Kate/Cass (#961). Again, the fight is just nasty and again gets her mask torn. But it is the recurring theme of this run. Cass's mask gotta be torn.

But it's after this arc with Azrael, that Tynion is just rushing through trying to end as many subplots he can at this point to reach his climax.

We get moments between Cass/Basil sprinkled throughout (her being his rock when he almost goes back to villainy). Plus the whole Tim reunited with her and then Steph.

But it's all setting up to the next big stepping stone which is the second Victim Syndicate arc where now they're not just targeting Steph, but also Basil.

Man this arc, while the Steph stuff doesn't hit as clean (given how Tynion rushed through her subplot), the Cass/Basil stuff with it given all this time.

It STILL slaps hard to the face when they force Clayface to rage out in #972. The only one in his way in #973---

Even rereading it, it's like something you're like Cass, just hoping Kate doesn't pull that trigger and well... yeah. It hits and it hurts.

I try looking at what comes next from the perspective of well Cass not having that symbol. If you go with her wanting to achieve what Bruce/Kate/Babs have. Kate breaking the rule. It really hits that Kate betrayed her student here.

I do wish Tynion was given just a tiny bit more room to breathe. Because we never really get them mending here after this. It's just dropped and mended offscreen between the two (probably the only rare miss Alyssa Wong had when writing both).

Though with Tynion ending Kate's mentorship with Cass, he adds one final Rebirth layer: Babs mentoring Cass. We get the seeds in #975.

It's a GOOD idea, and something Hill does follow up on in his Tec arc. However, I just get the feeling with Rebirth ending, and Dan DiDio getting back fully in power from Geoff Johns. That well... certain edicts DiDio had prior between Cass/Babs came back.

Cause A LOT of this stuff was reburied and Cass didn't get to be with Babs until two years later (and when a certain someone was fired from DC Comics).

But enough what "could've been". What about Tynion's final arc on the series? It surprisingly still has a lot of Cass. Like at this point she's really the female lead of the book with Kate taking a backseat at this point.

I mean she's really all over the place in the arc. Starting with still recovering from Basil's death, and we get an amusing moment between her and Tim. Probably the last sibling moment (other than WFA).

It's just a cute moment, and well is bookended with Tim getting turned into an O.M.A.C. and Cass jobbing (cause she's nowhere in the right mindset at this point). But it leads her to Bruce and then Steph. And we get the next big moment.

I'm not gonna cover the "lie" moment aka a pantless future Cass fighting a shirtless Ra's. No, I'm gonna go right into Tynion's final critique on both Cass/Steph in #980.

We all know it.

Both are shown what was "taken". Their years of being Batgirls and Robin. I do still love each panel represents an actual story for the two. Something lost and taken by the New 52.

I feel like at this point, Tynion was just exhausted with the mental hoops he had to deal with regarding both characters, and this was his final response having both see what they can still have.

It feels like where Tynion wanted to put the two, but couldn't (cause DiDio gonna DiDio), but still left the seeds enough for Cass to know what she is.

Again, making the whole Orphan identity more pointless at this point.

But on the bright side you can look at these last bits and given what we know what occurs in Batman: Joker War. That Tynion was all, "Well, if you want a job done right. You got to do it yourself." Putting all this history back in.

In the end, you can look back at the run and see those positives which then occur less than two years later. This is still a flawed run, but with all the unknowns that were probably heaped on the writer.

It does hold up in other areas. Out of the team, Cass really was one of the few who really got the 👑in being the reason this run is remembered most. She does get A LOT of good moments in the series.

The really good moments are still really good. Just the bad? Well, just take it for what DC was at that time. Still, flawed (given WHO was still lingering around the company at the time), but almost there.

Though I find the Joker ongoing Tynion's best Batman work, this is probably his more entertaining one. Everyone gets a moment to shine (even if it's rushed).

This is still a better top to bottom Batman run compared to its counterpart which tripped and fell at the end (Tom King's Batman run).

So what you think about this run? Has it aged more gracefully like a wine? Or like milk? I'm really curious of thoughts of this run given where we are now with the character.

[clownrecess]

Autism diagnosis system is terrible, and I want to talk about it.

(TW FOR LOTS OF ABLEISM)

I was diagnosed as autistic when I was ten (or maybe nine, but I am like 99% sure it was ten), despite the fact that I have ALWAYS been visibly autistic, and nearly every teacher I had ever told my mom that I was "probably on the spectrum" (I hate that term, but that's what they said.).

The first time the possibility of me being autistic was brought up was when I was in THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF FIRST GRADE, and yet I still wasn't diagnosed until the summer between fourth and fifth.

During the beginning of fourth grade, I went to a doctor to try to get diagnosed. She told me and my mother that I was not autistic, and that the school was just trying to "up the diagnosis rates", and that she knew I wasn't autistic because I was not "Screaming and rolling around on the floor.". EXCUSE ME?? Being autistic isn't about conforming to society's ideas of autism or fitting into a neat little box. The fact that my teachers had recognized these signs early on and voiced this should have been taken seriously.

If I had been a cishet boy, I am 98% sure she wouldn't have done that. She also mentioned how schools are preying on girls to make them "think they are autistic.". This would have been even worse if I was POC.

I was a very unmasked autistic, with a notable developmental delay, and ID, and I was not diagnosed BECAUSE she thought the school wanted girls to be autistic. The medical system only benefits the people it wants to help. It is absolutely disheartening and enraging to witness the bias and discrimination that occurs for many during the process of getting diagnosed.

No one should be denied a proper diagnosis or support based on gender, race, or any other characteristic. The medical system should prioritize providing comprehensive and unbiased care to all individuals, ensuring that everyone's experiences and needs are taken seriously and addressed.

I hope my experience serves as a reminder of the importance of advocating for change and challenging the existing biases within the medical system.

[a-very-tired-jew]

Hi AVTJ, I saw you posting a bit about the Holy Land Foundation case and the GW paper on extremism with partial transcripts of the FBI's wiretap of Hamas members in the USA used in that case. Another good document to look at to more deeply understand the extent of the financial and ideological links between terror groups like Hamas, PIJ, the PFLP, and campus groups like SJP--and how we got to the present situation--is this report from the Jerusalem Center for Public affairs, available here: [https://jcpa.org/book/students-for-justice-in-palestine-unmasked/] I almost wish the title had been a bit more professional because the information inside is good and very well sourced. One source I find particularly interesting is the 2016 congressional testimony of Dr. Jonathan Schanzer, an expert on terrorism finance who worked for the US government.

I just read through all of it, and it's long, but well cited with a lot of examples. I do agree that it could have been titled better because as it stands the title alone is polarizing and will turn people away. But the information contained within, even if there is an inherent bias which we must acknowledge, comes with citations and supporting evidence. I will include some excerpts as it is a 78 page document in total with about 50 pages being the monograph itself.

The first section is about SJP's link to various terrorist organizations and persons.

The National SJP conference has long platformed convicted and recognized terrorists.

Fig. 1. the National Conference platforms and supports various terrorists and their groups

On Hatem Bazian, who founded the SJP system -

Fig. 2. Bazian has repeatedly pushed for violence against Israel, the USA, and Jews.

On BDS National Committee being founded, in part, by the PNIF and PNIF in itself being founded by Marwan Barghouti.

Fig. 3. List of terrorist groups that make up PNIF

On Electronic Intifada, one of the go to "news" sources for Western Activists in the conflict.

Fig. 4. E.I. framing 9/11 as a "gift" for Israel (related to the Jews did 9/11 conspiracy).

On CodePink's alliance with terrorist groups.

Fig. 5. Intro paragraph to the CodePink section

And there's just so much more in just this one section alone about SJP's connections to terrorist groups. It also provides evidence for other NGOs that present themselves as charities or having "benign" missions statements being affiliated with violent terrorist groups and/or being fronts for them. Groups like Addameer, ISM, and more all have mentions and evidence linking them in this document.

The monograph then goes into its second section about SJP's glorification of terrorism, engagement in antisemitism, and campus violence.

Fig. 6. SJP chapters and Bazian supporting Kanafani who defended the 1970 plane hijacking.

They even have a section the NYC SJP which became Within Our Lifetime and its history of promoting, glorifying, and justifying terrorism.

On the rise in antisemitism on college campuses that is associated with the presence of SJP groups and the BDS movement.

Fig. 7. Brandeis study about antisemitism on college campuses.

One of the things that is mentioned in this section is the repeated use of mock eviction notices to Jewish student dorms by SJP members.

On the use of Nazi propaganda by SJP chapters.

Fig. 8. Vassar College's SJP was never formally addressed for its use of Nazi propaganda and targeting Jews.

And I could go on with more and more examples from the monograph, especially as it gets into faculty support for SJP and the actions of faculty advisers openly supporting terrorism and being antisemitic. But there's just so much. I encourage everyone to dive into this tome of a monograph and really digest what it's saying. The Jewish community has long pointed out that SJP in its entirety is openly antisemitic, endorses violence and harassment against Jews, and has ties to terrorism. They're not a group calling for peace. They're a hate fueled bigoted organization created by a man, Bazian, who disguises his antisemitism through "activism".

[mariacallous]

Billions of people are voting in elections around the world this year, and it feels like political disinformation is on the rise and buoyed by the rapid emergence of multiple AI technologies. So I’m spending my time looking for experts who can explain what’s happening.

As research manager of the Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO), Renée DiResta has helped unmask Russia’s online support for Trump in 2016, China’s use of Clubhouse for spying, and Instagram becoming a hive of child abuse material. But in the face of unrelenting—and baseless—allegations of anti-conservative bias from right-wing lawmakers like Jim Jordan, Stanford didn’t renew her contract last month.

Luckily for us, DiResta just published a new book, Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality, which outlines how unseen people and technologies shape our realities today, and how it's all being leveraged to win elections. I spoke with Renée about the book—check out our conversation here!

David: Hi Renée, thanks for chatting with us. In your book, you speak about “bespoke realities.” Is everyone effectively now living in their own reality?

Renée: There's a lot of movement into factions, where people are really deeply entrenched in a highly-specific niche political identity. One of the things you start to see is that faction A and faction B are often not even seeing the same kinds of content. You have communities that are absolutely outraged about something that has happened on the internet and the other community has absolutely no idea that this is even happening.

David: Key to these factions are influencers. How have they become so powerful?

Renée: They have the followers. Even conspiracy theorist influencers have followings in the millions at this point. Mainstream media doesn't necessarily get that kind of readership on a given article or viewers on a given piece of content. But the influencer is algorithmically pushed into your feed and they have that ability to speak back, to engage in a way that media brands often don't.

David: How important are algorithms in helping these influencers get their message out?

Renée: The influencer needs to be seen by their audience, and having that relationship with your audience is key, but that's always mediated through what the algorithm is going to push to people, particularly as more and more of that in-feed real estate is determined not by who you follow at all, but by what it thinks you want to see.

David: In your book you write about Ali Alexander, an influencer who helped organize the Stop the Steal movement in 2020. How have people like Alexander become so influential?

Renée: People who are not Trump supporters might see him as clownish, but among the group that he's speaking to, they trust him, they believe him, and he compels them to take action. It's really important to realize the effect that influencer relationships have in shaping reality or driving people to act in a way. They really come up from the crowd and they're given their power because the crowd continues to engage with them and support them and drive them.

David: Is this what Trump is doing?

Renée: What you see with Trump over and over again is what we call this bottom-up rumor mill, where people are chattering about things, they say it, they post it, they tag him, he retweets them, then they have the benefit of that additional clout within the community. They've done their part, they're fighting for the cause. You see him very deftly working this system on Truth Social [where] he's constantly amplifying fans and followers and engaging very much among the online supporter base.

David: What are we missing about our current information environment?

Renée: What I find most alarming is that people have the ability to just create reality by making something trend, to reinforce over and over and over again these conspiracy theories. You do have this increasingly divergent set of realities where there's a deep conviction built up over many, many years of reinforcing the same tropes and stories. You can't just correct that with a fact check.

David: And following the demise of the Stanford Internet Observatory, there are even less people fact-checking this stuff. Who or what was to blame for your departure from Stanford?

Renée: The chilling effect of congressional inquiries and associated lawfare, and the politicization of research, is real. Institutions need to see the writing on the wall. We have seen these tactics in the past, such as during attacks on climate scientists a decade ago, yet the playbook continues to work. If spurious investigations into politically inconvenient findings succeed in cowing institutions, there will only be more spurious investigations.

[imthepunchlord]

What would be the perfect "Miraculous team" for you?

At this point, the characters that do stand out most to me as major players that could be on a plausible team are: Marinette, Adrien, Felix, Alya, Nino, Kagami, and Zoe.

Honorable mentions/maybes: Ali, Aurore, Chloe, Lila, Juleka, Ivan, and Kim.

Marinette is a must. I do really enjoy writing her, and making my desired tweaks, and it is kinda a shame a lot of recent writing with her is in salt response to canon treatment. It's a big part of the reason I'm on an ML writing break. But she's a must. Most likely with kwami swaps as I am kinda done with her as Ladybug and working off Tikki. Tikki I think could better serve elsewhere and Marinette could be refreshing working off a different personality.

Adrien by default is kinda a must, though his biggest help is that he has a lot of options in what can be done with him. Could go along canon as starting off as a goofball hero that will get serious (though still keep his sense of humor), and be at a crossroads of working with his father or going against him. He could also work with Gabriel at the start, either openly or secretly, and through friendship finds himself as a crossroad. Could also do him joining later, initially exploring him as a civilian, maybe he runs the Ladyblog and wants to unmask heroes and he's extra excited cause his father is actually supportive and invested in his interest. There's some good options for him.

Felix is a must, partly from bias, but he does have a good established arc from starting as an antagonistic loner to turning to a true hero. And the stiff, skeptic, passive aggressive personality he can have could be a good counter to other personalities. And if you want to work off cnaon, he can go absolute gremlin.

Alya is another must. Frustrating as she is, she's a character I see a lot of potential for. Like, a lot of the "lessons" Marinette is expected to learn would better apply to her. And like Adrien, she'd be a great character if she was allowed to learn and improve. And I see a lot of potential in exploring her as a hero at the start, cause you got Alya wanting to start out for glory and attention, kinda treats it as a game initially, and she's on the side of reckless with secrecy, and I just see a lot of good potential for her as a major lead to follow at the start. Learning that heroing isn't all fun and glory, sometimes it's hard, and with reveals, there are pros to it, but there are also cons. She could really add to the secrecy vs reveal debate.

Nino is kinda here by default, but the boy needs something. Ideally something to let him stand on his own, especially outside Alya and Adrien. And one of the best ways to do that is explore him as a Miraculous hero at the start. And he wants to be a film director, so, maybe his focus arc could relate to leadership, learning to develop those skills, awareness of his team and what they can do, and how to best direct them. I will say, of this list, I could also roll with Nino as the supportive civilian friend who grounds one of the leads as he is a character who doesn't have a lot going on.

Kagami, despite all her issues as a character, is a character that caught my attention in Riptose. And while she got a lot of odd choices and polarizing characterization, taking the scattered pieces I can see a potential character being crafted. You got potential in her as the blunt ice queen who's overly dedicated and a little too serious, she wants to make friends but she's socially awkward and can come off as mean, she wants to make her mom proud but she also feels stifled. And by her official skills, she's one of the few characters that could actually vigilante and help the heroes without a Miraculous, or try to compete with them as her mom is tasking her with the chance to fight superhumans and prove herself.

Zoe is in a weird boat as she came in so late and I stopped watching ML so I didn't click with her all that well, but seeing more of her as Kitty and the apparent partner for Alya, it did prompt me to think and consider her more and brainstorm ideas. There's definitely something to work off of with her wanting to please Chloe and pretending to follow her along, but that's not who Zoe is and she can have an arc of figuring herself out, dealing with the tension and mistrust that her relation with Chloe brings, and letting herself flourish. Adjustments though would have to be made for her to come in sooner or be at Paris at the start, either as Chloe's younger sister or maybe twin, or her cousin, or we rip off the bandaid of the vague Bourgeois union, say they're divorced, and Audrey remarried and Zoe is Chloe's stepsister and she's up in Paris so they can "bond". I will say, with her coming in so late, she's also a character I can just exclude.

For honorable mentions where I can see potential or fun or I wish they had more attention:

Ali has a lot of the same appeals as Adrien, is shown to be very sweet, and I am bummed so little was done with him. He's not present enough to warrant being on the main team, but I like him enough that I should try and write more with him.

Chloe I can acknowledge has potential as a character, and that chance of a redemption arc is there, and she can be loads of fun to write. But I also feel irritated with her as she was a waste of time. I get they were halfheartedly going for "will she be good or will she be evil", but it was such a butcher job and you could tell the team was split, and instead of compromising, they just put in both potential to be good and her clearly not going to get better. And I'm just stuck in that irritating spot where I can SEE the potential but she may ultimately better serve as a villain/antagonist.

And this is where Aurore comes in, having all the perks of Chloe being haughty and proud, but none of the downsides. She was a lot of fun to write in Leave for Mendeleiev, and honestly, when I started ML with Stormy Weather, I actually thought she was a major character since she had the initial focus point. Color me surprise when she ultimately became a background character. And then disappeared for a while.

Lila is in a similar boat to Chloe, and honestly between them on who should get a redemption, it's pretty even them for me as they're both terrible. But we didn't NEED two mean girls to go against Marinette. Now, if they were a rival/foil to another character, and Marinette just worked mostly off one of them, then having two mean girls could've worked better. Either way, Lila redemption would have to be around Volpina, cause Chameleon and onward is a trainwreck and there's no way to pick up the pieces of that. And for a chracter who lies a lot, can be petty and spiteful, she has promise to be a lot of fun, and to bring a lot of chaos.

Between the two Couffaine siblings, Juleka is the one I see a lot of potential for writing wise, as she does have that established struggle of trying to find her voice. And by her livelihood, you could play off the comedy of her being chaotic but chill, and ready to take things to the extremes (like kidnapping). And there's the friendship potential that canon tapped into with her and Marinette's shared interest in fashion (I actually think that if the show was more realistic on friend pairs, Marinette would've been in a trio with Juleka and Rose).

Kim is on this list because he cracks me up. Peak himbo but surprisingly wise. That is if we can ignore how he got ruined in s5.

Lastly, Ivan. He was actually the first classmate I really paid attention to, and I saw a promising story to work off with him. Watching Origins, you see most of the class is intimidated by him, so I thought he could have an arc of changing people's perspective, instead of him being feared he's seen as a protector. Which kinda got speedran in the background, but I guess we can't have a plus size character as the focal point. But I'd like to do him as a major lead sometime.

[quixoticanarchy]

Ok I see why there can be relief in diagnosis and being able to apply a label, reticule, etc to your experience of the world and process it through that lens. As in: ‘oh there’s not something uniquely wrong with me, I’m not just broken.’ You have an explanation now. Your traits and idiosyncrasies, in becoming Symptoms, make sense. But the flip side of that, I think, is the reaction of ‘oh shit - I’m like this bc I have [x].’ Making your experiences diagnosably legible in this way can also make them feel heavier and more potent and much more noticeable. I’m thinking mostly of neurodivergence but I also notice this self-pathologization with noticing and scrutinizing all my physical symptoms to match a new diagnosis.

And idk, I think there’s value in some of the insights I’ve had via considering paradigms like neurodivergence and ideas like unmasking. But now I’ll notice just how much various ‘symptoms’ crop up and affect my life, whereas once it might have just been part of my ordinary fabric of experience, without an explanatory framework to pathologize it. Even if I’m not thinking of these things as bad, just the noticing and the interpreting as Neurodivergent Traits gives everything an extra weight. And then I’ll feel sometimes like unmasking was a mistake or like it created these symptoms. Looking back I don’t think it did, I can see how they’ve always been in the wings or on stage but in costume, disguised. Now they’re out in the light and sometimes I’m like wtf. Who are you. Why are we acting like this. Go away. Which isn’t fair to myself and isn’t going to happen since there is no ‘away.’ I can force the traits (now Symptoms) back in disguise but now I know they’re there. I don’t want to mask forever but I don’t like the Symptoms especially once I started thinking of them that way.

Neither diagnosis nor this self-awareness as neurodivergent is creating the ‘symptoms,’ per se, but there’s such recency bias wherein it seems like suddenly all these ‘symptoms’ are affecting you constantly, where they didn’t before. But maybe they did; you just weren’t calling them symptoms. ‘I’ve never felt [x] before’ or ‘I never used to do [x] so much’ - may be true mostly in that you weren’t calling it [x]. I have in general always been Like This and it did frustrate me before I had language for it too. Unmasking as a practice/process also allows more of these newly made-meaningful traits and moments to surface and, instead of being restrained, feel overwhelmingly frequent or prominent. All in all I kind of feel like I need to undiagnose myself. Keep the understandings I have of myself and try for compassion but stop cataloguing my thoughts or actions or comparing them negatively against the masked self of the past

[drdemonprince]

This isn't a question, but I hope it brightens your day.

So I have an aversion to social media for reasons you might be able to figure out, but I just want to reach out to let you know that your...everything has hit me like a bolt from the fucking blue.

I read *Unmasking* and it read like my biography and I was like, oh, they absolutely didn't diagnose me as a kid because I could carry on a conversation, and this explains goddamn everything about me and not even in a confirmation bias kind of way, and then I found out you were a hypnokinkster etc. and that, um, that Did Something, because I've been compulsively browsing the EMCSA and friends for, I don't know, fifteen years now and somehow I never put two and two together.

There is a Human Domestication Guide fic somebody wrote in which the big caring plant mommies brainwash this adorkable little trans pet into not being able to notice when she's stimming and everybody just thinks it's endearing and not weird and I was unable to explain the, um, Feeling. Do you know It? It's not trance, but It likes to pull me down there. It is perhaps a moan trapped in my chest and perhaps a need to wriggle and babble furiously and perhaps arousal and perhaps joy and desire and perhaps melting into a puddle.

Your writing finally put a name to something I had been searching for for years. I had just assumed it wasn't neurodivergence because I was told so when I was little, you've heard and in fact written this story before, and suddenly now I'm 26 and the dam just broke and, uh, gosh, I don't know, I just want to say thank you and I'm looking forward to the new book when I get a chance to pick it up. Thank you literally one asdflkajsdflkillion times.

From, a fellow mindless drone.

<3 <3 <3

[odinsblog]

So colorblind racism is a term that comes from Eduardo Bonilla Silva, and he writes about how the colorblind ideology is the dominant form of thinking about race in the US. And it basically refers to explaining or understanding racialized phenomena in “colorblind” ways.

And so you explain racial inequality by something that is unrelated to race.

And what that does is it justifies and legitimates that racial inequality.

If someone asks, hey, why are there so many Black people in prison? Their explanation is, it's not because the system is racist. It's not because Black folks are over policed. It's not because Black folks are given longer sentences for the same crimes. It's not because of the cash bail system that keeps Black folks imprisoned and really punishes the poor people who can't pay the bail in order to get out of prison and have to end up signing a plea deal in order to get out, to keep their jobs, and their families and their homes.

It's because, colorblind racists argue, Black people just commit more crimes than white people.

So that would be a colorblind way of being racist - to imply that this difference in outcomes and differences in incarceration rates is due to cultural or individual level failures, and not due to a systemic level bias.

According to the colorblind framework, racism is an idea that justifies or legitimates racial inequality, where you don't have to “hate” Black people, but if you say Black people are more criminal and that's why they're behind bars, so we don't need to reform our criminal justice system, then that is racist, because that idea continues the racial oppression that Black folks face at the hands of the criminal justice system.

So that's what colorblind racism refers to.

And then color mute is a term that comes from Mika Pollock, that refers to Black people. It's very closely related colorblind racist theory because it refers to people who are dealing with something that very clearly and explicitly relates to race, but they choose not to mention race when they're talking about it.

So the examples from that book come from schools where teachers will talk about how, “Oh, these students have been acting up and more students have been going to detention,” when really it's only Black students who have been going to detention and they're not naming the fact that there is a racial component to these trends.

And what both those things do, colorblind racism and color muteness, is it allows language to overlook the fact that racial inequality is happening.

By not naming it, it allows that inequality and those injustices to continue, without being recognized or challenged.

And so, again, that relates directly to the theme of the book, which is that when we unmask racism, when we reveal racism, we are better able to show it and to demonstrate how it works. And only then, right… and the change can only come after we name the problem.

And so that's why racists fight so hard to try and hide racism. Because once we see it, then we're going to be able to point it out to other people and recruit them to the side of antiracist thought.

And antiracist action.

—ROB ESCHMANN, When the Hood Comes Off: Racism and Resistance in the Digital Age

[liminalweirdo]

#1 – Denial – Pretending a problem does not exist to provide artificial relief from anxiety. Examples:

“During COVID” or “During the pandemic” (past tense)

“The pandemic is over”

“Covid is mild”

“It’s gotten milder”

“Covid is now like a cold or the flu”

“Masks don’t work anyway”

“Covid is NOT airborne”

“Pandemic of the unvaccinated”

“Schools are safe”

“Children don’t transmit COVID”

“Covid is mild in young people”

“Summer flu”

“I’m sick but it’s not Covid”

Taking a rapid test only once

Using self-reported case estimates (25x underestimate) rather than wastewater-derived case estimation

Using hospitalization capacity estimates to enact public health precautions (lagging indicator)

Citing mortality estimates rather than excess mortality estimates. Citing excess mortality without adjusting for survivorship bias.

#2 – Projection – When someone takes what they are feeling and attempts to put it on someone else to artificially reduce their own anxiety. Examples:

“Stop living in fear.” (the attacker is living in fear)

“You can take your mask off.” (they are insecure about being unmasked themselves)

“When are you going to stop masking?”

“You can’t live in fear forever.”

#3 – Displacement – When someone takes their pandemic anxiety and redirects their discomfort toward someone or something else. Examples:

Angry, seemingly inexplicable outbursts by co-workers, strangers, or family

White affluent people caring less about the pandemic after learning that it disproportionately affects lower-socioeconomic status people of color

Scapegoating based on vaccination status, masking behavior, etc.

“Pandemic of the unvaccinated”

Vax and relax

“How many of them were vaccinated?” (troll comment on Covid deaths or long Covid)

Redirecting anxiety about mitigating a highly-contagious airborne virus by encouraging people to do simple ineffective mitigation like handwashing

“You do you” (complainers are the problem, not Covid)

Telling people to get vaccinated or take other precautions against the flu or RSV but not mentioning Covid

Parents artificially reducing their own anxiety by placing children in poorly mitigated environments

Clinicians artificially reducing their own anxiety by placing patients in poorly mitigated environments

Housework to distract from stress

Peer pressure not to mask

#4 – Compartmentalization – Holding two conflicting ideas or behaviors, such as caution and incaution, rather than dealing with the anxiety evoked by considering the incautious behaviors more deeply (hypocrisy)

Examples:

Hospitals and clinicians claim to value health/safety but then don’t require universal precautions

Public health officials claim to value evidence but then give non-evidence based advice (handwashing over masking), obscure or use low-value data over high-quality data (self-reported case counts over wastewater), etc.

Getting a flu vaccine but not a Covid vaccine

Interviewing long Covid experts who recommend masking in indoor public spaces but then going to Applebee’s

Masking in one potentially risky setting (grocery store) but not masking in another similar or more-risky setting (classroom)

Infectious disease conference where people are unmasked

Long Covid and other patient-advocacy meetings where only half the people mask

In-person only EDI events

Not testing because it’s just family

Mask breaks

#5 – Reaction formation – expressing artificial positive feelings when actually experiencing anxiety

Examples:

“It’s good I got my infection out of the way before the holidays”

“I had Covid but it was mild”

Anything quoted in Dr. Jonathan Howard’s book, “We Want Them Infected: How the Failed Quest for Herd Immunity Led Doctors to Embrace Anti-Vaccine Movement”

Herd immunity (infections help)

Hybrid immunity (infections help)

“It’s okay because I was recently vaccinated”

“Omicron is milder”

“Textbook virus”

“Building immunity”

#6 – Rationalization – Artificially reducing Covid anxiety through a weak justification. Examples:

“I didn’t mask but I used nasal spray”

“I don’t need to mask because I was recently vaccinated”

“It finally got me.”

“You’re going to get Covid again and again and again over your life.”

“It’s not Covid because I don’t have a sore throat.”

“It’s not Covid because I took a rapid test 3 days ago.”

“It’s not Covid because I’m vaccinated.”

“Airplanes have excellent ventilation.”

“I’ve had Covid three times. It’s mild.”

“Verily was cheaper.”

“Nobody else is masking.”

“Nobody else is testing.”

“My roommates don’t take any precautions, so there’s no point in me either.”

“I have a large family, so there’s no point in taking precautions.”

Surgical masks (they are actual “procedure masks,” by the way)

Various pseudo-scientific treatments used by the left and right

Handwashing as the primary Covid public health recommendation

Droplet transmission as a thing

Public health guidance that begins with “data shows” (sic)

Risk maps that never turn deep red

5 expired rapid tests

“Masks recommended” instead of universal precautions

“Seasonal”

#7 – Intellectualization – using extensive cognitive arguments to artificially circumvent Covid anxiety Examples:

Unending threads to justify indoor dining

Data-rich public health dashboards that use low-quality metrics and/or don’t change public health recommendations as risk increases

The entire justification for “off-ramps”

Oster, Wen, Prasad

Schools denying air cleaners because it “could make children anxious”

Schools not rapid testing this surge because it “could make children anxious”

The mental gymnastics underlying the rationales for who can get vaccinated, how frequently, or with what brand

Service workers told not to mask because it could make clients uncomfortable

“What comorbidities did they have?”

“The vulnerable will fall by the wayside”

Musicians and others holding large indoor events

5-day isolation periods

Here's a link to the full book, a newer edition than what I own. The information on defense mechanisms begins on textbook page 100. Please let me know if there's a more accessible alt-text solution that you would prefer so I can do better next time."

- Mike Hoerger, PhD MSCR M

source

If you actually got to the end of this and don't remember what you're reading because the cognitive dissonance surrounding covid being "over" is so extreme, it's a list of the ways people downplay covid without any science-backed evidence. How many things on this list do you say, do, or believe?

[alwaysbewoke]

From ‘Racial Innocence: Unmasking Latino Anti-Black Bias & The Struggle For Equality’ by Tanya Katerí Hernández

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