Read on Twitter
I have no idea why this isn’t getting more traction.
Trump’s HHS @SecAzar singles out 1 reason to explain why the US has the most coronavirus deaths in the world to @jaketapper:
“Unfortunately the American population is ... very diverse...” (2:32)
/1
Trump’s HHS @SecAzar singles out 1 reason to explain why the US has the most coronavirus deaths in the world to @jaketapper:
“Unfortunately the American population is ... very diverse...” (2:32)
/1
Here& #39;s the full quote:
He basically distills the casualty numbers to health problems in the black community. He& #39;s implying that racial minorities, not the federal government, are to blame for the fact that the richest country in the world has somehow got the most deaths too./2
He basically distills the casualty numbers to health problems in the black community. He& #39;s implying that racial minorities, not the federal government, are to blame for the fact that the richest country in the world has somehow got the most deaths too./2
The more immediate and larger explanation for the US’s exceptional number of deaths is, of course the callous, disorganized and science-phobic response by the federal government to the pandemic. /3
But even setting that aside, the fact that many communities of color do have worse health outcomes is a function of longstanding socioeconomic marginalization & discrimination, and uneven access to nutrition, health care, and a healthy environment. /4
In other words, Azar’s formulation should be flipped: it’s not people of color driving up America’s casualties, but America that is driving up people of color’s casualties. /5
