During the trial of Derek Chauvin, the defense put George Floyd’s body on trial. He was described as both uniquely weak & uniquely strong. I wrote about how similar tropes pervade American society and influence both medical care and justice for Black Americans. https://twitter.com/johnastoehr/status/1385702811464208386

There is a pattern here. Black people are seen as so dangerous that the police are called on them for merely existing. At the same time, Americans are told, in multitudinous ways, that, if Black people suffer, they are to blame.

We saw this not just during the trial of Chauvin, but also in the aftermath of the murder of Eric Garner. Like Mr. Floyd, Mr. Garner was judged to be so dangerous he had to be restrained, but, then, when he died as a result of a choke-hold, it was because his own body failed him

We have also seen similar tropes in coverage of COVID. We have been subtly told that the fact that COVID has disproportionately struck Black communities is the fault of Black people. These patterns can also be seen within the domain of medical racism

Research and medicine is improving. Researchers are increasingly identifying that racism itself is a factor that can destroy health, independent of socioeconomic factors. And yet these prejudices remain. The blame remains.