RFK Jr’s claim about Black people’s immune systems is ‘unscientific and terrifying’

This is what is known as scientific racism. The US has always been the world's #1 producer or it

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_racism

Sickle Cell Anemia: This is more common in individuals of African, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Indian descent. The condition is caused by an inherited defect in hemoglobin, which affects red blood cells and can cause pain and other serious complications.
Cystic Fibrosis: This genetic disorder is more common in people of European descent, especially those with Northern or Central European ancestry. It affects the lungs, digestive system, and other organs.
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure): Hypertension is more prevalent in Black Americans than in other racial groups. The reasons for this are multifactorial, including genetics, socioeconomic status, and environmental factors. African Americans are also at higher risk for complications from hypertension, such as stroke and kidney disease.
Type 2 Diabetes: This is more common in Native American, Hispanic, and African American populations. Genetic factors play a role, along with lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity levels.
Lactose Intolerance: People of East Asian, West African, Native American, and Mediterranean descent are more likely to be lactose intolerant, meaning they have difficulty digesting lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. This is due to lower levels of lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose.
Breast Cancer: While breast cancer affects women of all races, African American women are more likely to develop certain aggressive forms of breast cancer, such as triple-negative breast cancer, which tends to have a poorer prognosis. On the other hand, white women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer at an earlier age.
Prostate Cancer: Prostate cancer is more common in Black men, who are also more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age and experience more aggressive forms of the disease.
Asthma: Asthma is more prevalent among Black and Hispanic children in the United States. Environmental factors, such as exposure to air pollution, and socioeconomic factors, like access to healthcare, contribute to these disparities.
Skin Cancer (Melanoma): While melanoma is more common in people with lighter skin, such as those of European descent, it tends to be diagnosed at a later stage in people with darker skin, such as Black and Hispanic individuals, due to lower awareness and delayed diagnosis.
Thalassemia: A blood disorder more common in individuals of Mediterranean, African, or Southeast Asian descent. It involves the body making an abnormal form of hemoglobin, leading to anemia.
Tay-Sachs Disease: This genetic disorder, which leads to the progressive destruction of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, is more common in Ashkenazi Jewish individuals but also affects people of French-Canadian, Cajun, or certain Eastern European origins.
- That's a nice list of red herrings. Those are all facts supported by evidence gathered through research. The point of the article is that RFK Jr has made, and continues to make, claims of fact that have no evidentiary basis, and in many cases directly contradict the available evidence.
- What's your point? If you read the article, the point is that the data doesn't support his claim. Nobody us claiming that race can't have an affect on how people respond to diseases. Honestly tho, you're more likely to see differences from individual to individual. This is why we do double blind studies with placebo.
- From Wikipedia:
  Before the mid-20th century, scientific racism was accepted throughout the scientific community, but it is no longer considered scientific. The division of humankind into biologically separate groups, along with the assignment of particular physical and mental characteristics to these groups through constructing and applying corresponding explanatory models, is referred to as racialism, racial realism, race realism, or race science by those who support these ideas. Modern scientific consensus rejects this view as being irreconcilable with modern genetic research.
  Scientific racism misapplies, misconstrues, or distorts anthropology (notably physical anthropology), craniometry, evolutionary biology, and other disciplines or pseudo-disciplines through proposing anthropological typologies to classify human populations into physically discrete human races, some of which might be asserted to be superior or inferior to others.
  From the article:
  African Americans have a long history of mistrust in the medical system, rooted in legacies of abuse and mistreatment, including unethical experiments on Black people. Examples include the Tuskegee syphilis study, the gynecology malpractice of J Marion Sims on enslaved Black women and the exploitation of Henrietta Lacks for cancer treatment, all which violated the principles of research ethics. The basis of these events stemmed from exploitation upheld by the idea that race is biological. In 2003, the Human Genome Project found that there is no genetic basis for race and that the term “race” is not biologically meaningful, meaning statements like Kennedy’s are not only outdated, but also false.
  Throughout history, two enduring physiological myths – that Black people have a higher pain tolerance and weak lungs that could be strengthened through hard labor – have circulated within the medical community and continue to influence modern medical education and practice. Research has shown that many American physicians, medical students and residents hold incorrect beliefs about biological differences between races, which contribute to racial bias and disparities in pain perception and treatment recommendations. A 2016 survey revealed that of 222 white American medical students and residents, nearly 60% thought Black people’s skin is thicker than white peoples, and 12% thought Black people’s nerve endings were less sensitive than those of white people. Neither is true.
  “Spreading false rhetoric that Black people have stronger immune systems recalls this notion of a super-humanization bias, which claims that Black people’s bodies function and endure pain differently,” said Zoé Samudzi, a visiting assistant professor at Clark University. Samudzi, who holds a PhD in medical sociology, fears the rise in misinformation will roll back recent progress across health fields. “Race-based medicine should not be the means of addressing the disparities in health outcomes that fall on the lines of race,” she said.
  Not at all what the article or Wikipedia is referring to, but you do you.
- So nothing regarding RFK's ideas about black people and immune response or pain sensitivity?
- And what, pray tell, is the use case for this information
- First of all, you are confusing ethnicity and race. Second, most of your examples are entirely caused by social factors.
- This is pretty disingenuous, the vast majority of sickle cell cases are non-hispanic blacks. Hispanics and whites also get sickle cell. If you're grouping all those ethnicities in there, you might as well include whites too.
- You left out Maple Syrup Urine Disease which is both not a thing I made up (despite how it sounds) and also mostly a thing among the Pennsylvania Dutch (aka Amish) that causes the body to be unable to break down several amino acids.
- How dare you come in here with your facts. These people need to be angry about scientific racism!
  Next you're gonna tell me that because I have blue eyes that I am much more sensitive to bright lights than someone with darker colored eyes. You're just eye racist!

Is it really too much to ask for Secretaries to at least have some experience or education in the industries they are the head of?

It's apparently too much to ask for Secretaries to not be super fucking racist.
- Or super fucking rapists
shhh, DEI is the real source of unqualified positions
- Poe's law, ffs. Is this sarcasm? Then use the label
It’s all in Project 2025. They’re purging everyone. Qualifications don’t matter, as long as you’re a Trump bootlicker.
Monkey's paw curls
Okay, now you've got a fracking company CEO as Secretary of Energy.
It's much more important that they are loyal to the orange dickhead and his agenda of destroying America.
Nah, educated people don't agree with conspiracy theory nonsense enough to be useful tools.

During Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Senate confirmation hearing on 30 January, Angela Alsobrooks, a Democratic senator from Maryland, pressed the nominee on his past claims that Black people have a stronger immune system than white people and thereby, should receive vaccines on a different schedule than them. “What different vaccine schedule would you say I should have received?” Alsobrooks, who is Black, asked the health secretary nominee. Kennedy then referenced a “series of studies” showing that “to particular antigens, Blacks have a much stronger reaction”.

I randomly rewatched The Help and one of the racist white ladies was talking about how black people have different germs. "How ridiculous," I thought. And yet here we are.

Again.

They were still telling students in med school as recent as the past 4 years that black ppl need less painkillers because we, "Tolerate pain better than other races."
Ppl surprised by this rhetoric haven't been paying attention
- It’s well documented that black people get less care and are prescribed less painkillers because of this myth, as well as the racist assumption that block people seeking out pain relief are just after drugs
- I've heard that about redheads, but never about black people.
- Pretty fucked up if they were teaching that despite a lack of evidence.
  That said, the concept itself isn't completely far fetched... Red heads need more anesthesia than everyone else for some genetic reason. Another group needing less for genetic reasons seems plausible.
- Despite there being other studies showing that it's factually untrue, and this perception comes down to different levels of empathy. (I know, what a surprise)

Someone just say the racist old man is a racist old man with racist views. But then they would be the target of attacks for "not being civil" to the racist. This country sucks.

Everyone needs to remember the Paradox of tolerance. Allowing intolerance will only breed more intolerance. Everyone should speak out and shine a light on it when they can.
- Ok, lets apply the paradox of tolerance to islamic views on women and lgbtq people. I remember clinton meeting with the taliban while everyone thought ferengi were hilarious. Im that old. and modern misogyny is no fucking surprise. They called the misogynistic ads ironic, and sending kids child porn was ironic, and 4chan racism was ironic. None of it was ironic and the stupid assholes in society have only been strengthened by the internet. Freedom of speech allowed nazis to walk the streets of america and now you have the result.
- Also don't forget Rush Limbaugh. He was a big advocate of 'civility' and 'politeness' but he absolutely did not consider racism, racist jokes, or telling someone they can't do something because of their race, to be uncivil or rude.
Also don't forget Rush Limbaugh. He was a big advocate of 'civility' and 'politeness' but he absolutely did not consider racism, racist jokes, or telling someone they can't do something because of their race, to be uncivil or rude.

I mean, he already said covid was engineered not to be as bad for Jewish people. We knew who he was.

It's just super old school racism is what it is. I'm talking like 17th century racism.

Creating Caucasians/Aryans remains the stupidest science. Bunch of hateful twits obsessed with bullshit like where Noah's Arc was and measuring their own heads. Filthy rotten fuckers, every one of them. Paved the way for shit like
A 2016 survey revealed that of 222 white American medical students and residents, nearly 60% thought Black people’s skin is thicker than white peoples, and 12% thought Black people’s nerve endings were less sensitive than those of white people.
jfc...
- This is a huge problem, the stats are way worse for nurses as I recall. Even some textbooks still claim that black people have higher pain tolerance and need less medication. Black people are denied opioids and treated as “drug seeking” far more than white patients. They can have problems accessing treatment for opioid use disorders too.
  In 2021, maternal mortality rates for black women were about 2.6 that of non Hispanic white women. Its not hard to see why.
- Some of the dumbest people I've ever met have been doctors and nurses, the more the specialize the worse shit to, they are so hyper focused on their jobs they just fall into the stupidest shit.

What I really think America needs is an unqualified heroin addict that is a self proclaimed arm chair scientist.

Well would you rather have a DEI hire black doctor who has a GPA slightly less than a non-DEI white doctor? /s
- The answer to this of you hear someone say this earnestly is: Why would they have a slightly lower GPA? If anything usually when equally qualified candidates go head to head the white person still has a statistical advantage, even with organizations that have DEI in their mission. This would imply people in disadvantaged groups usually have to be more qualified to get hired.
- Can we just have the most qualified doctor regardless of race in place of the unqualified heroin addict? I'll take that. They can be a black trans lesbian (or not for any/all of those) for all it matters, so long as they actually know their shit.
  Like RFK has already blown his stopped clock moment, and it was about food additives - can we get someone who will still do that bit but is also otherwise competent?
You want the bush model or the Kennedy model? Sorry, were all out of the bidens, the just fly off the shelf.

Elect Republicans, get racists.

Pretty simple.

the insistence on there being differences between the racists is central to Fascism.

they NEED it to be true to bolster their ideas and goals.

I think you made a typo, and meant to say "races".
- They need the racists to be different too.
  When they wipe out whoever the majority hates, diversity in racism means there will be new groups hated by the majority that can be wiped out. And then another group the majority hates.
  Turn everyone against everyone else, and everyone becomes disposable.

"Samudzi is concerned that a Kennedy appointment could result in policies that halt research and dismantle demonstrably proven health interventions."

I assumed it is already well-known that this is exactly the goal of his nomination.

The republican who was a doctor ultimately caved in.
Makes you wonder what sort of scheme or threat they may have used to force that decision.

how it started with the jews back in the day.

Actually how it start with black people. Classical race science was invented to prove how black people had thicker skulls and felt less pain in order to excuse slavery.
Fun fact "The origin of species" is only half of the name of Darwins book. Don't ask about the other half.
- Don't forget the "science" of things like drapetomania.
  Yes, certain people who were actual medical professionals in their day argued that not wanting to be enslaved was a mental illness if you were black.
- Yea, along the old meme of Black people being fast runners by default.
- On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life
  Do you think Darwin meant this in an aspirational or observational way?

RFK Jr is the embodiment of unscience. If there was ever a god of unscience RFK Jr would be its avatar.

Disagree. He may be misrepresenting science and drawing false conclusions, bur he's definitely using it.
Religion is unscience, and it has many gods.

Trump doesn't give a shit about this fool. RFK jr withdrew from the race and he's lucky that trump even nominated him rather throwing him aside like a burger wrapper.

Is RFK talking out of his arse? Most likely. But there is a lot more MHC variation amongst Africans, I don't know if that extends to African-Americans because they were mostly taken from a small area. So there are undeniable, medically relevant differences between ethnicities when it comes to the immune system.

Sources or it didn't happen.
- Okay.
  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4067985/
  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2953791/
  https://academic.oup.com/gbe/article/15/4/evad054/7092825
  I could find hundreds of references if I was being paid, it's a very well established fact. It's the reason organ transplant matches can be very difficult to find for people with African ancestry.
  Honestly it's a bit weird to come back and see I've been downvoted. Echoes of Lysenkoism.