Health Disparities In America Summary

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Taking a critical look at Dr. Camara Jones presentation, I find it to be very interesting, because she poked at the core of the fundamental causes of health disparities in the United States. Some of the issues she addressed are considered taboo; therefore, citizens here would avoid discussing such issues about social injustices perpetuated a dominant race in the U.S. I recalled in undergrad we were discussing issues on social injustices in America and issues on white privilege. When asked if anyone believes that there is such a thing as “white privilege” in America . . . Many white students became quiet, some walked out of the class, and almost all of the remainder denied that it exists. The instructor even went as far as to say that is the common response elsewhere. I found it to be very interesting indeed to see such reactions from the white students. …show more content…
Jones pointed out that there is a big difference between the social determinants of health disparities and the social determinants of health, and that racism is a fundamental cause of health disparities in the U.S.1 It is obvious that people have no control as to the conditions of the environment as to where they are born into, hence, they are subject to the system in place based on the forces of economics, politics, and social policies.2 When it comes to the determinants of health racism, sexism, capitalism, etc. play important roles as to who gets and who does not. It is like in the case of the haves and the haves not. These “isms” are an opportunity structuring system, which assigned values based on how we interpret social issues of race,1 sex, class, etc. This structure sets up unfair disadvantage for individuals and their communities, which drains the lifeblood out of a society by wasting precious human