I was intrigued by this headline I saw recently (in this article) as I had never thought of racism quite in these terms. But it does make some sense once you think about it, starting with the word itself:
Dis-ease: a veritable discomfort, in this case one with respect to someone who is not like you.
We might even argue that it is contagious, transmitted (or moving easily from one to another) by virtue of exposure to the demeaning, discriminatory and toxic words and actions of so-called ‘respected authorities’.
Apparently, proposals to consider racism an illness are not new; this understanding fits within the postwar trend of viewing racism as a pathological disorder residing within individuals. In the latter part of the 20th century, some academics and clinicians continued formulating diagnostic frameworks to identify and treat racism, positing that:
racists suffer from narcissistic personality disorder, which causes them to seek praise from authority figures.
racism is an addiction to a source of social power.
In 2012, Oxford University researchers even proposed a pharmacological “cure” for racism: a beta-blocker called propranolol that appeared to reduce subjects’ scores on a test of implicit bias.
Indeed, some psychologists maintained that treating racism as a psychiatric disorder is inappropriate because it would "medicalize" a social problem. As Cornell University Associate Professor Noliwe Rooks noted in 'Is Racism an Illness?', “thinking of any form of racism as an illness is very troubling. Historically, psychiatrists, psychologists, the medical establishment and lay people have all agreed that the roots of racism are cultural or societal — a set of beliefs and behaviors that are learned and, as a result, can be unlearned. If racism was to ever be declared an illness that can be treated, racists would no longer be legally or ethically responsible for their actions. Just imagine it: a medical justification for discriminating against, or even killing, those of another race.”
Sociologist James Thomas added that “any effort to treat racism in an individual is necessarily targeting only the symptoms of a much larger systemic problem. Understanding racism, a system of subordination that benefits white people, requires models that are historically grounded, culturally informed, and politically attuned.”
Finally, in her article 'Is Racism a Disease?', clinical psychology doctoral student, Briana Last asks: “What, then, are the implications of understanding racism as a disease and not a social problem today?”
She concludes the following:
“The pathological perspective ignores the historical character of racism and race and fixes individuals (perpetrator and victim) in place and, notably, outside of time. In lieu of understanding the conditions that shape the vast inequities that exist within society, explanations that naturalize racism lead us to believe that it is a universal and unchanging force. This way of seeing reinforces and perpetuates the notion that racism is a problem lodged permanently in people’s heads and bodies, not a problem of public policy. Yet, discriminatory attitudes and social inequalities are not permanent—they are the product of political-economic forces and historical contingency. The rise of unprecedented levels of inequality offers us an opportunity to comprehend the ways capitalism harms the vast majority of its subjects. We can choose to unite in the struggle against the damage present social relations inflict on all human life, or we can proliferate more categories that pathologize and divide us.”
See also
By CARL BELL, M.D.
By JAMES M. THOMAS
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