Dr. Paul Farmer: Centuries of Inequality in the U.S. Laid Groundwork for Pandemic Devastation

[@johnorosz7477]

Growing up with a polio survivor, I learned lessons about epidemics, sickness, disability, and inequality that have forever shaped my world. From a young age, I saw that all of us should be valued for our intrinsic worth as human beings; that there is no line between the supposedly deserving and the undeserving; that we should be loved for who we are, not what we do or how much money we have. My mom modeled for me what’s possible when those most impacted by inequality and injustice dedicate their lives to protecting others from what hurts us all. She taught me that the dividing line between sickness and wellbeing loses its meaning in a society that doesn’t care for everyone. Here’s the simple truth of 21st century America: All of us live in a time and in an economic system that values our lives relative to our ability to produce profits for the rich or in the context of the wealth we possess. Our wellness is measured by our efficiency and-a particular lesson in the age of the coronavirus-our sickness, when considered at all, is seen as an indication of individual limitations or moral failures, rather than as a symptom of a sick society. About 31 million people today are uninsured in America, and 14 states have not even expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The healthcare system is seemingly structured in defiance of the people it should serve, functioning as yet another way to maximize profits at the expense of millions. In this coronavirus moment, many more Americans are finally awakening to the bitter consequences, the damage, wrought when even a single person does not have access to the resources he or she needs to live decently or, for that matter, survive. With the spread of a pandemic, the cost to a nation that often treats collective care as, at best, an afterthought should become apparent. After all, more than 9,000 medical workers, many not adequately protected from the disease, have already contracted it. For decades, both political parties have pushed the narrative that illness, homelessness, poverty, and inequality are minor aberrations in an otherwise healthy society. Even now, as the possibility of a potentially historic depression looms, assurances that the mechanics of our economy are fundamentally strong (and Covid-19 an unexpected fluke) remain commonplace. And yet, while that economy’s productivity has indeed increased strikingly since the 1970s, the gains from it have gone to an increasingly small number of people (and corporations), while real wages have stagnated for the majority of workers. Don’t be fooled. This crisis didn’t start with the coronavirus: Our collapsing oil and gas industry, for instance, points to an energy system that was already on the brink, and a majority of economists agree that a manufacturing decline had actually begun in August 2019.

[@vg7985]

John Orosz consequences of capitalist society. It's just natural.

[@squarepegroundhole8211]

So you’re saying all lives matter? Be careful buddy.

[@jabbermocky4520]

@@vg7985 Nothing is natural about capitalism. It's artificial money, all of it. All man-made. Nature don't make money to kill itself. Man does that.

[@ansuajo]

Thank you for your profound articulations... they are remarkably spot on regarding the ravages at public and personal levels of American style self centered, profit-seeking individualistic capitalism.

[@cynthialangley7338]

Thank you for your comment.

[@SylvainDuford]

The US an egalitarian country? That would be news to 10s of millions of people.

[@asleepawake3645]

You know it is egalitarian when idiots like trumpists and russian disinformation agenta have been allowed to spread their idiotic lies. Russia should start allowing the same freedoms.

[@Zittylol]

Well he might of been wishfully thinking that was true and hoping American will wake-up to the fact: This pandemic needs everybody protected via vaccines or nobody is protected. Once again greedy big-pharma uses public money for private greed-needs. Typical Corpo-profits-over Humanity = Corpo-socialism = Free profits?

[@ouimetco]

Not even in the slightest

[@chachaguillotine187]

That's news to about 330,000,000 who aren't making up the 8000 of oligarchs.

[@rdreeves2332]

We must implement a permanent UBI now. Then we can transition to a RBE. Also support the Money Free Party and The Venus Project so we can go beyond politics poverty and war. That is, unless we wish to destroy our selves.

[@tylerhackner9731]

This was years in the making. Our austerity policies and for profit system did this.

[@phillaw7952]

And Biden is still against Medicare For All in a pandemic.

[@B.White70]

Capitalism doing what it does. Totally agree with you.

[@vg7985]

But but you got your tax cut, didn't you? Oh, yeah. It's also expired ( for you only).

[@richardalandaniel1020]

Thank you for letting the doctor talk without interrupting him every 30 seconds.His input is desperately needed at this time.

[@mshakespearek]

Happy New year from Denmark.

[@arammmasoumi]

7:18 "wealthy and egalitarian countries like the United States" Lol

[@sinisterminister6478]

Ya the egalitarian part got me as well. What a joke!

[@phatmantv]

What was so funny about that word?

[@sinisterminister6478]

@@phatmantv Because America is hardly egalitarian.

[@phatmantv]

@@sinisterminister6478 Yea, true.

[@hitreset0291]

@@sinisterminister6478 no no no yes .. everyone < the uber rich gets screwed over equally.

[@Caldermologist]

Diabetes, if discovered early, does not require insulin. It requires a bit of knowledge that simply is not allowed in medical doctors. There are others working at hospitals that understand, dietitians. Insulin is only required to give the pharmaceutical industry recurring income.

[@TruthHurts1871]

It's all by design. The deep state would make sure sheeple not to believe and ever come to the thought of the fact that there's always been conspiracy against them in the name of control & religious belief. Having critical mind & thoughts are dangerous and they would condemn such quality as some kind of weird theorists or crazy people especially when you are posing real danger and challenge the deep state propaganda.

[@lisamurdoch2525]

My husband’s an MD and he would totally concur with your statement. Everything he’s learned about diet and diabetes he’s learned through personal research. He’s currently on a mission to educate his patients on how to avoid diabetes. He’s even succeeded in reversing diabetes through diet in a number of his patients- reducing or eliminating their dependence on insulin.

[@andrewmah5605]

The Caste System is working very well in the U.S.A. Who are the "Untouchables" ? It's so Black and WHITE . 🙏😇🙏🏿👍

[@PiliMueckay]

Would you include the automatic subtitle function? Better for deaf people and someone speaking different language of English.

[@mssage974]

The pandemic cannot be stopped unless everyone, regardless or race, gets the same care. If some are vaccinated while others are not, the disease will keep spreading, and everyone, regardless of race, is subject to infection.

[@squarepegroundhole8211]

It’s too late. There’s no containing the most virulent virus in history

[@ahmedkazi113]

Trump Donald should be tried for disobeying and not honoring the court. Something is not right in our juditiory system.

[@squarepegroundhole8211]

Which court for what? Be more specific

[@1VirginiaL]

I would like to hear the rest of this interview. Also, for him to finish the point he was making about property rights and patents -- he seems to be saying the way around the exploitive costs is to develop generic versions of essential meds?

[@deedeewinfrey3181]

The perfect storm.

[@lowesonia8551]

A real human talking with knowledge on the facts pure and simple all anyone needs to hear and Heed. . NO ONE ELSE OF REPUBLICAN OPINIONS SHOULD SAY A WORD.

[@ricardo9976]

This doctor misses the main points as to why the U.S. is in a mess in its heath care system. He deals with effects of a broken down system but not the cause for those effects . The cause for such a neglcted and broken down ecocomic and public health system is the constant lack of government American say so in the private sector due to deregulation. The public health system is in the hands of big corporations who care less about the health and welfare of the American people. This the problem with private capitalism where the private business sector has total power over the economy and its health system versus State capitalism in countries like China where the gov is in control and private enterprise has to obey. Deregulatiion of the private sector beginning mostly with president Reagan has diminished in a big way the power of gov to do the right things for the American people. It is a sorry sitiation when the health and welfare of the people is in the hands of private profit hungry corporations. This is the main reason why the gov could not and did not do the right thing in avoiding the outbreak of the corona Virus in the beginning of the pandemic. It was up to the private sector whose main responsibility is to make profits and not taking care of people' s healthcare nor their economic well being. Cause and effects--the cause being private capitalism and the effects a broken down and bankrupped American system of government.

[@stanleydorsey2884]

Dr. Farmer is correct We in America should've promoted the importance of having a strong medical industry. This means a strong educational system., ending racial bias among other things.

[@mitchellkrouth5083]

Thank you

[@clealinden7755]

A "comparatively quick" price reduction meant nothing to those who died unnecessarily in the meantime.

[@HugoGarcia-mm2uy]

Dr Paul will you be getting that vaccine for your self and your family ???

[@jonpecker9145]

Seems he glossed over some details! About why we are doing so disasterly bad with this virus.

[@lemueltravis8952]

Thank You white Jesus for your report, and now Back To You YHWH in the Control Room !!

[@Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism]

“Upon suffering beyond suffering; the Red Nation shall rise again and it shall be a blessing for a sick world. A world filled with broken promises, selfishness and separations. A world longing for light again. I see a time of seven generations when all the colors of mankind will gather under the sacred Tree of Life and the whole Earth will become one circle again. In that day there will be those among the Lakota who will carry knowledge and understanding of unity among all living things, and the young white ones will come to those of my people and ask for this wisdom. I salute the light within your eyes where the whole universe dwells. For when you are at that center within you and I am that place within me, we shall be as one." -Crazy Horse "Indians&wolves are both beasts of prey, tho' they differ In shape. The immediate objectives are the total destruction and devastation of their settlements and the capture of as many prisoners of every age and sex as possible. It will be essential to ruin their crops in the ground and prevent their planting more.” - Founding Father & President Of the United States Of America, George Washington. Indian name: Town Destroyer "The merc!less.Ind!an.sav@ges, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. - United States Declaration of Independence. These words written by Founding Father & President Of the United States Of America, Thomas Jefferson. (It's pretty bad when youtube auto deletes the founding fathers because it flags their quotes as hate speech. Which of course it is but that's the true founding of so called America. See the discussion tab on my channel to see far harder truths.)

[@sallybrookner4158]

Funny, so many comments from people who seem to know more than an infectious disease expert who has literally devoted his entire life to working in, and bringing health care to the most impoverished areas of the world.

[@piotrmarkiewicz2005]

@1:16 How many centuries? This country is too young to speak of it in terms of "centuries"... as if two and a half years old kid said: "all my life". Overdramatic!!!

[@WilhelmDrake]

Q: Why do Free Market enthusiasts love Patents & Intellectual Property Rights when they are (as all forms Property Rights are), by definition, Government Granted Monopolies? A: Because they are hypocrites who love the Nanny State as long as it's a Conservative Nanny State that coddles only the rich & powerful. "Socialism" for the Rich, "Free Markets" for the rest of us

[@rdreeves2332]

We must implement a permanent UBI now. Then we can transition to a RBE. Also support the Money Free Party and The Venus Project so we can go beyond politics poverty and war. That is, unless we wish to destroy our selves.

[@Bracero1990]

Freely giving thanks healthcarefor all

[@animalfarm7467]

Just listening to Paul Farmer makes me wonder, 07:18 “Egalitarian countries like the United States”. It appears Farmer has spent too much time in academia and has no idea about the world in which he lives. The US is egalitarian? - Only a deluded fool could make that statement. Listen to Jimmy Carter, “the US is an Oligarchy”. And the oligarchs that own the US also own its citizens; and that includes the now privatized government and political parties. But the oligarchs do allow the illusion of democracy; they well know that a slave is easiest to control when they are continually told “they live in a democracy and they are free”. The oligarchs have learned “The Big Lie” from Mein Kampf and learned how to execute the lie from the practical applications of Joseph Goebbels. Remember how the US oligarchs honored fascism and Hitler, and some (e.g. Henry Ford) even sent money to Hitler each year on his birthday. The oligarchs learned well for Hitler and Goebbels that if you continually push the same lie again and again, eventually the people will believe. In reality, citizens are nothing more than cattle on a ranch being bred for exploitation. If the cattle ever strike, you can expect the Oligarchs’ (Rockefeller) Pinkerton army to arrive and start shooting (Ludlow Massacre). So the “Land of the Free” and “Democracy” is nothing more than Potemkin illusions designed to manipulate an already propagandized and apathetic majority. The reality is in this Potemkin democracy, it’s only free for those in the elite class. When the oligarchs called a piece of legislation, “Citizens United”, they weren’t joking. Just as the “Founding Fathers” would only allow rich, white, property owners the vote, contemporary oligarchs consider “Citizens” as only rich, white, property owners. So you can see in the eyes of the oligarchs, calling a piece of legislation written by one of their institutions (ALEC) “Citizens United”, is quite rational. As it is the perfect way to unite the interests of the oligarchs (rich, white, property owners) and subvert a suffrage of which the oligarchs detest. Understand that slavery in the US hasn’t actually changed since the Emancipation Proclamation; it has just become less overt and aggressive, and more cosmopolitan and multicultural. It’s not a coincidence that as a percentage of the world’s population, both the infection rate and the incarceration rate is 25%. And when looking outwardly to other nations where infections are devastating their populations, is it a coincidence most of these devastated nations are US vassal NATO Neoliberal states? There appear to be some exceptions (Brazil), but understand Bolsonaro was willing to join NATO and is also a Neoliberal puppet of Washington. So the oligarchs have their strategy being executed effectively by their minions (politicians), and their media is dedicated to deflecting any awkward questions that may arise. They are expecting their cattle to remain quietly in the pen as their recycled ranch hand (Biden) takes the old reins. The oligarchs will direct their minions to do everything to keep their cattle distracted and apathetic, as they are being transported to the slaughterhouse for profit.

[@helenpatterson3858]

Gosh Amy, you are looking good in this post. You have some good news in your life ? I hope so. And... I hope 2021 is good to you.

[@squarepegroundhole8211]

Grey is the hot new look for 2021

[@chrysanthemum3464]

Regarding Rwanda: Rural and poor do not equate.

[@bpalpha]

Money is no form of wealth but a worship of evil. The King's ransom won't save you. Money is worthless, peace is priceless.

[@Marxist2]

I agree with this wise man, Dr. Farmer. What added to this devastation was the poor, downright awful & inadequate response by Trump & Congress.

[@LowescC]

ok, so reimburse the people who's "livings" are being killed by these mandates...( and stop acting like you can't possibly understand the peasant's concerns.....)

[@laurasantiago6280]

Happy new years

[@squarepegroundhole8211]

It’s not a quarantine report. It’s a lockdown. Check your dictionary old Amy.

[@tishsmiddy71]

Glad to hear , no . Your optimistic for the United States 😷😜

[@tishsmiddy71]

Thank you , Doctor ❤️

[@nancyfahey7518]

Great another book.

[@ethicalatheist1078]

word

[@barrywhite9114]

Those people seem nice enough to qualify for a Novel technology...They don’t seem robust enough though.

[@9birdstyle]

Hmm...The Clinton foundation

[@meganmclaughlin9056]

This theory makes no sense

[@tadeufilippini]

Happy New Ears And Eyes (John Cage For Pandemic Times)

[@walterarchibald1318]

Jared Diamond II

[@leandroronin6476]

OMG 😍💋 💝💖❤️