<p>Just as one example, you can look at county-by-county data for Obama’s electoral results. (Of course, this is not to say that the only people who voted against Obama did so for racial reasons, only that in some situations it might have been a contributing factor for a noticeable number of people.)</p>
<p>You can see that all-white districts went heavily for Obama; all-black (or nearly-so) districts also went heavily for Obama. Obama did worst in areas where blacks were a large-but-not-nearly-100% part of the population, e.g. 20-40% black.</p>
<p>At one of not so conservative schools, students of a minority ethnic group got elected as the president of student council two years in a row (note: different students in different years.) One presumably majority student posted a nasty message afterward: A majority student will possibly vote for a minority candidate but a minority student will never vote for a majority candidate. How can a majority student win in such an environment? Sigh! Do we need another decade before people can see each other in terms of their merit instead of their skin color?</p>
<p>It was very interesting to watch polls from the Democratic primary election 2008. Initially and in early polling, African-Americans overwhelmingly favored Hillary Clinton. Asking around revealed essentially that they didn’t believe white people would ever vote for Obama, so why bother getting your hopes up?</p>
<p>Then Iowa happened, and polls flipped almost overnight. If Obama could win Iowa, maybe he stood a chance at beating Clinton – and, later, Giuliani. (McCain’s eventual win was also a mild surprise.) If memory serves, major polls blacks went from favoring Clinton ~70/30 to favoring Obama ~80/20 within a span of just three days.</p>
<p>Agh! Is this going to become politicized again? To answer OP’s question, yes, there will always be racism. But when I encounter it, I just walk away. If you feel it will be a serious problem in your area, then the best thing to do would be to go to an area that won’t disrespect you.
I grew up in Los Angeles, and I’ve encountered little to no racism in my life, save more recently when the illegal immigrant issue became prevalent, and more people are divided on that one. Interracial marriage is common around my friends and relatives; I don’t ever hear anything racist.
The one thing I find wrong is hurting people for any reason; unfortunately, that is practically the gangsta culture in a nutshell. However, I’ve also had very good friends that were/are gang members.
So, from what I see, racism is all but extinct in much of the country. I don’t think you will be judged by the color of your skin. BTW, the UCLA medical center has like 1 white doctor for every 5 Indian/African-American/Asian/Hispanic doctor. And it is one of the most highly regarded centers in the country (#2).</p>
<p>OP: Unfortunately, racism will always exist in this country, although it is much diminished from a generation ago when I was your age. The question is, are you going to let a shrinking pool of bigots stop you from pursuing your dream? I hope not.</p>
<p>Membership on a patient’s insurance provider panel, acceptance of new patients, and referral from a primary care doc are the most common criteria for initial physician selection; less common initial selection criteria include board certification or graduation from a local medical school; race, graduation from a prestigious medical or well-regarded residency program are uncommon selection criteria.</p>
<p>Polite office staff, prompt office visits, accurate billing, good bedside manner, good communication skills, and professional image appropriate to the locale determine patient retention.</p>
<p>No, you’re not being ridiculous. Being a middle-aged white woman, it’s easy for me to sit here and say that you shouldn’t be deterred. The US has a sorry history in the department of racial equality, and there will always be an ignorant few who make decisions about other people based on skin color. But they are becoming more and more irrelevant. As far as I’m concerned, if you’re a good doctor, I couldn’t care less what color your skin is. So work hard to become that good doctor, and good luck to you!</p>
<p>At the risk of cracking open a can of slithering worms, I would suspect that people might harbor suspicions that a black doctor might have been admitted to med-school only via AA and hence may not be as qualified as a white doctor. Let’s face it, the hardest part of med-school is simply getting in; practically nobody actually fails once they’re in.</p>
Practically nobody fails to make a living in private practice as long as they are board certified (not absolutely necessary); are polite; and stay away from drugs, sexual relationships with patients, or fraudulent financial schemes.</p>
<p>You would definitely be at a disadvantage compared to a white doctor in solo practice. HOWEVER: </p>
<p>*You are highly unlikely to find yourself in solo practice. Few people enter such an arrangement today, and even fewer will in the future.</p>
<p>*There are lots of patients who are not white, and for whom this will be less of a concern (whites are still in the majority, but this numerical relationship is changing quite rapidly). Not to say people of other minority groups could not share racist attitudes, but they may be less pronounced than among some whites.</p>
<p>*If you are in a group practice, then patients will be directed to the group, and you will handle some of them.</p>
<p>You have choices about where to practice. If you insist on an all-white suburb with ample white doctors, it could be tough. If you end up in a more integrated area, where people expect to see professionals of all colors, then you may be better off.</p>
<p>This is not just a matter of perceived competence. To a large extent, it has nothing to do with affirmative action. Many people simply do not want a black doctor, regardless of ability.</p>
<p>So… Will not being white limit your career choices within medicine, as compared to a white doctor? Of course, this is America.</p>
<p>Will not being white make it impossible to have a successful medical career? Not at all. In fact, your color will probably be less of an issue in medicine than in most other professional jobs.</p>
<p>I do not know why I am getting involved in this, but I just find one thing funny. I feel like everyone here is saying they would certainly have a black physician if he/she is articulate, well dressed, and brilliant. I personally find this to be inherently racist. I think that there are several white doctors who are moderately smart/attentive, and decent in speech who have no hurdles to jump over. In other words a white doctor has to be decent, but a black doctor must be “excellent” Why does a black doctor have to be the “perfect specimen” in order to be tolerable? </p>
<p>My issue is, so what if an African American doctor speaks with a little urban vernacular, who cares if he speaks the way people speak in the community he/she was raised. I know plenty of AA’s who are brilliant, that don’t speak the “Queen’s English” and I feel it is sort of discriminatory to discard a doctor because he/she talks a certian way. It seems to me that noone has a problem when a southerner uses his/her dialect but once a black person says “yo” or says “aks” its over and they are automatically a stereotypical dim-witted negro.</p>
<p>This is really a digression but what is with your disdain of hip hop music. For me there is nothing wrong with hip-hop music because it is what the people want (I don’t like most hip hop, but I enjoy some). I don’t criticize country music because it causes the most suicides of any genre of music (not to mention I dont like it, except for taylor swift). Embracing the hip hop culture is not any indication of stupidity, it is just an expression of one’s musical tastes. Ironically hip-hop is fueled mostly by whites (who do you think buys most of the cd?/goes to concerts?) </p>
<p>In pointless summation, we should not expect more from one race than another and music and culture are off limits. Judging someone based on their taste in music or where they come from is just lame. I guess I am just an idealist…</p>
<p>Just providing my input. I would not choose my physician on the basis of their race or colour. I would however choose whichever physician I felt provided me with the best care. Unfortunately, there are still many racist people in the world. However, I think African-American physicians can still do well, as long as they are good at what they do!</p>
<p>Don’t misunderstand my comment about being articulate, well dressed, polite, and having a nice waiting room. If any doctor wants to have plenty of patients, those things will go far. If the OP does those things, he/she will have no trouble establishing a succesful private practice, whatever their race/religion/gender.</p>
It’s not about being “black” or “white” or anything, it’s about being professional and educated. I would have second thoughts about any professional who spoke like that, regardless of their skin color. It’s one thing if someone speaks like that amongst family and friends, but in a professional setting, one should behave and speak professionally. It’s the same reason why one should avoid vernacular/slang/etc during an interview.</p>
<p>Also, when I hear [some] white people talk about tolerable black people, it’s almost always those who are similar to them in tendencies. These people seem to be in favor of assimilation rather than respect for a different culture. Those who senselessly write-off hip-hop culture with the same ignorant, generic descriptions make me laugh. If you really think the hip-hop culture entails just “grillz” and “baggy pants” then it just reinforces to me that you’re blind to a culture and movement in its scope. </p>
<p>I would say that in general, white America doesn’t understand hip-hop culture, but that isn’t necessarily its fault. The media has exploited and corrupted hip-hop for the sake of profit, and since most white people aren’t living in inner-city communities, they automatically associate hip-hop with these perceptions propagated by the media.</p>
<p>I grew up in the inner-city and I attend a top institution. But for me to say that I’m going to adjust my mannerisms, behavior, and culture to appease white people’s notion of a “model minority” is ludicrous. </p>
<p>That was a little digression on my part. Nonetheless, I do believe in professionalism in the work-place, and even in speech to an extent. However, it’s pretty appalling to me how people have spoken of slang in this thread. Racial undertones ftl.</p>
<p>In Hawaii, many people speak “pidgin” english. Virtually all doctors and nurses understand pidgin, but none routinely speak pidgin. Professionals in Hawaii speak standard English, whether they are haole, pake, popolo, kanaka or poi dog.</p>
<p>Understanding the vernacular is necessary to communicate with patients, but speaking standard English is necessary to command respect.</p>
<p>I couldn’t care less, as long as they’re professional, like-able, and know what the hell they’re doing. I’m white, and I’d rather have a good doctor of color than a white one who wasn’t gonna treat me properly.</p>