Reading Reflection #6

"According to the World Health Organization (1995), poverty is the single greatest cause of ill health in the world today: " (p 205) Although I realized that poverty had an effect on a person's well being, I never realized it was the leading cause of health problems. My first reaction to this was one of guilt. After realizing that poverty, and food shortages are all caused by people, and not natural phenomenas, made me feel as though there is more that I can do to make this world a better place. It made me extremely disgusted with with wealthy countries, when I found out that they could easily afford to provide sufficient supplies to poor countries to keep them in good health. In 2005, the United Nations declared that only taking 1% of the total income of wealthy countries would end world hunger. The United States currently only provides 1/5 of that 1% . It seems that helping the ill and poverty stricken just isn't any one's top priority. Why?
I am still struggling with why America wouldn't give the full 1% when other countries are donating even more then they are. Is it that we can't afford it? the United Nations declared that it was "utterly affordable". So what is the real answer? After reading this chapter thoroughly, I still haven't found it. Does any one else have any ideas as to why? Does it have to do with the war that has been going on in Iraq? Is there ever a good excuse to let numbers of people die each year for reasons that can be controlled?
When I was reading about the discrimination of health care based on an individuals race, class, and sexuality, I became infuriated. I couldn't believe the terms that were used, such as "green screen", meaning that a person's financial situations was more important then their clinical information when it came to being wait listed for an organ transplant. WOW! How is that not illegal? It certainly reinforces the belief that "money makes the world go round". Apparently health care clinics believe that person's of a certain race are destined to have the same financial background. Look at all the Chinese people that were at the hospital for probably days when the American was brought to the front of the line, because they thought there was a better chance that he would be able to pay them because of his race/ethnicity. My attitudes have totally changed toward the health care system after reading this. It gives me further belief that I shouldn't be trusting of health insurance companies, or even doctors, or hospitals. It is sad when the people that are supposed to be there to help you, are the ones that you need to be wary of. Whoever though your class position, race, etc... would determine your health care needs?
There were a few different topics in the reading that I did find interesting. One was a term they used known as the sick role. It basically describes the fact that each society has a certain set of expectations that people need to meet when they are sick. If a person does not behave this way, then they are not considered sick, or considered that they want to get better. It talked about how women in the 19th century, if wealthy, were considered to be very delicate beings that always needed bed rest. The lower class women were considered tougher, and were thought to have "thicker skin". Still to this day, women are more susceptible then men are to be labeled sick. Pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, and menstruation have been medicalized or pathologized. This means that normal biological events in women's lives were considered to be problematic and in need of medical attention. The medical world has even coined the term Premenstrual Syndrome to explain why women get moody, or depressed right before or during their period. The social world now uses this as an excuse to blame sudden mood swings on menstruation. I always here women and men use that excuse to explain their partners, or their own behavior. There are even shirts that have the saying, "Don't mess with me, I have PMS". This just further perpetuates the cycle that women are allowed to act a certain way just because of a normal biological function.
Overall this reading was really informative. It seemed the author really tried to make an emotional connection with his readers. He really wanted them to realize how it is for people of a certain race, class or sexuality. He definitely succeeded in doing so from my point of view.