Friday 24 December 2021

No Surprises...

Over the past two years the LSHTM has enjoyed a high-profile role in the global battle against the Covid pandemic. Among its many notable alumni is Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England.

'Notable' you say, 'notorious' thinks most normal people! 

The damning review, published on Monday, found however that the culture and practices at the university “still too often disadvantage people of colour”, that the curriculum is Eurocentric...

Well, why wouldn't it? It's in Europe, the cradle of civilisation! 

The report highlighted the LSHTM’s well-documented colonial history. It was founded by the UK government’s colonial office and its current success as a leader in global health and research, the report said, can be attributed in part to its role in British colonialism.

So colonialism is a good thing then, yes? Alas, no, Reader... 

Liam Smeeth, who took over as LSHTM director in August, said: “We understand that these experiences have had very real and painful human consequences. We deeply regret this and apologise sincerely to everyone affected. While the conclusions of the review are difficult to confront, facing up to them is an essential step towards creating an environment where everyone’s contributions and perspectives are valued. We are determined to do better. ”

*sighs* 

4 comments:

Bucko said...

Had to read the whole article just to see what the actual problem was and what they were apologising for
It seems it's all because the senior staff aren't all black and when black people moan about their lot in life, they get ignored
No doubt they will soon start advancing unsuitable people, simply because of their skin colour

Mudplugger said...

Maybe now they should just stop working on 'tropical medicine', which has no value here in post-colonial times, and leave the residents of all those ungrateful shitholes to do their own scientific work or die from all the local diseases, the latter of which seems the most likely outcome.

Ed P said...

Nearly all scientific, technological and medical advances made over the last 200 years have been by white people. There are (now, at least) plenty of research facilities in universities in African countries, yet few innovative or ground-breaking results emerging.
So, although disadvantage probably previously held back bright minds in Africa, it's no longer a valid reason for this imbalance.
I hope the hospital's tropical disease research will continue, using the most talented, regardless of their skin colours. But if tainted by woke crap, it's unlikely.

JuliaM said...

"Had to read the whole article just to see what the actual problem was and what they were apologising for..."

I'm so sorry... 😁

"Maybe now they should just stop working on 'tropical medicine', which has no value here in post-colonial times..."

Well, I dunno. One day, we may get an Ebola variant that's as scary and dangerous as we first thought covid might be.

"Nearly all scientific, technological and medical advances made over the last 200 years have been by white people. There are (now, at least) plenty of research facilities in universities in African countries, yet few innovative or ground-breaking results emerging."

It's a puzzle, isn't it?