Thread by @triptogenetica

@TheBMA @BMANews "FRONTLINE" 4th August displays worrying prejudice. Please refer your pseudonymous ED consultant Charles Lamb to the following:

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out-group…

We no longer call people "schizophrenics", "diabetics", or "cyclists". To do so risks lazy prejudice.

1/

@TheBMA @BMANews From Lamb's article:

"Where there are cycle lanes some choose not to use them" - correct; may I refer you to the UK's unfit for purpose cycling "infrastructure" or "farcilities":

colyer.plus.com/danny/cycling/…

2/

@TheBMA @BMANews And (referring to someone riding a bike):

"After all they all look the same"

This is never an acceptable way to describe any group of human beings.

Particularly when you use dehumanising language to "other" them - this is prejudice and out-group homogeneity bias again.

3/

@TheBMA @BMANews I am not a "cyclist", or a "pedestrian", or an unfortunate "car driver" (but I do walk, cycle, and drive).

Medicine is supposed to involve a degree of caring curiosity for fellow human beings. Not kneejerk judgements and lumping people together by their behaviours.

4/

@TheBMA @BMANews We also try to rely on data. Hence we practice both the art and science of medicine.

Lamb shares an anecdote of a woman seriously injured, by someone riding on a pushbike into her on the pavement. They then left the scene of the accident - this is a criminal act.

5/

@TheBMA @BMANews However,
From cycling UK:
"the vast majority of pedestrians who are killed or injured in collisions are hit by a motor vehicle, not a cycle. "
"motor vehicles were involved in 99.4% of collisions in which a pedestrian died."

cyclinguk.org/campaigning/vi…

6/

@TheBMA @BMANews Can we now expect, for balance, 100 articles from Lamb about our car sick society?

That is, 1700 road deaths, 20000 serious injuries, etc, yearly. Plus wider harms of sedentary behaviour and car dominance?

#carsicksociety
#prejudice #outgrouphomogeneity
#EBM #compassion

/END

@threadreaderapp unroll please, so I can email this to @BMANews and ask for a response.